New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CHAPTERS OF MODERN WARFARE.

THE REFOUNDING or TIE GERMAN EMPIRE
1e4s-ls7l. By Colonel G. Il. Males H. oVO' pp
32G. New York Charles rbners sons.
This is essentially military history Of three
campaigns the Danish, AustroPIussian and
Franco German wars, which involved the rebound
Ing of the German Empire. There are four pre-
limlnary chapters dealing with the empire of
Charlemagnc, the NapOlcOnic period, the French
Revolution Of SIS, the gradual revival Of PrusSian
feeling, the opening of the reign of William ana
tie introduction Of the policy of blood and iron
but the remaining twelve chapters are almost eX-
cluSively devoted to military events. II is this
lack Of proportion and perspective which con-
siItutes the main defect OF the work The year
ls5S is an artificial threshold upon which TO enter
into the creative period of modern Germany
William l took mp the sword of Frederick the
Great and transferred the leadership Of Germany
from Austria to Prussia. Sedan the counter
part of Jena and marked the elimination of
po,racted race reaction. To eNaggerate the effects
on the Continent OF the French Revolution or
Is4s is TO underestimate the forces Of dynastlc
rivaly and the tendencies of race revival which
had been in operation for century before the
Paris outbreak and its echoes in Berlin. To make
the refoundi1g of the German Empire largely a
military affair is TO underrate the original genius
Of Bismarck in restoring Teutonc supremacy on
historic foundations.
80 complex have been the forces operating for
the conservation Of Germanic nationality and so
difficult has il been for the author 10 compress
within the compass of a single volume SYM
metricai narrative OF events so momentous and so
divergent that thoughtful readers will regret that
lie did non conine his attention to the military his
tory OF the hree campaigns which form the burden
Of the work. There he is on his own ground and
master of the art of luminous exposition. Tho
same lucidity of style which illumines Colonel
Malleson's "Battlefelds of Germany" and The
Indian Mutiny" delights the reader of these new
chapters on the invasion OF Schleswig-Eolstein
the campaign in Bohemia, the battle of Koenig-
graelz and the military operations in France.
Nothing could be better than his account
of these three wars The reader is not con-
fused with minor details and evOlutions. There Is
inst enough composition TO clarity the perspective
and 10 bring all the elements into true relations
OF symmetrical proportion. His success IS re-
markable since difluSeness is the besettlng sin OF
military writer's who make books for one another
rather than the general public. lie refers 70
Major Hendersons volume on a single battle.
that Of Spicheren, containing as many pages
as his own in which three campaigns are described.
Tho Limitations which his publishers have i'm
posed have forced him TO compress his text ana
to DEPEND to a large degree upon diagrams and
meaning of the manOouvres on each side. Ills
work has been greatly improved by this process
arduous as lie may have found 1t.
The authors account of the campaign in Bo-
hernia differs in some respects from the ordinary
English and German narrative He has made
a close study of the Austrian evidence and found
reason to believe that the PIussianS were much
nearer defeat at Koenig2raetz than has bcen gem
orally supposed While il has always been
admitted that the Crown Prince saved the day
BY his forced march, it has not been known that
the Austrians superior in force more imam
once at the decisive points and that by taxing
the offensive and charging upon the enemy they
would bly, have changed the course OF his
tory One fault in the authors Judgment IN
volved the loss Of the battle Ut Is at ieast
possible" he remarks, that if the Austrian COM
mapder had kent his two infantry corps massed
about Chum he might have repulsed the tired
troops Of the Crown Prince" Moreover, he is
disposed to underrate the part taken by the needle
gun in this battle TIC first phase Of tie fight
brought the artillery on both sides to the front
Even in the later phases tie cannon and the bay
onet charge did the principal WORK, and there
was practically no pursuit, owing TO the eXhaus-
ton of the victorious army.
The campaign in France he describes in the main
as the victory of superior military organization
and science. The French had in the ChasSepot
breeoh-loading weapon superior in all respects
to the famous necdle-gun, and they had also a
machine gun called the mitraillcuse from which
great things were expected The deterioration of
efficiency in their army, and especially among
officers through favortism. deprived France Of the
advantage of superior aims TIE mtrailleuse
proved failure in the field because the soldiers
did not know how to work it. The French gen.
erals -wcre not a match for their German antaGo-
nists and were outmanOeuyred from the first
skirmish. The victOric. were won by supclhr
numbers, generalship and science 1t was not
until one army had been overwhelmed at Sedan
and another shut up in Metz to be slowly starved
into surrendcring. that the real military genius
and exalted patriotism of the French people were
disclosed. One OF the best chapters in the work
is TIT in which tie last stand in Paris and Gam
betta's fiery campaign in the South described
In a tone of sympathetic admiration.
The weak portions OF this volume, as wo have
strain of compression is excessive. There is in
adequate space reserved for discussion Of large
and complex u subject and the author lacks some
of the qualities of mind required for impartial
exposition OF the secrets of statccraft and the
achievements OF diplomacy. He las d strong bias
against Bismarck, which he is at no pains TO con-
ccal 1t is as military history, presented in
condensed form for the benefit OF general readers
rather than soldiers, that this volume is entitled
TO be considered highly useful work.