Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-08
ny CoMMANDANT BUGNET.

North American Newspaper Alliance.
THE Second Empire was Brilliant"
Marshal Foch said, telling of his early
career. Make no mistake about 1t!
It was smart! Never more so! Have
you read lie DeSastre' by the brothers
Marguerite? That gave you the Army
Of the Empire to the life.
Fine fellows, fine takers, elegance,
hffervescence, and so worth nothing.
The leaders knew how to make war
as we'll as elephants know how to CLIMB
a ladder No one in command. Inc
leaders were never there!
THE colonel? Good. at most, for
the command of a company! And even
more! For walking in front and cry
Ing Forward with cigar in his mouth.
They followed him.
Brave? Certainly they were brave
Very! But bravery is quite beside the
ooint. They were soldiers, fine soldiers,
but not leaders. What is required OF
leaders is that they should command
Strutting About Not Enough.
"They we're not stupid, they were
even intelligent. Very genteel, plenty
nf 60, plenty of good humor. But II
is not enough to strut about and march
past in brilliant style. ..,.
AS early as his first maneuVerS, Wleit
his regiment, he realized that all tiias
ought not to be as 1t was: 1hey uiu
not know how to make oooy Oh me- .t.n
,oarch. they did not know any OF the
Elementary precautions to take 10 IN
SIRE safety; they we're entirely lgnoraIt
of their profession; the leaders olo NOV
know how to command, ana, 1urtnel'
they did not attempt to do IL. III was
ALWAYS the Army of the Second empire.
"WhvI In 1870 the 5th Army corps
hinder De Failly received on August
the order to support, with the two CIV
sions which were at SarresueiilAii0''
that which was at Bitche. 4
"Thev had lust heard of the deteat
ut wissembourg and they were tearing
an attack from Alsace. Instead OF pro-
ceeding to Bitche according to orders,
the G. o. G. of the 5th Army corps
let himself be stopped by threat on
handful of patrols and refused TO aoan-
don Sarreguemines.
Worn Out on Arrival.
.rThe 1st Division set off alone to get
as far as possible. The first Gay tney
did seven kilometers. The next day.
without either advanced guard OF nank-
nrs it took the whole day to manage
% kilon1eters, and they arrived worn
out. 49, o.s
'''The same day, brigade OF the 2no
Division had nevertheless left Sarre-
uuemines but got no further than Ronr-
bach. because the night before regl-
nent of cavalry had crossed the IRON
tier. :. 49,
5th, the Army Corps which oagnt 70
and could have joined it at Bltchle
ha kilnmefeTS
separating that town from Sarregue-
mines. There you have the result OF
false theories, individual views, lgno-
rance of the right precautions.
"The same evening MacMahon tele-
rranhed to Gen. De Failly: Come 10
Reischoffen as quickly as possible with
all your army corps That was the
same thing. At every crossroads me
column halted. They searched the
country on front and flank with cavalry
and sometimes with infantry.
Division Getting Into Tangle.
"During this time the whole division
Nvas getting into a tangle. OmcerS ana
men, excited by the cannonade, were
growing impatient with these delays.
They began to meet wounded men ana
5ugitives. en-
The division under Guyot de Lespaz
had taken more than nine hourS-from
7:3O in the morning until 5 In the
afternoon-to cover the % kilometers
between Bitche and Niederborn. 1t
brought troops physically and morally
exhausted. Above all, it brought useless
troops. The 5th Army Corps was en-
tirely absent at the meeting place ar
ranged.
"The battle was lost by its fault. The
higher command of this 5th Army
Corps was not special case in our
Army; it was simply typical of its time
and spirit =.
THE higher command, that was the
principal thing; our misfortune is that
we are short of leaders. Yes! Even in
the Army They know their profession
but nothing else. 1t is the fault of a
general mental Incidence. They dc
not work, they do not keep themselves
up to the mark. They dare not take
responsibility. They ought to prepare
themselves to occupy important posi-
tions. They do nothing. They are in
O groove. They stick in the rut. They
realize it themselves. But it would re-
quire an effort to get out of it, and
their mental Incidence prevents them
One must work. The lack of leaders
that is the trouble"
Then he must become leader. 81
henCefOrth the goal he must reach