Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of"

troops consisted of 368 battalions, 252 squadrons, and 984 guns. The strength of the entire army on peace footing was 393,000 men; on war footing, 567,000. Disasters followed one another in rapid succession, and the bulk of this war-trained long-service army was captive in Germany within three months of the opening battle. But the spirit of the nation rose to the occasion as it had done in 1793. The next year's contingent of recruits was called out and hastily trained. Fourth battalions were formed from the depot cadres, and organized into _regiments de marche_. The _gardes mobiles_ (Niel's creation) were mobilized, and by successive decrees and under various names nearly all the manhood of the country called to arms. The regular troops raised as _regiments de marche_, &c., amounted to 213,000 infantry, 12,000 cavalry and 10,000 artillery. The _garde mobile_ exceeded 300,000, and the mobilized national guard exceeded 1,100,000--of whom about 180,000 were actually in the field and 250,000 in Paris; the remainder preparing themselves in camps or depots for active work. Altogether the new formations amounted to nearly 1,700,000. Though, in the face of the now war-experienced well-led and disciplined Germans, their efforts failed, this cannot detract from the admiration which must be felt by every soldier for the patriotism of the people and the creative energy of their leaders, of whom Gambetta and Freycinet were the chief. After the war every Frenchman set himself to solve the army problem not less seriously than had every Prussian after Jena, and the reformed French army (see FRANCE) was the product of the period of national reconstruction. The adoption of the "universal service" principle of active army, reserves and second-line troops, the essential feature of which is the _line_ training of every man, was almost as a matter of course the basis of the reorganization, for the want of a trained reserve was the most obvious cause of the disasters of "the terrible year." GERMAN ARMY