Year: 1870

tator very much the same thing and all those have
happened to witness in my life produced within
atrocous on impression that should never attempt to
describe them.


CONDITION OF THE FRENCH ARMY WHEN WAR WAS


DECLARED.


But II am unable TO give you sensational horrible
pictures Of the battles themselves to dwell at great
length upon the suerings Of the wounded which have
seen after the battle shall attempt to give you, so to
say htds eye view upon the conditions under which
the French army entered the campaign and upon
unsr which the campaign has been carried til the
present moment II already commonplace TO say that
the Of the Prussans has been the result Of the
msmanagement OF the troops and OF the unprepared
state which the army entered upon the war But do
not know whether you have In your nina
a summary OF the chief reasons OF this un-
readiness for war. country paying GOC,00,OO
francs for its army as does should have the right
OF always expecting itself prepared for war, but the


money has been thrown away chiefly in the pay Of the
Generals and Marshals who spend their lives at the
Court The socaed attendance, which 1t seems has re-
Gently been copied In England, has done absolutely
nothing except officers drawing their salaries, and
leading tho army into the field without provisions, with
out ammunition. and even without carriages and horses
TO carry provisions and ammunition The army ITSELF
scattered all over France with view to keep In suec
tion the revolutionary spirit OF large cities concen
trated very slowly and was divided into endless num-
ber Of corps for no other practical purpose than to create
as many Marshals and Generals there friends OF
Marshal Lebeuf and persons in favor at the Court.


TIE ETAT-MAJoR.


The EtatNajOr. body whose chief duties ought u
consist the study in time of peace of straegicai posi-
tions all Europe, and Of accommodating in time OF
war; were officers who did not know the map OF
France and who neither able to make proper re-
connotcrng nor would been sent to make one, as
they were chiefly aristocrats and is dc bonne maSon.
whom it would be pity to EXPOSE 10 SO
dangerous duties. The Prussians send usually
couple OF dozen of Uhlans-as they call
their lancers, using their original Polish name
with officers and II one OF them comes bacK
safely with useful information they are quite salts
fed thinking that the purchase is worth the expense
Thus they know everything about the French army While
the French did know nothing about them. Moreover,
there l. actual want Of sta officers In France
Marshal Mel intended to create in every regiment post
OF an sicer EatMor but this measure has met with
the discontenment OF the whole army, as the line Off
GERS Jealous OF the accomplished young men who
through their knowledge. would be at elevated to
more prominent position. According to the MarshaPs
pan such an officer has to pass the infantry, cavalry
artillery regiments to be fully versed IN all the
branches of the service and naturally enough, would on
many occasions be the teacher tutor even OF the Col
one Of the regiment himself This did not suit the army
and cry was raised against the measure, which was
quenty abolished and the army found itself with
officers Of the Etat Major at the moment when they
were wanted.


SUPERIOR PREPARATION oP THE PRUssIAS ARMY.


Besides this, whatever may be said concerning Napo-
leon having nourshed for long time the intention OF
going to with Prussia there can be no doubt what
ever that Prussia had nourshed the idea OF going to war
with France still longer time. and made all the prepar
atiOns which Napoleon could not have made without
having every ones suspicious excited against him. both
at home and abroad, while King william and Count
Bismarck made all they liked without being noticed by
any one Not only the Prussan army has been
formed armed aud prepared for fighting. but the whole
ground where the likely to take place mas Deen
studied by travelling Prussan officers for several years
past and few months before the opening Of the war
German officer is known to have visited every corner OF
Vncennes Metz in the assumed character OF an old
German beggar selling matches. The permanent Prus-
sian military attache the Court Of the fuleres went
wherever he chose, and was shown everything ne
wished TO see while the Fronch attache at Berlin was
not allowed to anything and did not probably care
TO see anything Further the bordering population OF
France Is German, therefore the Prssan troops
could gather all the information they wished from every
child they met the frontier while the French were
utterly unable to speak with the population on the Ger
man side of tine frontier. France covered and Is
covered, with German spies, and report says that
already them have been shot, while France has not


single spy in Germany, and the French people proudly





trymen to perform such duties


EAPoLEoS's PLAN.


An offensive plan OF campaign had been elaborated
and two points selected bases OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
bOurg and Metz. In those two places 1t supposed
that all the stores would DO found but when the army
approached the frontier the fortresses contained moth
ing but empty sacks When arrived at the frontier, in
the last week in July found there only corps scat
tered over the whole distance from the Luxembourg
1D.F.t
corps supplied with regular ratons only couple
OF weeks later. There printed endless quantity
OF columns in the English papers concerning the mental
political, and other hesitation OF the Emperor Ma
pOeon TO the frontier. But in reality, there
hesitation whatever There troops TO with,
and nothing TO eat beside what could be bought In the
neghbOrhood for ready cash. OF which there then
plenty. In the beginning OF August, when the other
corps had reached the frontier the Emperor began to
lose his passions with the attendance. and we had
already then some OF his sdscontentment both
with it and with Marshal LebGuf The plan OF the cam
pagn, which ought TO have been completely changed
the time for offensive campaign had passed. remained
still the same The stores began TO be much more
speedily supplied to the bases of operations but they
could serve adyantageousy as they would
have served otherwise; for half OF them
were consumed almost at the moment they
arrived, and the other half subsequently
cut away various occasions by the enemy.


The plan Of invading the Rhensh provinces aud the
Paatinate having been calculated not to keep
great force the spot, with view both to take
at possession Of larger space and Of not having
great number Of men 10 provide for in what were
anticipated to be devastated provinces the three corps


he First OF MacMahon the Second OF Frossard the
Third OF Bazane have been scattered over distance OF
100 miles from sierck TO strasbourg, with other
than Bourssas Imperial Guards camped around
Metz and few regiments which the Fourth Corps of
Ladmrault might have dispatched in OF necessity
from the Valley Of the Mosee which Il appointed
10 protect


HOW THE PLAN WORKED.


You know how easily the Prussans broke this thin


ne and how they forced the French, prepared only
Offensive war pass to the defense. with serious