Of course I found a great deal to interest and instruct me, yet nowadays war is pretty much the same everywhere, and this one offered no marked exception to my previous experiences.

The methods pursued on the march were the same as we would employ, with one most important exception.

Owing to the density of population throughout France it was always practicable for the Germans to quarter their troops in villages, requiring the inhabitants to subsist both officers and men.

Hence there was no necessity for camp and garrison equipage, nor enormous provision trains, and the armies were unencumbered by these impedimenta, indispensable when operating in a poor and sparsely settled country.

As I have said before, the only trains were those for ammunition, pontoon-boats, and the field telegraph, and all these were managed by special corps.