, 1878-05-03
The French Army.


army with the coors will consist of the
first class of five annual contingents Of
$4,000 each, plus the second-class of the
contingent for the current year, the per-
manent cadres of the army, the one. year
volunteers and the re-engaged soldiers,
calculated to give altogether, in round
numbers, 534 900 men, due allowance
being made for casualties; and en- dtSp0n.
iJilite, of four annual contingents of So
900, calculated to give about $4,000
men, similar deductions being made. The
total strength of the active army will
therefore be 10000 non. commissioned
officers and men, or adding the officers
(26,49O), the grand total will be, in round
numbers, 745, 900 of all ranks, not includ-
ing the gendarmerie or garde republi-
Caine, which together amount to $1,000
men, all regularly trained soldiers who
have spent four years in barracks, and all
actually available at a signal. The Reg
ular Army of France, in fact, may be
taken to be at the present moment for de-
feusive purposes 100000 men, all regu-
lars under thirty, comprising great body
Of cavalry, supplied with horses by a
sharply. enforced conscriptiOn, and pos
sessing material which Sir Garnet Wolse-
ley evidently considers ample. This is
an enormous force, far too great even for
the German Army to hope to break up,
and it is commanded by more than 26,-
900 officers, whom Sir Garnet Wolseley
considers genuinely anxious to carry out
the national idea, and make the Army as
effective as it can possibly be made -
"The officer, who was in former times
little more than a faneur in uniform, is
now anxious to make himself profess
sional soldier. Formerly he cared little
for information about foreign armies; now
he is keenly alive to all that goes on in
them, as proved by the existence of the
Reuue MiLitaire de rEtrGnger, by far the
: first military publication ON the subject
in Europe" The Staff has been i'm
proved, and the local organization of the
Army, which is now divided into eighteen
corps d'armee, each complete army in
,, itself of $4,000 men, has enabled the de-
partnents to large extent to get rid OF
routine writing and circumlocution. 1t
is, therefore, no exaggeration to say that
the French Army of the Republic is three
. times as strong as the French Army of
the Second Empire, or that, aided by
10000 Englishmen, and 100000 Dutch
and Belgiaus, it could render the con-
Quest of the two. We have spoken hith-
' erto only of the Regular Army, but it
must not be forgotten that behind this
4 again is the Territorial Army, consisting
of men between twenty-nine and thirty
four, which will one day number 63S, 900
! men. 1t would be impossible, without
I disorganizing society, to call this army
out unless the country were invaded; but
in the event of invasion it would be most
useful, for it would provide 100000 more
= men, all of whom will in time have passed
through the military mill, and three
: fourt6s of whom have even now seen SER
! vice either in the Regular Army or with
Gambetta's Mobiles. 1t was found, we
believe, last year, though Sir Garnet
, Wolseley does not mention the fact, that
,, the Territorial Army responded to call
made in certain districts with unexpected
e alacrity and zeal, and at the worst it
I would furnish an admirable body of re-
. cruits for garrison and fortitication duty,
and TO swell regiments reduced too low
3 by any great battles foughtupon the soil.
The process is slow, but it advances, and
when it is complete-say ten or fifteen
, Years bence-France will have an army
estimated by Sir Garnet Wolseley at q
) All 900 men, or say ten tirst-class armies
of the modern scale "ACtive army, 49,
, 600; reserve of active army, 100000; ter
ritorial army, 100000; reserve OF terrific,
rial army, 63s,OOO; total, 9,47l,OOO."
Those figures should teach US lesson OF
moderation and humility in judging OF
the future of history, 1t is not thirty
, years since the formation Of such an army
in France would have excited a wild
manic in this country, and have led to
most extreme demands upon the Govern
ment for more men, more ships, and more
fortresses. Now it is not regarded even
as a menace and Englishmen are actually
pleased to read that Marshal MacMahon
disposes of more trained soldiers than
we're ever at any one time at the disposal
Of the First Maj apoleon.-From the LoHdo"
Speetators summary Of an article oy SIR
Garnet Wolssley in the Contemporary ne
pieto.