Year: 1870

retains the command here.


Won STEINMETZ'S REMOVAL.
THE PRUssIANs BEFORE METZ-vON sTEINMETz


PLACED IN POSITION BY THE KNG-rHE


BLUNDERs BEFORE AND AT TIE BATTLE OF


GRAvELOTTE-vON MOLTKE REQUESTED THE


REMOVAL OF Won STEINMETZ.


lFROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
CORNY (befOre METZ, Oct. 16.-TO-day, Gen.
Canrobert who left Metz for the Kings headquarters
three days expected TO return As for the
troops they are about making ready In earnest Tor
Winter campaign We are called the First Army but
/ must confess that from no one can satisfactory
exclamation OF the significance Of this now almost
apocryphal name be obtained. once there was such a
body Of troops the German side In this war; now It's
former constituent elements, the Seventh and Eighth
Corps report direct to the headquarters OF Prince
Frederick Charles, commanding the "Sccond Army"
The "Second Army" means all the troops besegng
Metz and Thionvie, and Others OF this body, the
troops composing the command of Gen. Won STEM
metz the "Frst Army form part and, as no successor
to Won Steinmetz has been appointed the mention OF
Headquarters of the First Army at Pange" has some
thing ira gicOmic about It,
The leading facts in connection with the appointment
and removal of Won Stenmez may not be out
of place here believe that they not yet accurately
understood outside OF official circles have them quite
recently, from undoubted source. AT the opening
Of the campaign, the King, who did not too highly
Won Stelnmetzs appolnteu NY iho
personal dictum against the advice of his Council of
War to the command of the first of the three main bodies
into which the army operating against the French Rhine
armies was to divided His stated reason for 40 doing
that thereby signal refutaon would he given TO
widely prevailing popular prejudces-hrst. that in
Prussia herself the nobility were to be favored in the dis
pensaon of appointments, in preference to talent when
exhibited by persons of vulgar birth secondly, that in
the Southern States OF Germany the Royal House OF
Prussia was disposed to arrogate to itself the


lions of the prerogatves and hOnors of the con-
duct the Thus, the Princes of the blood came in
command second and third after man Of comparatively
humble origin. This went all well until the battles OF
August at Metz where Gen Won Stenmietz on his own
responsibility, without justification, disobeyed the posi-
tive orders of the COmmandern-Chef, in passing the
Mosee on the south side Of Metz instead Of the north
side. Had he done the latter ordered the repeated
but inefect6al and terribly costly attacks of the
Seventh and Eighth corps the enemy's position
at MoscOu-St Hubert from the Bois de Vaux and
| the Bois des Ognons, would have been replaced
| by an easy and presumably successful and far
costly attack by the body from the nights of
| the Bos du Saulny There the Germans would have
had the advantage OF high ground against lower
positions Of the French, and would not have had to
| cross at such immense loss, such deep and
steep ravines in face OF the enemy's
concentrated fire. From Bazanes first position when
attacked the MetzVerdun road he could not have so
readily turned to answer the attack If the latter had
come at from the north and southwest, he did
against these heads Of columns which approached
him the south and southwest only On his repusc,
during the evening OF the 18th of September his only
possible line of retreat would have been down the dan
gerOus dehe OF Grayeote, by Arssur Mosele into the
valley of the Mosele he very line which Won Stein
metz wrongly came up against him. and Bazanes re-
treat into Metz the morning Of the 10th, would have
been rendered impossible. He would have been either
crushed in yet another battle or chased down the Mosee
toward Nancy, which movement would eventually have
subjected him to like certainty Of annihilaton.


After this the King personally expressed his dis
pleasure Won 6teinmetz, and ordered him to
port in future not to the great headquarters OF the
army but to that OF Prince Frederick Charles Upon
this the temper Of the General, too sweet Ordina
rily, grew notably rascibe and ungenal, which quail
ty he took such pains TO manifest in his personal and
official intercourse with the Prince that at length the
relations OF the two grew into public scandal at head
quarters seriously disturbing the serenity of the official
atmosphere, and threatening ultimately to yitiate the
discipline of the armies concerned This led to the
removal of Won Steinmetz, not at the request Of the
Prince, but at that OF Gen. Won Motke Since then mat
ters stand above described in curousy pied cOnd
ton-an army" composed Of two corps, and provided
with general staff Of its own, yet without any
commander, but the commander Of another "army,"
OF which the aforementioned forms part That the infu
enco OF modern ideas regarding equal rights is
gradually forcing those who the natural opponents
Of such ideas TO cede them recognition is evident
only from King Williams appointment OF Of
the people to an important command higher born
officers but also from the fact that the chief Of the staff
of Prince Frederick Chares's army-Gen stiehle-is
not even as yet endowed with the ,ennOblng prepo
son which has usually followed the heels least
il it did not not necessarily precede all high civil
military distinction. This man, still quite young, rose
solely by his talents and chosen to his present posi-


ton by the Prince in preference TO Of far longer
service and of ncomparaby " older" families.