The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-09-08
PHIL. SHERIDAN IN FRANCE,
When the Awful Carnage Of Grave
lotte Took Place
in 1870.
HIS LETTER TO GEN. GRANT.
shsrdan's Patriotic Delight at the Equality
Of tho American Soldier With the
Picked Troops Of Europe

Picked Troops Of Europe
General Adam Badeau says in th'
New York World: The death OF Genera
Sheridan 2pG tho announcement tina
he had prepared an article ON the battle
OF Grayelotte, reminds me Of a letter tx
General Grant. in which he discussed
the Franco. German war. I was il
England at the time, and had been "a
quested by Mr.. Froude to furnish pa
per on that war for Flazar's Magazine
wrote to General Grant, then Pres
ident, asking if he could help me and
he replied Is follows:
II am in receipt Of your letter in
which you speak of the article you pro
pose writing for the British press and
Of getting something from Sheridan tt
aid you in preparingit. Ihaye received
but one letter from Sheridan since he
has been with the Prussians. 1t is
probably TOO lste for that letter to be o1
any service to you, but send it,
RHEIMs, FRANCE, Sept. 13, 1870.
Myisear General Grant: The capture
of the Emperor Napoleon and Nc
Mahon's army st Sedan on Sept. has
thrown france into chaos which en-
harnesses the Prussian authorities. 1t
seems TO quiet observer as though
Prussia had done too much. Whom to
negotiate With2 Whon to bold RESPONSE
BILE in the final settlement? are becom-
ing grave questions, and one cannot see
what will be the result. was present
at the battles of Beaumont, Gravelotte
and Sedan. and had my imagination
clipped in seeing these battles--of many
Of the errors it had run into in it's con-
ception of what might be expected of
the trained troops of Europe.
There was about the same percentage
Of sneaks or runaways, and the general
conditions of the battles were about the
same as our own. One thing was
especially noticeable 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 deadly
skirmish without any regard to lines or
formation. These battles were of this
style Of fighting, CONNER cling at long
range, and might be called progressive
fighting, closing at night by the French
always giving up their position, or be-
ing driven from it in this way by the
Prussians, The latter had their own
strategy w to the Mosel]e, 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
Frussian soldiers are very good, brave
fellows, all young. scarcely man over
~ in the first levies. They have gone
into each battle with the determination
to win. It is especially noticeable also
that the Prussians have attacked the
French wherever they have found them,
let the numbers be great OK small, and
so far as have been able to see, though
the grand tactics Of bringing on the
engagements have been good, yet the
battles have been won by the 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 18th OF
August, still the French have had the
advantage of very strong positions.
Generally speaking, the French
soldiers have not fought we'll. 1t may
be because the poor fellows had been
discouraged by the trap into which their
commander had led them, but / must
confess to having seen some Of the
"tallest" running at Sedan [ have ever
witnessed, especially Oh this left of the
French posltion-all attempts to make
the men stand seemed to be unavailing
So disgraceful was this that it caused
The French cavalry to make three or
four gallant but foolish charges, as if 1t
were to show that there was at least
some manhood left in a mounted French
soldier. ..i5
I am disguised; all my boyhood' s
fancies Of the soldiers Of the great Ma
poleon have been dissipated, or else the
soldiers Of the Little Corporal have
lost their elan IN the pannered parade