The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-26

settlement, are becoming grave ques-
tons, and one can not see what will be
the result. l was present at the bat
ties Of Beaumont, Gravelotte and
Sedan, and have had my imagination
clipped in seeing these battles, of many
of the errors it had run into in its con-
ception of what might be expected of
the trained troops of Europe. There
was about the same percentage of
sneaks and runaways, and the general
condition of the battles were about the
same as our own. One thing was es-
pecially noticeable-the scattered con-
dition of the men in going into battle
and their scattered condition while en-
gagged. AT Gravelotte, Beaumont and
Sedan the men engaged on both sides
were so scattered that it looked like
thousands of men engaged in a deadly
skirmish, without any regard to lines
of formation. These battles were of
this style of fighting, commencing at
long range, and might be called pro-
gressive fighting, closing at night by
the French always giving up their po-
sition or being driven from it in this
way by the Prussians. The latter had
their own strategy up TO the Moselle,
and it was good and successful. After
that river was reached the French made
the strategy for the Prussians, and it
was more successful than their own.
The Prussian soldiers are very good
brave fellows, all young, scarcely
man over twenty-seven in the first
levies. They had gone into each bat
tie with the determination to win. 1t
is especially noticeable, also, that the
Prussians have attacked the French
wherever they have found them, let
the numbers be great or small, and so far
as l have been able to see, through the
grand tactics of bringing on the engage
ments have been good, yet the battles
have been won by good square fighting
of the men and junior officers. 1t is true
the Prussians have been two to one
except in one of the battles before
Metz-that of the 10th of August
still the French have had the advantage
of very strong positions. Generally
speaking, the French soldiers have not
fought well. 1t may be because the
poor fellows have been discouraged by
the trap into which their comman-
der has led them, but ] must con-
fess to having seen some of the
tallest running at Sedan / have ever
witnessed, especially on the left of the
French position-all the attempts to
make the men stand seemed to be I'M
availing. So disgraceful was this that
it caused the French cavalry to make
three or four gallant but foolish charges,
as if it were to show that there was at
least some manhood left in mounted
French soldier. l am disguised; all
my boyhood's fancies of the soldiers of
the great Napoleon have been dis
sipated, or else the soldiers of the Lit
tie Corporal have lost their elan in the
pampered parade soldiers of the Man
of Destiny The Prussians will settle,
l think, by making the line of the Mo-
selle the German line, taking in Metz
and Strasburg, and the expenses of the
war. | have been most kindly received
by the king and Count Bismarck and
all the officers at the headquarters of
the Prussian army-have seen much of
great interest, and especially have been
able to observe the difference between
the European battles and those of our
own country. l have not found the
difference very great, but that difference
is to the credit of our own country.
There is nothing to be learned here
professionally, and it is satisfaction to
learn that such is the case. There is |
much, however, which Europeans could |
learn from us-the use of rifle-pits:
the use of cavalry, which they do not
use well; for instance, there is line
of communication from here to Ger
many exposed to the whole south of
France, with scarcely a soldier on the
whole line, and it has never been
touched. There are a hundred things
in which they are behind us. The staff
departments are poorly organized;
the quartermaster's department very
wretched, etc.
= Very respectfully, your obedient serv-
ant, p. H. SHERIDAN,
Lieutenant General.
"P. S.-We go tomorrow with the
headquarters of the king to point
about twenty miles from Paris.