GERMAN” MANOEUVRES. 
187 
oilier corps, which make up the German army, foim’ng a n ajnificent 
total of—• 
624 Battalions 
465 Squadrons 
494 Batteries Field Artillery 
87 Battalions Foot Artillery 
23 Battalions Pioneers 
7 Battalions Railway Troops 
21 Battalions Train 
The manoeuvres of the 28th Division took place between Oberkirch 
and Rastatt, and lasted from the 10th to the 18th September. The 
tract of country used, lies just at the foot of the range of hills, which 
form the western edge of the Black Forest, and while the scenery was 
as beautiful as it could well be, it may be imagined that the numerous 
spurs, which ran into the manoeuvre terrain and which were often cov¬ 
ered with vineyards, as well as the streams swollen by continuous rain, 
which run from these mountains into the valley of the Rhine, did not 
tend to facilitate the operations. 
As directed by the Kriegs-Ministerium at Berlin, I reported myself 
to General von Grone at Achern on the 10th November, where Gen¬ 
eral von Billow and his Staff arrived the same evening to see the man¬ 
oeuvre of the following day. Nothing could exceed the kindness and 
cordiality of my reception, which was the same that I had always met 
with from German officers on the many occasions that I have had the 
privilege of associating with them. 
These manoeuvres, though bj no means equal in magnificence as a 
spectacle to the Imperial manoeuvres, in which several army corps 
were engaged, were of greater interest to me, as one is much better 
able to obtain a correct impression of the working of troops and their 
tactics from watching the operations of a small force, than those of an 
army of over 100,000 men with a front extending over several English 
miles. 
General Idea. 
The general idea was as follows :—- 
A Northern army has crossed the Rhine at Selz, a Southern army 
is assembling in the south of Wurttemberg, Strassburg is held by 
part of the Southern force, and portion of the Northern force is pro¬ 
ceeding to invest it from Zabern. The bridges over the Rhine from 
Kehl as far as and including that at Roschwog are destroyed. The 
Southern army is in its own country. 
The special idea for the South on the 11th September was as fol¬ 
lows :— 
On the 10th September the Commander of the Southern army, 
which is assembling in the south of Wurttemberg, sends the 56th 
Infantry Brigade which he has specially reinforced to keep open the 
roads from Freudenstadt, which lead to the Debouches of the Black 
Forest, for the ulterior advance of the army. Late in the evening of 
the 10th the Brigade reaches and goes into bivouacs at Ottenhofen and 
