The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-09-20
The Modern General Staff.
IN TWO PARTS.
PART II. in TIME OF WAR.

declared war on Prussia; or, properly
speaking, on what was then called the
North German Confederation. A
shout Of rage went up thruout Ger
many at these wanton proceedings,
and even the South German States, tho
entirely unprepared for war, sided
with their northern brethren.
Subsequent events have proved that
the French army was not in a condl-
tion to defeat the German. And yet,
never before in all her history was
France so well prepared for war as in
1870. Today, of course, she is still bet
ter prepared. In 1870 Frances stand
ing army exceeded the German by
10000 men; but the German war
strength, thanks to the large Prussian
reserves, was much larger than the
French war strength. The French
men, however, opined that their
Guarde Mobile (National Guard) and
the volunteers would more than out
weigh the Prussian reserves. The
French army was commanded by Off
GERS who had won great renown in the
Crimea Q653-4) and in the Austrian
war of 1859, and, except in Prussia,
these officers were considered the best
in Europe. The French army was
fully equipped with the new
Chassepot rifle, which proved to be
much better than the Prussisn needle
gun, and the entire South German con-
tingent was still armed with muzzle
leaders. The artillery, also. had re-
ceived new guns, the Cruisot, which
the French believed to be the best in
the world. In that they were mis-
taken; for the Krupp proved much
better. But then the French had
something entirely new in the way of
artillery, the Mitrsilleuse, which was
expected to carry death and confusion
into the German ranks. 1t was in
deed a formidable weapon; but, in
order to be effective, it had to be
placed in the front rank, where it be-
came ar easy mark for the German
batteries, so that most of the Mitra.
illeuses were demolished before they
were able to do much harm.
!, On July LIST, 1870, there does not
seem to have been q single individual
in all France, the keen-sighted Napo
leon perhaps excepted, who doubtee
that the German armies would be an
initiated in short order. In the bag
gage of French officers, afterwsrdl
captured by the Germans, were fount
hundreds of dozens of white kit
gloves, which those officers intended
> to wear at the balls and receptions il
Berlin. The cry ga Berlin" resoundet
{ on all sides, and as to Munich ant
: Stuttgart, the French press and peopl
! were unanimous to have these tw
J, cities ransacked and burned. in orde
r to punish Bavaria and Wurttember
q for siding with Prussia. And tn
= French soldiers, 695 900 men strong
J, did march into Berlin, and Munic
q and Stuttgart, and into hundred othe
German cities-as prisoners of wa
q while 100000 more were PRACTICAL
). prisoners in Paris. Another 5000
y Frenchmen had been killed, wounded
f or otherwise disabled.
/. That Germany was enabled to crusl
!. ingly defeat seemingly superie
r force, was due solely to the eficienc
70 of the Prussian general staff, to til
Is consequent splendid army organic
a. ton, and to certain extent, to-tt
,e German schoolteacher. Within tw
n weeks after the declaration of wa
3. one German army after the 9TH
Y came marching into France from a
,e directions, attacking the Frene
IN armies with such skill and precisio
q. that the French commanders becan
N absolutely bewildered. At the begi
ming of the first eight battles, Seds
on excepted, the Germans were always
M the minority; but in the majority b
en- fore the battle closed. That was Il
ng general stafrs work. Not in q sing
,,a M instance did it fail to have the need
forces in exactly the place where tn