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The evidence of at least a close study of the campaigns is to be seen in most German works. For my own part, following the principles which I have advocated throughout, I look upon the series of accounts of the war which have recently been appearing in the Century magazine as incomparably the most valuable material we have yet had for the study of the civil war.

A good general history is no doubt valuable to serve as a connecting link between the several parts, and for this there is no better than that of the Comte de Paris. But little more, however, is wanted to make the record supplied by the Century series complete than a very slight connecting thread, showing the relation of the several parts of the widely extended struggle to the common result. Within this nothing can be more valuable than what we have in these papers. Officers of all ranks and on both sides supply their evidence. The personal evidence of highly educated privates adds an exceptional feature of great value.

The official records of the war have only become available since the 12,000 works were published. From lack of these data most of the earlier histories were very loose in their statements as to numbers and positions. These are carefully supplied in notes by the editors of these Century papers. Maps and plans are inserted at each point, though occasionally it would be a little easier to follow the story if the plans of the actual battle-grounds were brought more into accord with the strategical maps. Sometimes a pretty picture has been given, while that exact correspondence between text and map in point of names which is the one thing valuable for military purposes has not been preserved. On the whole, however, such a valuable collation of varied personal experience has not been made on a similar scale of any other war. The charm of the accounts often lies in their discrepancies. No two men's account of a battle ever can really agree. I incline to think that between the biographies of different leaders on both sides-almost all of which are of interest and value, the Comte de Paris's history, and these records, most that is of interest about the

civil war may be gleaned. I have already referred under "War" to the admirable little study of the Fredericksburg campaign by an English officer, who is now known to be Major Henderson, York and Lancaster Regiment.

The subject of the history of the three campaigns of 1866 may now be dealt with.

Each of them presents under their strategic aspect examples of the greatest interest. Of all of them, the one that I should best like known to the body of our Volunteer officers is that of Western Germany, in which Vogel von Falkenstein first captured the Hanoverian army, and subsequently drove apart the Bavarian corps on one side and the corps of the confederated smaller powers on the other. The disastrous failure of the smaller powers of Germany to make head against the small Prussian army which was employed against them is a forcible lesson of a danger which would attend ourselves if ever the Volunteers are called on to play their part in defensive warfare. Already a cry has been raised that Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Exeter must have their own corps to defend them. If there is one lesson of war more certain than another, it is that Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Exeter cannot be saved unless the whole available force in the country is employed to defeat the enemy in the field. A study of the literature of the campaign in Western Germany would force home that lesson pretty effectually. I think that perhaps for this special purpose either Colonel Hozier's "Seven Weeks' War" or Sir A. Malet's "Overthrow of the Germanic Confederation" would be as effective as any other histories, and they have the advantage of being much more lively than the official records. For military study, the Prussian official history and the Bavarian official history are the best sources of information. Willisen has published an elaborate critical history of all the three campaigns. There are many of his conclusions which it is possible to dispute, but he is a weighty and thoughtful military writer. The campaign conducted in 1866 in Italy by the Archduke Albrecht against the Italian army is full of valuable instruction. I

give in the list of books the chief authorities. I do not know that any single critical resumé is quite satisfactory, but I think that decidedly the best is that contained in Major Adams's "Great Campaigns." From the fact that his criticisms were only left in the form of notes, the literary finish of the work is not what it would have been had he lived to complete it; but no soldier who reads his remarks on this or any other campaign can fail to gain instruction from them. His knowledge of the Austrian army, in which he had served under Radetsky in 1849, adds greatly to the value of his criticism of both the Italian and Bohemian campaigns. The great campaign in Bohemia in 1866 has been amply described in the Prussian, the Austrian, and the Saxon official histories. Unfortunately, from the fact that Europe, including the Austrian army, which had served side by side with the Prussian in the Danish campaign of 1864, had paid no adequate attention to the performances in that war of the breech-loading rifle, the tactical features of the Bohemian campaign almost entirely absorbed attention, because of the startling successes achieved by the superior arm. Hence it has happened that neither the Austrian or the Prussian official histories supply us with either the admirable descriptions of the country or the almost perfect strategical maps which have been furnished to us for the subsequent campaign of 1870. The plans of the battles, which, from the inequality of armament, have now lost most of their military interest, are excellent. The larger maps of the country leave much to be desired.

From 1866 begins the period of the rise of modern military literature, which has till lately been almost entirely absorbed with questions of tactical interest.

Undoubtedly the work of original genius which was the starting-point of all discussion was the "Tactical Retrospect of the War of 1866," written by Captain May, who had served in command of a company throughout that war. The actual personal experiences of a company officer were brought to bear upon the whole conditions of modern war in a way which threw a light upon military operations that

has not even now lost its value, even though fresh experiences have to a great extent superseded those of Captain May. It is not in every war that a man of his faculty of observation, vigour of description, and power of pen serves in command of a company. The "Tactical Retrospect" was followed by another work from the same pen, “The Prussian Infantry in 1869." The value of this pamphlet was enhanced by the fact that it drew from the then Colonel Schellendorf, recently Prussian Minister of War, a reply which set forth the views of the German Headquarter Staff at that time. The discussion throws a very interesting light upon the views with which the German authorities. entered upon the 1870 campaign. To the same interme diate period belongs a work by Captain Laymann of the German army, translated by Captain E. M. Jones, "About Tactics," which, though we have in some respects passed beyond the stage which it represents, still contains matter worth reading. Though the work possesses now little more than an historical interest, it would be impossible to pass by unnoticed the reports on the Prussian army addressed by Baron Stoffel to the Ministry of War from 1866-1870. They record the growth and preparation of the forces which were destined to overthrow France in 1870.

We come now to the works which followed the 1870 campaign.

Among those which preceded the publication of the great Prussian official history, a few continue to be of value on the German side. Among them, the most important are the Duke of Wurtemberg's account of what he himself ascertained as to the Prussian system of attack during the war from his own close observation; Boguslawski's "Tactical Deductions," which gain all their value from their being the record of the personal experiences of a company officer; Hoffbauer's "German Artillery;" "A German General's Thoughts on the War;" Von Scherff's "New Tactics of Infantry." There is also a work written by Major Tellenbach "Upon the art of operating under the enemy's fire with as little loss as possible," translated by

Captain (now Colonel) Robinson, which is still of interest, as dealing with the problem of the vast mass of unaimed fire which has to be passed in the advance of troops into action. Some points recorded by him are not noticed in any other work that I know of. The "Frontal Attack of Infantry," translated by Colonel Newdigate, gives some special incidents which are still of great interest.

Almost all the histories are now superseded by the exhaustive official history of the war. Occasionally points of interest have some light thrown on them by earlier narratives, but the mass of facts is so well collected and collated in the official history, that there is comparatively little in the earlier accounts which is much worthy of study.

On the French side we have nothing of corresponding value. De Failly's account of the operations of the fifth corps; Frossard's account of the proceedings of his own corps; Faidherbe's history of the campaign in the North; the various publications in which Bazaine endeavoured to defend his own action; and, on the whole, the best account on the French side of any of the battles of the war, "Wissembourg Froschwiller retraite sur Chalons," De Chalus, Paris, 1882; V. D.'s "Guerre de 1870;" Aurelle de Paladine's "La Première Armée de la Loire; " Chanzy's "La Deuxième Armée de la Loire,” are all of some interest. None of them represent the kind of history one would like to receive from the French side.

On the whole, the "Procès Bazaine," containing the evidence supplied by almost all the most important survivors of the great battles, contains the most valuable information on the French side that we possess.

For those who do not desire to study the tactics closely, the clearest, most accurate, and best account on a small scale of the war up to Sedan is Mr. Hooper's "Sedan, the Downfall of the Second Empire." Blume, translated by Major E. M. Jones, "The Operations of the German Armies in France from Sedan to the End of the War," supplies the same place for that part of the history. Those who desire to consult all the authorities on any special part of the war

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