Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-02
MoLrKE AND Hrs LUCE
what the Most Brilliant OF War Corresp,
ents Has 60 SAY nj L.

w l0TF0MD0u0s
ent. Has TO Say OF IT,
Archibald Forts. In the New Yorl Morning Journal
As skillful unnring and far-seeing organ
izer OF the means which make success in war
Moltke has neyor had an equal and probably
can never have a superior. The unequaled sue
cess Of the efforts on his part and tina, Of
his coadiu:or, Won Room, TO perfect the national
preparedness for war produced the result that
while these two lasted Germany would end in
no European power an equal antagonist.
Still less did any power produce q strateeist
who gave proof Of ranking rs Moltke's peer.
Thus Il is impossible 70 gauge the fun measure
o. his potentiAlities lie may have had reserves
OF straiegical genius which were never evoked.
II Is impossible 20 determine whether in the
Franco German wnr he put forth his full
strength, or only 50 much OF u rs was proper
tionate TO the requirements suggested by the
known lnferiority OF the adversary.
HE WAS HELPED ny FORTUNE
One thing is certain. that never was fortune
kinder to any director Of great war than abe
was TO Won Molike in 1870. spite OF the sig
nifcant warning OF Sadowa IL seemed nlmoss
as II in later years the see sud empire as re-
garded its army, had been deliberately riding
n fall"
With the melancholy exposure Of its military
deeadence ali the world Is familiar. When Mar
ment OF the chasscpot. he throtiled the tradi-
tioual elan Of the soldiers Of France. Her army
deficient in everything save innate courage,
lacked most OF all competent leadership, and
the assumption Of the chief command by the
emperor made the Germans q present Of the
issue before shot was nred.
The campaign begun. fortune seemed TO
shower her fayors on Moltkc. liz Appeared as IL
the very stars IN their courses fought In his
favor. An essential feature Of his plan was 20
foes sa1 H..
HIM IA this by bottling himself up in Metz.
Mac Mahon yielded HIM tie fair way by moving
out OF ais path.
II is true saying that nothing succeeds like
success; and It's converse is not less true-thst
nothing fails like failure. But the eyewitness
OF the frsnco-6erman must be purblind or
warped, writes Archibald Forbes in the Nine
teenih Century FOR December, who dare aver
that the old spIfit had faded out of the army
on which hac shone the sun of Austerlitz and
which had stormed the Malakof with q rush.
GRAND PICTURE.
No; the poor, miscommanded, bewildered,
harasscd, overmatched. outnumbered soldiers
IN the blue kepis and red breeches fought on
with royal valor that ever commanded respect
and admiration. The sad, noble story Of un-
Rvailing devotion Is TO be told of the French
regular army from the first battle to the ending
at Sedan.
With swelling heart and wet eyes looked
oO"h On the Hial scene OF the awful tragedy.
Inc picture rises now before me of that ter
rlb.e afternoon. The stern ring OF German
hre ever encirciing with stronger grip thar
plateau on which stood huddled the French
men IN the shalnbles: the storm of shell fire
that tore lanes through the dense mGsses all
exposed there TO Its pltiless blasts; the vehe-
ment Yet impotent protests against the in
eVltable IN the shape OF furious sorties-nowa
headlong charge of Margueritte's cuirassiers.
laundering in glittering. steel-clad splendor
down the slope o:Illy with an impetus that
seemed reslstlcsS. ull the lire of the German
Infantry men smOte the squadrons fair IN the
face and strewed tine sward with dead ard dy-
ing; now the frantic gallop to their :a'e Of y
regiment OF hight horscmeR on their gray arab
stations, up TO the very muzzies of the needle
guns which the German lineslnen held with 20
unwayerIng steadiness; now a passionate out
burst OF reC-troUsercd foot soldiers darting
against chance gap Ia the tightening environ
ment, too surely 10 be crushed by the ruthless
thanking fire.
No semblance OF order there. no token Of
leadership, simply he'll. in the heart OF which
with no thought but of lighting il out TO the
bitter eEdl 1 shudder as l write at the recol-
lection OF that CHASTITY fields horrors the
day alter the battle.
The shell fire hurled on the exposed French
masses had been 30 close and 50 incessant that
numbers had been torn or blown into frag-
ments.
The ground was still slippery with blood.
and IN the hollovs lay little puddes, TO look at
which made one faint.
let this fell experience did rot deaden in the
soldiers OF the French army the passion to
keep on fighting. Napoleon 3 one wise act was
his displaying the white flag ON the afternoon
OF Sedan. But with what fury the soldiers ex-
ecrated him and his conduct