New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-26
EUROPES GREATEST SOLDIER.

EUROPE'S GREATEST SOLDIER.
OF the three men who made Germany the
greatest military Power in Europe only one re-
mains The chief title to fame which could be
claimed for the first Emperor William was his
sagacity in discovering and employing Bismarck
and Moltke Between them in the Cabinet and
on the battlefield they created the military and
Imperial systems OF reunited Germany, and the
Emperor who called them to his councils ana
reposed implicit confidence in their judgment
shared with them the glory Of completing the
work of Frederick the Great and of avenging
the Napoleonic wars. Bismarck now remains
a solitary figure upon stage crowded with UNI
tried and raw actors. The great soldier in
whose campaigns he participated has passed
away full of years and honored as no other
subject of the regnng Emperor has been.
Nloltke, like Bismarck, was Kings man, de-
voted heart and soul to the interests OF the
throne Unlike Bismarck, he could witness the
transfer of the crown in rapid succession from
grandfather to son and grandson without falling
into diSfavOr at court and refusing to accept
gracefully the burdens and prohibitions OF adj
vanced age
Moltke's fame rests mainly upon the creation
of the present military system of Germany. 1t
was not so much the genius of the general as
the science Of his preparations for war ana OF
his scheme of staff organization that won the
great tliumphs of KOenigSgraetz and Sedan KS
his career began when that of Napoleon ended
it is natural to compare him with that great
master of Strategy-that miraclc-Workcr IN the
field of arms: but the genius OF the one was not
that of the other. With MOltkc every deiaI!
of military organization was matter of sclen-
tifc calculation IloStilities We're anticipated
by wears of painStaking and laboriouS prepare
ton an army was made to do its work with tho
precision of perfected mechanism and all the
resources of civilization and science were con-
centratcd in order to make war as terrible and
exhausting as possible. There was none of that
marvellous genius for action that enabled Napo-
leon to confound the best tactcians and drill
masters of his day and to achieve what seemed
to be impossible. Motkc'S science OF war was
perfected to such degree that nothing was LETT
to the inspiration of the moment or TO the
chances of the field. The system invariably
trnmphed.
Although Motke was undoubtedly the great
est soldier Europe has seen since the doRhlaII
! of NAPOLEON. il may reasonably be Questioned
whether there were not aI many rs Jour gen
erals in the American Civil War who shared IN
larger degree the characteristic genius OF the
inspired French general Grant Lee, Sherman
and Sheridan did not organize stall and army
on the German level of exact mathematical
science; but they were men Of action VINO
fought as Napoleon fought, and won their VIC
tories by the sheer force OF superior general
ship. Motko is the type of the successful
soldier of the future, for war will be waged III
coming generations, at least in Europe solely
on a scientific basis; and so thoroughly has ms
work been done that his successors VIII Ina II
possible to improve upon his system only IN
the most minute details. TO hs honor DO II
said that while he was master OF the art oi
war he abholrcd il as the closest approach t.
barbariSm practicable under existing conditions
of civilization. BY shortening campaigns and
increasing enormously the destructive agencies
of warfare he reasoned that its evil effects would
be mnimzed. Certainly he did what he could
10 prevent the outbreak Of a general war II
Europe by investing modern armies and mil
itarv systems with 50 many elements Of terror
that the Great Powers must hesitate long before
breaking the armed truce.