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The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was important for many reasons, even though it has been regarded as something of a side-show by many military historians. It was the first conflict in northern Europe since the Napoleonic era, and the French belief that they still had the elan and verve of the Old Guard was shattered by German needle rifles and long range guns. Aerial warfare had its genesis in the balloons of Paris, yet the belief in Vauban and the system of wall defences prevailed: it was a war of the old versus the new. Forbes, as special correspondent for the 'Daily News' of London saw a…mehr

Produktbeschreibung
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was important for many reasons, even though it has been regarded as something of a side-show by many military historians. It was the first conflict in northern Europe since the Napoleonic era, and the French belief that they still had the elan and verve of the Old Guard was shattered by German needle rifles and long range guns. Aerial warfare had its genesis in the balloons of Paris, yet the belief in Vauban and the system of wall defences prevailed: it was a war of the old versus the new. Forbes, as special correspondent for the 'Daily News' of London saw a great deal of the war. He travelled freely from Cologne in the earliest days of the war, to Paris for the end of it. His observations, although written in a tone seemingly reserved for war correspondents of the nineteenth Century, are culled from his dispatches and have an urgency and currency that is fascinating to read. In view of his position he was privy to the deliberations of both sides, and yet had time to notice the uniform of a Zouave and to include a Prussian military music concert programme. Altogether a first class introduction to a war which deserves more interest than it has so far received. If nothing else, it shows that the standard of war reporting now is not up to that of 1870!
Autorenporträt
Archibald Forbes was a Scottish military correspondent. He was the son of Very Rev Lewis William Forbes DD (1794-1854), minister of Boharm in Banffshire and Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly in 1852, and his second wife, Elizabeth Leslie, daughter of Archibald Young Leslie of Kininvie. He was born in Morayshire in 1838. After studying at the University of Aberdeen from 1854 to 1857, he traveled to Edinburgh and volunteered in the Royal Dragoons after attending a series of lectures by the famed correspondent (Sir) William Howard Russell. While still a trooper, he began writing for the Morning Star and was successful in having many military-related items accepted by the Cornhill Magazine. After being invalided from the service in 1867, he founded and maintained a weekly publication named the London Scotsman (1867-1871) with minimal outside assistance. His opportunity as a war journalist came when he was hired by the Daily News to cover the Franco-Prussian war. He joined the Prussian army around Cologne and marched with them into France, witnessing fights at Spicheren, Gravelotte, and Sedan before joining the soldiers besieging Metz. In all previous warfare reports, the telegraph had been used sparingly.