The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-31
A GERMAN WAR MYTH.
The story About Won MOItke Having
Sedan Planned in Advance.
From the Boston Transcript.

From the Boston Transcript.
That fine old lie about Won Moltke hav-
ing the defeat of France all arranged on
paper in his desk so completely worked
out that the German commanders had only
TO be supplied with copies and Sedan and
Metz were the consequences, is going the
rounds of the press with brilliant varia-
tons. The latest, variation is that Won
MoltNe was awakened from a sound sleep
to be told that France had declared war,
that he instructed the aid to go to cabinet
A and take from drawer % a paper mark
ed schedule and resumed his slumber.
Inasmuch as the Prussian ambassador left
Paris several days before the declaration
of war by France and as the order for
mobilizing went out from Berlin while
public peace was yet maintained there was
no need to break Won Moltke's slumber
to tell him what he knew in daylight.
France decided on war July 10, but the
formal notification to that effect was not
sent to the nearest Prussian outposts I'M
til four days later. Neither Bismarck,
Won Room or Won Moltke was caught nap
ping either literally or metaphorically. On
the contrary, they were arranging even
before France voted its fateful declaration
to make war inevitable France declared
war, but it was Bismarck who forced her
to do it, and both Won Moltke and Won
Room were in the game from which the
King of Prussia was excluded for he was
not let into it until 1t 6ls too late for him
to undo what they had done Nor did
Won Moltke~ issue orders at the outset
which made Sedan inevitable The most
he did, as he tells US himself was to make
plans in advance against every conceiva-
Bile hypothesis of French invasion of Ger
many. The first position he took up was
hat 1E. z1,.,, Asrx.~ A.
might not by sudden rush separate North
and South Germany.
When he found the French We're unequal
to invading Germany he turned the tables
on them. He could not foresee Sedan at
the outset of the war, for the simple rea-
son that he could not foresee that MacMa-
hon would let go his hold on the road to
Paris and start off on that attempt to re .
leve Metz which ended al Sedan. Won
Moltke candidly admits in his books on the
war that he was puzzled by the French
movements because they were so obviously
wrong as to awaken his suspicion, and
that he was at fault in not pushing straight
through the VoSges, whose passes the
French did not even attempt to defend. He
did not anticipate that these gateways
would be left unguarded and lost time in
working around the moustains in conse-
Guence
Won Moltke's books are those of a frank
man who tells what he did. Possibly If
they were read more some of those who
are forever comparing our operations with
those of Germany in 1870 would know bet
ter than to set up the great strategist as
performing impossibiites. Won Moltke
himself found it hard TO stamp out all the
absurd variations of his achievements that
became current in Germany. He was once,
as he told us, invited to a private view of
a picture representing the council of war
before Sadowa, in which he was grouped
with other historical Dersonages. He com
plimented the painter on his skill and dry
ly added that the picture was effective de-
spite the fact that no such council was ever
held.