New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-26
EURopES SCIENTIFIC WARRIOR.

blind Belsarius, released from prison to ask
for aims in the streets after glorious career
of conquest in every quarter OF the Empire,
stands in history as the most conspicuous IL
lustraton of national ingratltude The tradi-
ton has been rejected BY many authorities, but
while the details of the great soldiers final
humiliation may have been exaggerated, 1t is
unuucstionably true that, after defeating the
persians, suppressing revolt in Constantinople,
eonquering Carthage and the Western Mediter-
ranean, twice overrunning Italy, defending
Rome, and battling continuously in ASIA
Africa and Europe for his Emperor, he stuff
cruelty from intrigue, neglect aud persecution
in his old age. The good fortune OF Moltke
in receiving to-day on the completion Of his
ninetieth year the grateful homage of his sover-
cign and the German people offers the strong
est possible contrast to the unhappy end of
Justnians mighty warrior. The young En-
peror, who has never himself been under fire,
is still enough of a soldier to acknowledge the
immense obligations of bis house and his coun-
try to the victorious veteran of Sedan and
kOeniggraetz.
Moltke made special study of the art OF
war in compiling learned work on the Russian
operations of 1929 in the Balkan. His critical
notes on that remarkable campaign are among
the best military commentaries known to the
modern school of arms The inspiration for
the mastery manoeuvres OF the campaign of
1870 was partly drawn from the tactics of
the brilliant Muscovite General. Diebitsch's
decisive victory over the Turks was accom-
plished by flank march, which bore q remark
able resemblance to the movement of the Ger
man army ending in the defeat OF MacAahon !;
and the blockade of Shumla and the bold march
across the Balkan to AdrianOple were repro
duce1 when Metz was masked and beleaguered
and the main army was pushed forward by
forced marches toward Paris. If there was
touch of NapoleOnc genius i'll the German
manoeuvres in France, the original suggestions
were borrowed from the operations OF Die
bitsch forty years before. AS for koeniggraetz
it was won largely by the needle-gun, as the
terrible dSproportiOn between the mortalltS
on the Austrian and that on the Prlsslan SIDE
proves. The invasion of Denmark, the only
other European campaign which Moltke con-
Quoted, was more of sham-fght than battle.
The pre-eminence of NIOltke as one OF the
greatest commanders of modern times is not
to be attributed so much to genius OF the
Napoleonic order as to thorough mastery OF the
science of war. The diagrams of the battle
fields of Sedan and Koaniggraetz will be
searched in vain for traces of original concep-
ton and creative power What is disclosed
by the records of those campaigns is perfec-
ton of military organization. During long
period of systematic preparation for war the
German army had been converted into fight
ing machine of tremendous efficiency. koenig-
sraetz demonstrated its superiority in equip
ment and weapons of precision. Sedan and
the march to Paris proved that with perfection
of system the different army corps OF an i'm
mense host can advance separately and fight
simultaneously with the same facility as the
battaions of Napoleon's armies. When each
| campaign began the plans of the staff were al
| ready formed and could be rapidly executed.
| The contingency of each war had been fore
| cast and the best lines of attack and defence
carefully elaborated 1t was war reduced, as
never before in history, to the form OF an exact
| mathematical science.
This is the great German Captains real
| claim to distinction as one of the eminent
soldiers of the modern age. With a thorough
ness characteristic of his race he has mastered
the science of war as it exists to-day, with the
perfected mechanical appliances of the nine
teenth century and with the material resources
of highly developed nations. Lacking the
creative instinct and resistless energy of Napo.
eonic leadership, he has possessed genius for
organization and detail and scientific spirit
which have served to make the German mil.
itary system what it is to-day. To the noble
veteran rich in years and .honors the homage
of grateful sovereign and patriotic Father
land is due.