chanzy’s campaign. 
95 
Stulpnagel and Buddenb rock’s divisions, were kept from the 6tk 
January, wken they were on tke Loir, to the lOfcli January, before they 
got beyond Ardenay and Parigne. The battle of Le Mans began 
on the 10th and lasted during the 11th and 12th. 
Now this was a most wearisome pilgrimage for all parties concerned, 
a more disagreeable advance could scarcely be conceived. From the 
4th to the 6th the weather was so severe that locomotion under 
ordinary circumstances would not have been attempted; on the 
7th there was a thaw, that was the other extreme; on the 8th there 
was a very severe frost; on the 9 th the whole country was covered 
with ice, horses were slipping and falling about the roads in all 
directions, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Germans, Prince 
Frederick Charles, went part of the way in a limber, and part of 
the way walked twelve miles fco encourage his troops along, like Han¬ 
nibal, able to endure the extremes of heat and cold. The brunt 
of the business fell on the Brandenburgers, the 3rd Corps; they had 
come from about Berlin, where they were in the middle of July, and they 
went 750 miles to Le Mans, into which they entered on the 12th 
and 13th January of the next year. They had marched in France alone 
a matter of about 325 miles; they had fought at Spicheren and at Rezon- 
ville; they had taken part in the investment of Metz to the end thereof; 
and here they are now operating between Orleans and the Sarthe. 
You might be interested in having a description of the nature of the 
country and the difficulties in the way of the army, and of one day’s 
march by the Germans. I am afraid I must trouble you to listen to a 
quotation, although reading in a lecture is not very interesting :—“The 
whole army now (January 7th) passed into the district between the 
Loire and Sarthe, which consists partly of small plateaux, partly of a 
labyrinth of ridges, which not infrequently attain a relative height of 
200 feet or more. Well filled rivers flow with rapid course through 
valleys which are generally broad and with steep sides. The entire 
country is covered with the densest cultivation of long standing growth, 
with vineyards, orchards, and vegetable gardens. The villages consist 
mostly of a number of isolated and solidly constructed farmsteads, 
among which are interspersed chateaux, surrounded with extensive 
park enclosures and copses. Owing to the extensive sub-division of 
the land customary in the country, every property is surrounded by 
hedges, ditches, and walls” (very different indeed from Belgium for ex¬ 
ample). “There are consequently numerous positions and isolated 
points at which even moderate troops ” (and the French troops under 
Jaureguiberry were exceedingly moderate) “could defend themselves be¬ 
hind good cover. Although the superior effect of the Chassepot here 
ceased to avail, the mitrailleuses w r ere in'their true element” (this is the 
only thing that is specially interesting to artillery officers) “and became a 
dangerous weapon in the narrow passes. Even the commanding points 
seldom offer a free view to the assailant. He must abandon all idea of 
any planned deployment of large bodies, especially of cavalry and artil¬ 
lery. In the actions before Le Mans the latter could seldom be counted 
by batteries, mostly only by divisions or single guns. The action of 
the cavalry was limited to the roads, and the infantry had almost 
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