River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-10-04
Gen. Sherman-What He Knows About
EuroDe.

A New York letter of Sept. Is says :
Various reporters have conversed with
Gen. Sherman since ais arrival. The
| General says he has no design to pub.
lish a book of travels, though during
his journey he kept journal for the
use of his son. He remarked: my
experience of Europe has been very
pleasant one, and, as a rule, the people
have adopted pretty generally what is
best suited to them. ! found espe.
cially in England. Ireland, and Scot.
land, much to admire. They live a
more placid life than we do here, and
are not continually on the excelsior
movement, burning the fire of life with
the blower. They enjoy themselves,
especially in Scotland. They farm
there on different scale, and on some
of the small Limitations they still use
the scythe and sickle, but on some of
the noblemen's estates saw reaping
and sowing machine imported from
America. They are not slow in Europe
to adopt labor-saving apparatus. In re-
gard TO emigration, European gents are
opposed to the enormous tide which is
draining away a very industrious and
enterprising class of people, and as CON-
munication is so rapid, convenient, and
cheap, there is hardly young man
even in the remote parts of Germany
in moderate circumstances who has not
an idea OF lettering his fortunes in the
United States. When vigorous Jour.
neymen can escape CONSUMPTION, the
authorities are naturally opposed to
their departure. think there is quite
as much intelligence among the Euro
pean armies but we consider here that
one year makes very fair soldier, but
in England they say it takes four years
to turn out competent man. The
French are admirable for the faculty of
making the most rapid rally after de-
feat, but the Germans are acquiring this
art rapidly. We exchanged books on
tactics, and marked simplicity in
maneuvers seems to be pretty general.
| think, however, that England must
change the gaudy red uniform for one
of more somber and less conspicuous
hue if she goes to war with the blue.
clad armies of the Continent. The
French zouaves, in their picturesque
but unserviceable uniforms, were moved
down as badly at Sedan as their
New York prototypes were al Bull
Run. Everywhere went in Europe /
noticed that some of the many systems
OF breech-loaders were In use. The
improved Springfield we use is not in
terior to any weapon | saw there, and
even IL is sllscentihla of innnrovament
The cavalry corps of most countries was
very large, but this may be accounted
for on the ground that monarchies re-
quire so many household troops to
parade on state occasions, that they are
kept more for ornament than use. /
notice that the English set great ac-
count on the traditional British square
to resist cavalry, but with breech-loaders
cavalry are incapable of attacking in
anything like the relatively proper
tionate numbers, as at Waterloo. France
everywhere is rapid,y recovering from
the effects of the war, both foreign and
civil. The land is in a high state of
cultivation, even in the places which
were desolated by the Prussians, and |
could hardly see even trace of the in
vasion, save in the form of Prussian
uniform or two, which fingered on the
eastern border. The Prussian soldiers
are, without doubt, by far the best
drilled troops that ever marched, and
they ought to be, for they spend their
entire me at it. Their appearance at
parade is a most magnificent sight"