SOLDIER SOLE. 



'311 



Hiid Talhvrd, who were beaten at Blenheim (q. v.) 

 had placed the cavalry in the centre.) In the time 

 of Louis XIV. all the species of fire-arms were 

 improved; tactics made great progress, and the art 

 of fortification and besieging was carried to great 

 perfection by Vauban. Frederic II. of Prussia 

 introduced greater simplicity, order, and ease into 

 the manoeuvres of the infantry. The firing was 

 performed more quickly, and on the field of battle 

 every evolution was executed with greater pre- 

 cision. Among the greatest generals of that period 

 was marshal Saxe, who knew better than any com- 

 mander of his time how to adapt the art of war to 

 the spirit of the French soldier. After the seven 

 years' war, the Prussian army was considered the 

 best in Europe. Soldiers of all countries flocked 

 to the reviews of Frederic, at Potsdam, to study in I 

 his school. But, skilful only in theory, and poor [ 

 in experience, they did not perceive that the | 

 national character of the soldier properly belongs j 

 to the province of military calculation. The soldier 

 was treated as a mere machine, and the perfection i 

 of tactics was supposed to consist in making him j 

 one, as nearly as possible, and the military service i 

 became loaded with trifling details. The French : 

 soldier, less fitted for such discipline than the 

 native of any other country, became disgusted, and 

 negligent of essential points of military duty. Only 

 the French artillery retained its old reputation, 

 because, instead of imitating, it was, itself, a 

 model. The manufacture of arms reached the 

 highest perfection under Louis XIV. But French 

 discipline, whose basis is honour, received the 

 severest shock from the minister of war, count St 

 Germain, when he attempted to introduce the 

 German mode of punishment, with the cane and 

 the flat of the sword. Many unnecessary details 

 were introduced into tactics. The mode of enlist- 

 ment, too, was highly prejudicial. Vagabonds, 

 criminals who wished to escape the laws, entered 

 the service; and, on the other hand, the recruiting 

 officers practised the basest frauds and violence to 

 raise men. 



V. An entire change was introduced by the 

 French revolution; first in France. Love of coun- 

 try, liberty, glory, national hatred, and the hope of 

 plunder, every thing conspired to fill the French 

 soldier with the highest enthusiasm.* In the com- 

 mencement of the wars of the French revolution, 

 the forces of France were unsuccessful. The 

 officers, who were all nobles, had emigrated in 

 large numbers. Their place was supplied, in part, 

 by inexperienced men; the old troops of the line 

 had lost their discipline ; all subordination was dis- 

 solved; France was without defenders. The people 

 then felt the necessity of taking their own defence 

 into their own hands; and, on the first requisition, 

 of the unmarried men from eighteen to twenty-five, 

 a million men entered the lines. Their school was 

 the field of battle; their discipline enthusiasm; 

 their tactics impetuosity. With fixed bayonets, 

 singing sons of victory, they assaulted the batteries 

 of the enemy. Against such courage the fire of 



* During- the siege of Mahon, wine was cheap ; the French 

 '<>]. li.Ta intoxicated themselves ; the service suffered, and / 

 severe punishments were of little avail. At last the duke of 

 Kichelieu gave orders, that whoever should Jbe found intoxi- 

 cated, should never have the honour of sharing in the assault. 

 No soldier was seen intoxicated ;uruin in the camp. A regi- 

 ment of dragoons had suffered very severely in the battle of 

 Marengo, and Bonaparte, at the review after the battle, pro- 

 mised them good quarters. " No," cried the brave dragoon-, 

 "let us have the honour of the first attack to-morrow." 

 'W itli such soldiers good generals could do wonders. 



cannon was of little avail. When the first enthu- 

 siasm had in some measure subsided, the aid of the 

 guillotine f was resorted to; but the national pride 

 and enthusiasm for liberty still remained the great 

 moving power. The French generals again em- 

 ployed artillery ; and it often decided the victory. 

 In the time of Louis XIV., an army of 90,000 men 

 had but forty cannons; in the seven years' war, an 

 army equally large had 190 200 ; at the battles 

 of Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram, Dresden, 

 Leipsic, about 1200 cannons were brought into 

 action. The mixture of the old troops of the line 

 with the citizen-soldiers required the new distribu- 

 tion of troops into divisions, brigades, half-brigades 

 (2400 men, or three battalions). But the new 

 system of managing and supporting the troops 

 caused too much writing. In the train of the army 

 was found a multitude of commissioners and agents, 

 often detrimental both to the conquered country 

 and the army. Great advantage was derived from 

 the tirailleur system (see Tirailleurs'], which origi- 

 nated in North America during the war of the 

 American revolution, and was perfected by the 

 French. The light troor.s were increased and 

 organized anew, and the infantry of the line were 

 taught to perform the service of the light infantry, 

 so that the French tirailleurs soon became much 

 dreaded. In order to march quickly, and to execute 

 movements with large masses easily, the use of 

 baggage-waggons was abolished, and pack-horses 

 substituted. Light artillery, which had been intro- 

 duced by Frederic II., was carried to great perfec- 

 tion by the French. In the battle of Dresden 

 (August 26 and 27, 1813), sixty batteries of 

 mounted artillery, comprising, perhaps, 240 pieces, 

 in the course of three hours, silenced the cannon of 

 the enemy. A fault was committed in arranging 

 together in regiments this species of force, which 

 is intended to act sometimes in small divisions, 

 sometimes in large masses. Napoleon at length 

 assigned a regiment of artillery to each corps of 

 troops of the line. It is singular that a truly mili- 

 tary character was not given to the camp equipage 

 till 1793. This important improvement was soon 

 generally imitated, most perfectly in Russia. On 

 account of the size of the armies, it was necessarv 

 to dispense with tents and barracks; and the 

 system of bivouacking-was introduced, which, at 

 first, gave the French great advantages, but soon 

 weakened their troops greatly, by the diseases which 

 it occasioned. 



SOLE (so/ea). The soles are distinguished 

 from the flounders by having the mouth turned in 

 an opposite direction with respect to the eyes, 

 seemingly deformed, with teeth only on one side, 

 and the front of the head almost always projecting. 

 The common sole of Europe usually weighs about 

 four pounds, but occasionally six or eight. The 

 flesh is tender and delicious. Several other species 

 are found in the European and Mediterranean seas. 



The fishes of the pleuronectes family are remark- 

 able, among vertebral animals, for the want of sym- 

 metry between the two sides of the body a 

 character entirely unique, and which destroys 

 many a beautiful theory conjured up by the ingenu- 



t When, after the loss of the lines of \\Vissenburg i October 

 13, 1793), a want of generals existed, St Just and Lebas. the 

 commilloanen of the convention, called upon every soldier 

 who felt the talent for command, to put himself at the head of 

 the nrniy, but threatened him with the indignation of the 

 people, if he should allow himself to he deceived by his vanity. 

 Only eleven officers accepted this offer, with the obligation to 

 conquer or die: among fliem were KJc'!".T, Pichegru, Desaix. 

 Hoche. 



