the higher classes of the cadet school eater the army at once as Porte epee Fdknrich, and serve their probation in that rank only; while a very few, the selecta, who take the highest honours, are given commissions direct. Promotion in the army depends solely on the will of the king, but in the main is governed by seniority; but exceptions are made in favour of officers of the general staff, who com monly receive a step of rank on completing a term of duty in any staff appointment, aide-de-camps of higher generals, instructors at the cadet and war schools, and officers who have specially distinguished themselves in the field. As a rule, promotion to the rank of captain is by seniority in the regiment, but above that rank by seniority throughout that branch, or by selection. Officers are also freely trans ferred from one branch to another ; thus, after the battle of Gravelotte, the command of the rifle battalion of the guard was given to an engineer officer. Especial attention is bestowed on the selection of officers for the general staff. These are generally taken from those who have passed through the War Academy at Berlin, the highest educational establishment in the Prussian army. . Candi dates for admission to this academy must have served at least three years with their regiments, must pass a quali fying examination, and must be favourably reported upon by their commanders. The course lasts three years, and those officers who give proof of sufficient abilities are after wards employed for a time on various military works, under the immediate supervision of the chief of the staff, who thus acquires a personal knowledge of the character and abilities of all staff officers. Occasionally officers specially recommended are taken direct from their regiments ; but they are always tested by the chief of the staff before receiving appointments. The anxious care bestowed on the selection of officers for these important duties has borne its fruit : the Prussian staff has made itself a world wide reputation, and to it and to the genius of its chief, Von Moltke, may be awarded a large share in the success of the Prussian arms. The army is equally fortunate in its corps of officers generally, men who unite the power of command and the high qualities of an aristocracy with the most thorough knowledge of their profession and devotion to it. The .pay of the Prussian officers in the lower ranks is small, usually about half that of the corresponding ranks in the English army, and lower than in most of the Continental ones ; but the higher ranks are well paid, pro bably better than in any other army, if the relative value
of money and cost of living are considered.The strength of the Prussian system lies in its close localisation and permanent organisation. The first secures the strongest possible esprit de corps and the greatest simplicity and speed in mobilising; the second that famili arity of every individual with his position, duties, and surroundings, which is essential to the smooth working of so complicated a machine as a great national army. It is to these, coupled with the careful training, the subordina tion of everything to the army, and the ever-watchful foresight with which every contingency is studied and provided for beforehand, that the remarkable successes of the Prussian armies are to be attributed, rather than to the excellence of the material or to the special military qualities of the nation. Physically the Prussian soldier is not much if at all above the average. It is true that the guards and some of the regiments from the northern pro vinces are exceptionally fine, but the army is very un equal, and men of practical experience have declared -the Gorman, as a rule, to be not equal in power or in endurance to the Frenchman.[1] In quick aptitude for war the Frenchman has always had the advantage. .Generally, where the two have met on equal terms the Frenchman has been victorious ; and even through the disasters of the late war, impartial witnesses have asserted that, man for man, the Frenchman was the better. But such natural qualities as the Prussian soldier possesses have been developed to the utmost by a civil education superior to that of any other nation, and by a military training, physical as well as mental, which may well serve as a model to all armies. He is docile, temperate, simple in his tastes and aspirations; and though not so demonstrative as his French neighbour, and with no fanatical enthusiasm, has a deep love of his country and loyalty to his king. If not easily excited to heroism, neither is he easily discouraged. No Englishman can forget that memorable march, when the Prussian army, unshaken by the disaster of Ligny, undeterred by the difficulties of the road or the enemy thundering in their rear, pushed on with indomitable energy through all obstruc tions to succour their hard-pressed allies at Waterloo. The Prussian army, more than any other, is the elite of a nation ; and so long as the nation consents to submit to the burdens of her present military system, and her affairs are guided by chiefs as able and far-seeing as her present rulers, she will hardly forfeit the position she has won as the first military power of Europe.
Saxon Army.
The kingdom of Saxony, with a population of 2 millions, furnishes one strong army corps (29 battalions of infantry and 6 regiments of cavalry) to the German army. The Saxons were long renowned as a warlike race, and played a prominent part in all the wars of Northern Europe ; and her princes twice mounted the throne of Poland. At the outbreak of the wars of the French Revolution she main tained an army of over 30,000 men, and at first sided with Prussia. After the disasters of Jena and Auerstadt she allied herself with France, and for some years furnished a contingent to the armies of Napoleon, who in return recog nised her elector as king, and largely increased his terri tories. The newly-made king remained faithful to Napo leon even in his reverses ; but the army was too German in feeling to fight willingly under the French flag. In 1809 they did not distinguish themselves at Wagram, and their defection at Leipsic contributed not a little to the results of that bloody day. After the peace the king retained his title, though shorn of a great part of his dominions, and the army was reconstituted on a smaller scale. In 1866 Saxony sided with Austria, and her army shared in the disasters of that brief campaign and the crowning defeat at.Koniggratz. At the close of the war she was compelled to ally herself with Prussia, and, as part of the North German Confederation, to place her military forces at the disposal of the Prussian monarch. In 1870 and 1871 her troops, under the command of the crown prince (now king) of Saxony, formed the 1 2th corps of the great German army, and bore their share in the battles of Gravelotte and Sedan and in the siege of Paris. Her army is organised in every respect as a Prussian army corps, and is under the command in chief of the German emperor, who, in concert with the king of Saxony, names the officers for the higher commands. She retains, however, her separate War Ministry, budget, <fcc.; and appointments and promotion to all but the highest commands are made by the king of Saxony. The Saxon troops fought well in the late war between Germany And France. In appearance they are smarter than most of the German troops, and have a certain resemblance to the English ; but their uniform and equipment are assimilated in all respects to the Prussian.
- ↑ See the opinion of Mr Brassey, the eminent contractor, quoted in his Life.
