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viously forgotten, or a phase of policy that was despised. At length, as a sequel to these diagonal movements of action and reaction, a more definitely forward path may be taken. It is the same in every sphere of activity. Like the swing of the pendulum, the systole and diastole of human effort are perpetual. But perhaps, when men come to see that these reactions of experience and of history legitimate each other, and that they are all evolved out of elements that are ineradicable in human nature, and in the universe, they will cease to look upon them as rival movements; and will see that the bitterness of partisanship, and the fierceness of its criticism, are amongst the chief things which a progressive civilisation has first to check, and finally to sweep

away.

WILLIAM KNIGHT.

DAS I. GARDE-DRAGONER-REGIMENT.

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH.

THE First Guard Dragoon Regiment, of which her Majesty has become chief, is not only one of the most distinguished cavalry regiments in the German army, but in military history it will live as one of the participators in those episodes which occurred at critical moments in the great battle of Vionville-Mars-la-Tour on the 16th of August, 1870, when there depended for the moment on a mere handful of horsemen the fate of some thousands of their comrades. Twice during that battle did the German cavalry, in order to avert the impending catastrophe, ride to certain destruction; and on one of these occasions it was the First Guard Dragoons that, single-handed, first arrested the almost triumphal onward march of the enemy and thus helped to beat back the wellnigh overwhelming tide of advance: of this grand feat of arms we shall speak later on.

The formation of the regiment dates from the 21st of February, 1815, on which day King William Frederick the Third issued an order to the following effect:

I have determined to raise three new Guard Cavalry Regiments in place of the existing Light Cavalry Regiment, and to form them from the three National Cavalry Regiments, which have fought with the army during the war, in order, not only to give to the Provinces to which these regiments belong and to which they owe their origin, a fresh proof of my kindly feelings towards them, and which they deserve, but also to testify my satisfaction with the spirit shown by the Light Guard Cavalry Regiment during the war.

The three Regiments, thus formed, became the Guard Lancers, the Guard Dragoons, and the Guard Hussars. The Dragoons, were composed of the Guard Dragoon Squadron, two squadrons of the Pomeranian National-Cavalry-Regiment and a squadron from the Queen's Dragoon Regiment. The men and horses from the National Regiments were selected with special care. Those men who had obtained, during the war, the decoration of the Iron Cross were first chosen, and then preference was given to any who had served during the war. By the middle of April the formation of the regiment was finished, and the 24th of that month, it was collected together for the first time, and handed over to the command of Lieut.-Colonel

V. Zastrow. The strength of the regiment was 27 officers, 56 noncommissioned officers, 13 trumpeters, 485 rank and file, and 541 horses; but as one of the four squadrons served as a depôt squadron, each of the others contained 150 sabres. On the 15th of April the mobilisation of the regiment for service against the French was ordered. The mobilisation occupied a considerable time, and on the 4th of June the regiment commenced its march to the Rhine with the rest of the Guard. On the 6th of July the regiment crossed the Saar, on the 10th it passed through Nancy, and on the 22nd entered Paris. We give these dates, because it is interesting to compare this unimpeded march by road with the march of the regiment between the same points fifty-five years later, in 1870, under very different circumstances. On the latter occasion, the regiment, leaving Berlin on the 31st of July, and travelling by rail, arrived at Kaiserslautern, between the Rhine and the Saar, in fifty hours. The Saar was crossed on the 8th of August, and in nearly the same time as before, five days, it arrived at the Moselle. But, instead of the short peaceful march of a dozen days into Paris, thirty-seven days of real hard work, including severe fighting, only brought the regiment to its gates, and outside them they remained for many weeks. On the 2nd of December, 1815, the regiment, after its bloodless campaign, re-entered Berlin. Although it took no part in the Danish campaign, its record for the next fifty years is not devoid of interest.

It passed under the command of some ten colonels, one of whom, however, Colonel von Barner, retained that high position for sixteen years. That it was highly thought of is shown by the fact that for two years it was commanded by the late Prince Frederick Charles, one of the best cavalry soldiers of his day. In 1847, Prince Waldemar of Prussia temporarily commanded it, and in 1854 the late emperor, then major in the 1st Foot Guards, was attached to the regiment for the purpose of receiving instruction in cavalry duties. For the three years previous to the war of 1866 the regiment was under the command of Prince Albrecht (son) of Prussia. That the regiment was not only a favourite with the Sovereign, but must have been an admirable school for soldiering, these facts sufficiently indicate. In the reorganisation of the German army in 1860, a second Guard Dragoon regiment was formed, and the old one received its presenttitle of 1st Guard Dragoons. Under the command of Colonel Frederick von Barner, a son of its former colonel of the same name, it took part in the battle of Königgrätz, charging with the greatest determination the Austrian Lancer regiment of the Emperor Alexander, and on this occasion its losses were-3 officers, 13 non-commissioned officers, 59 dragoons, 57 horses. But excellently as it behaved then any remembrance of this encounter is thrown into the background, as is any other work of a less striking character it may have done in this campaign and in that of 1870, by its ever-memorable charge

against the French Infantry Brigade of the 4th Corps on the field of Mars-la-Tour on the 16th of August, 1870. It was between five and six o'clock on the afternoon of this day, that for a moment, for the second time, the fate of the right wing of Prince Frederick Charles's army hung in the balance.

The Fourth French Corps on the north side of the ravine, which runs parallel to the Metz-Verdun road, and some 2,000 paces to the north of it, had driven back, with terrible slaughter, some 60 per cent. of the original strength, and had put hors de combat Von Wedell's Infantry Brigade, which formed the left of the weak and over-extended German line. Flushed with victory, two French regiments, the 13th and the 43rd, followed the retreating Germans over the ravine, and commenced to cross the narrow zone of 2,000 paces, a successful passage of which would place the road in French hands, and from this line it would be easy to drive the Germans pellmell into the valleys beyond, whence they had issued during the day. Little, if anything, intervened between the French infantry and the goal. South of the road were the four squadrons of the regiment under Colonel von Auerstadt. The regiment represented the 3rd Brigade of the Guard Cavalry Division, the rest of the brigade being elsewhere. The critical position of affairs was at once apparent to the senior General present, Von Voigts-Rhetz, the commander of the 10th Corps. Hastening to the Brigadier-General, Count von Branderburg II., Von Voigts-Rhetz directed him to charge the French with his brigade. The Count replied that the regiment was the only part of his brigade with him, and that against the closed masses of unshaken hostile infantry success was only possible if he were left to choose the right moment for the charge. General von VoigtsRhetz answered: Your regiment may, it is true, not succeed, but if it delays the enemy for ten minutes, and falls even to the last man it will have fulfilled its task and its duty.'

The Count returned to the regiment, gave the order to Colonel von Auerstadt, and, taking him by the hand, said, 'Reiten Sie mit Gott, Auerstadt; ich komme auch mit.' Crossing the road, and getting clear of the hedges and other obstructions, the regiment galloped north for some little distance, parallel to the enemy's line which faced south-west, and then, leaving one squadron in reserve, the other three, turning sharp to the right, formed line, and, under a fire of infantry from the front, and of mitrailleuses from the left flank, threw themselves headlong on the enemy. Into the hostile line they penetrated, throwing it into confusion, but of the18 officers, 2 Portepee-Fähnriche, 38 non-commissioned officers, 13 trumpeters, 355 dragoons and 426 horses which started on this death ride, but 3 officers, 27 non-commissioned officers, 6 trumpeters, 252 dragoons and 210 horses returned unharmed. Five-sixths of the officers, a third of the men, and half the horses were killed or wounded. The colonel was mortally VOL. XXVI.—No. 151.

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wounded, the second in command and the three squadron leaders, Count von Wesdehlen, Count von Westarp, and Prince Reuss were killed; the only unharmed survivors of the officers were three second lieutenants. By degrees the survivors collected south-west of Marsla-Tour and here was their brave colonel, who, greeting them with a cheer for the King, sank from his horse, to die a few hours later on.

It is difficult to over-estimate the value of this charge to the Germans; for, although the losses inflicted on the French by this brilliant onslaught must have been comparatively small-so slight, in fact, that in themselves they would not account for the immediate retirement of the infantry to its old position (which now took place)yet, in the hurly-burly of the battle-field, great effects are due, as a rule, not to one isolated cause, but to the moral and physical effect of many; and, among the many which led to the cessation of offensive effort on the part of the French on this part of the field of Vionville, stands in the first rank the charge of the First Guard Dragoon Regiment; and thoroughly justified was the remark made by the Emperor in June 1872, when inspecting the regiment: If this attack had not been made, who knows whether we might have been here?'

6

After the battle, the more than decimated regiment was temporarily formed into two squadrons. It took part in the operations which culminated in Sedan; and we find it again before Paris, portions of it being subsequently employed in the north of France.

In the cavalry of the German Empire are many regiments which, in past years, have done as hard work (and have done it fully as well) as that which forms the subject of this article; but, among a crowd of distinguished corps, none could be found worthier of the high honour of the chieftainship of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and the Empress of India than the First Guard Dragoon Regiment or the German army.

LONSDALE HALE,

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