Show GEMS SHERIDA7V AND DunXSTDE I And the Part They Took in the I FrancoPruHsian War I The following story told by General I Burnsidp to Colonel C Frank Luther is 1 told In the Hootac Valley News of North Adams It will be remembered that Sher I idan l accompanied the Prussian staff through the war of Germany against I France In 1SVG71 and was a guest at the headquarters of King William during that I great struggle On the other hand Burn side was in Paris during the siege and I saw the contest from behind the walls It became desirable for the provisional I government of France to communicate I with the German leaders but the question i to be determined was a delicate one and not only a I noncombatant but a non I partisan was to conduct the negotiations In addition the diplomat must be suffi clently distinguished to command the re aspect j I i and confidence of the king and his councilors In his exUeirIcy Thiers con suited the United States minister Mr Washburn who recommended that Gener al Burnside l be given the mission Inns I much as oshburn had charge of the I German interests in Paris during the I siege and was consequently on good I I terms with the Prussians his suggestion was gladly listened to General urrslde entered the German lines under a flag of truce and was cor dially received at their headquarters at Versailles but of course as he was offi cially a messenger from France he was according to the rules l of war lcI epe under i close surveillance by the Germans Uur ing his stay in Versailles he was enter i tained at a banquet given in his honor by King WillIam and of course Sheridan i I and his aid Colonel Forsyth were present pres-ent Sheridan sat next to Burnside and I said to him Burnt get permission to I spend the night at my quarters I have something I want to see you about par i Hcularly At the proper time General I Burnside preferred the request that he might be assigned to the quarters of his old comradeatanrs who had expressed a wish to entertain him and the favor I was promptly granted So when the party broke lip Burnside went away under Sher idans escort to the latters quarters When they got there they smiled as old campaigners will from the same can teen and sat down to talk over old times Suddenly Sheridan jumped up went out made a complete circuit of his tent to see that there were no eavesdroppers and centered Then he sat down close to Burnside and looking him earnestly in the face said Burny old man what do you think of the way the Germans have Invested Paris Burnside replied Judging as well as I could trom what I saw while under escort I thought their lines were rather loosely held Sheridan slapped Burnside on the knee and Said with all the emphasis at his command Just what I thought If I could be in Paris tonight if I could only be in Paris tonight with two of my old divisions of cavalry from the army of the Potomac by Id make old King William turn handsprings before morning Sheridan said that neither the French nor the German soldiers seemed to un derstand the art of constructing hurried individual defenses such as both northern and southern soldiers would hastily build during the war He spoke especially of the heights of Gravelotte which the Germans Ger-mans carried in the face of it superior number of Frenchmen and said that in the hands of either Union or Confederate troops that wooded hillside would have been impregnable Sheridan had the highest regard for the fighting abilities of native born Americans saying that they combined dash with staying qualities qual-ities to an extent unknown in other armies ar-mies He accredited this to their mixed ancestry Next to native Americans he held the Irish and Scotch In esteem but said that they were less amenable to discipline I dis-cipline than the Americans Sheridan certainly had as good an opportunity as any man to judge of the peculiarities of race and his dictum ought to be sufficient suffi-cient at least to the sons of Uncle Sam and Columbia I |