The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-11 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Memoirs of Major-General Sir .Henry' _Havelock,
K.C.B. By John Clark Marsham. Longman.
Although the Indian Mutiny is now a matter of
history, and many who won renown in that terrible
struggle are little thought of now, there are still
a few whose matchless achievements have caused
their names to be inscribed on the scroll of fame, in
letters which the lapse of years cannot oblite-
rate, and foremost among these stands that of
HENRY HAVELOCK. His gallant advance to the re •
lief of Lucknow struck the first blow to save British
supremacy in the East. It was not so much the
practical results, in a military point, gained by his
success that contributed to this result, as the dread
of defeat which it occasioned the enemy. When
they saw a handful of Europeans disperse army
after army, and still advance, they began to think
of the days of Clive and Wellington, and their
hearts failed them. Mr. Marshman has delayed
the publication of these memoirs until the present
time, in order to collect the various documents in
reference to Havelock's military career, as well as
information relating to his early life. For the success
of the work, we could have wished that it had been
presented, if possible, when all England rang with
the name of Havelock ; besides, it is a great mis-
take in biographers to collect too much unimportant
detail, which cannot interest the reader, nor yet
add any information concerning the subject of the
memoirs. This fault has been committed by the
author to a certain extent; had many of the letters
been omitted it were much better. Nevertheless,
we will not complain, seeing he has furnished us
with a very minute history of the gallant Major-
General, who, from his youth upward, was a dis-
appointed man. He was naturally of a religious
turn, and although he had always a predeliction
for the army, at the desire of his mother, to whom
he was much attached, he determined to follow the
law; differences with his father however obliged him
to relinquish this profession. His brother William,
who held a commission in the 43d Regiment, hav-
ing been of service to Baron Charles Alden, to
whom he was aide-de-camp at Waterloo, the Baron
promised to use his influence to procure the ad-
vancement of his young friend. But William
Havelock requested him rather to procure a com-
mission for his brother, with which lie at once com-
plied. ;Once a soldier, Havelock determined to
understand his profession, and devoted most of
his time to study it as a science, reading
Vauban, Lloyd, Templehoff, and Jomini ; in fact,
he read every military memoir within his reach,
and it is to this perseverance, joined to natural
ability, that he owed his success, though his services
lacked reward. We do not intend to follow young
Havelock through all the vicissitudes of his ardu-
ous career ; it would be but the repetition of a
story told, alas! too often, of merit without
patronage being left in the rear, while incapacity,
aided by influence, walks over their heads.
Tired of an inactive life, Havelock excharged into
the 13th Light Infantry, ordered for Calcutta.
Havelock's military ability and his general con-
duct soon won him the confidence of his superiors ;
but his religious persuasions, which he carried
almost to extremes, at least in the opinion of his
brother officers, went against him ; in fact he over-
did it. Although his religious instructions to the
troops did no harm to:those who would not listen to
him, it caused many who came into his congregation
to become sober and steady men. The following
passage will show the feeling on both sides :
"It was during this period that Colonel Sale, who com-
manded the 13th, made the remark which has been inad-
vertently attributed to Lord Wm. Bentinck. Havelock's
religious meetings among the men had irritated some of
his brother officers, and a strong feeling of opposition to
him had grown up in the regiment. On one occasion,
while Havelock was confined to his couch for several da) s
by illness, it was reported that one of his ' saints' had been
found drunk, and it furnished matter of triumph to his op-
ponents. On his recovery he requested a full investigation
of the case in the presence of the colonel, when it was dis-
covered that there were two men of the same name in dif-
ferent companies in the corps, and that the man who had
been intoxicated did not belong to Havelock's company, or
assemble with his little congregation. It was then that
Col. Sale exclaimed, in his blunt manner, I know nothing
about Baptists, but I know that I wish the whole regiment
were Baptists, for their names are never in the defaulters'
toll, and they are never in the congee—or lock-up—house.'
The influence of Havelock's Christian exertions, combined
with his sound judgment and vigour of mind, was power-
fully felt, not only in his own regiment, but beyond its
circle; and it has been well remarked by a Presbyterian
clergyman, who enjoyed much domestic intercourse with
him, that 'he was, in the highest and best sense of the
word, a noble Christian missionary, recommending, both
by precept and example, the Gospel of Christ to all around.
In him the military character was so clear and so fully de-
veloped ; he was such a stern and rigid disciplinarian ; and
his command over his soldiers was so absolute that worldly
men easily tolerated the saint in their admiration of the
soldier.' His character was well defined in one expressive
sentence, when Lord llardinge said of him, he is every
inch a soldier, and every inch a Christian."
The adjutancy of the 13th having become vacant,
Havelock applied for the appointment, which he
ultimately obtained; but Lord William Bentincli,
in presenting it to Mrs. Havelock, showed her a num-
ber of letters from various officers, stating that her
husband " was a Methodist and a fanatic—whose
character as au officer was lowered by familiar
intercourse with the men—whose strong religious
views would prevent him from acting with impar-
tiality as adjutant." Lord Bentinc smiled, and
said, from inquiries he had made, he wished that
her husband could convert the whole regiment, but
he added, "The adjutant must not preach." Thus
it was that his religious zeal, admitted to be bene-
ficial, stood greatly in the way of his promotion,
Appointed as an aide-de-camp in the Burmese war,
his evil genius caused the ship in which he was
to be delayed by various causes, and to
arrive at the scene of action only in time
to witness the success of his comrades. In
the memorable retreat of General Sale from Cabul
he was of eminent service ; in fact, he was ono of
the few that always hoped on, but, of course, the
glory went to others. His letters relating to these
terrible times arc most interesting, writing as he does
dispassionately, and taking a calm military view
of his subject. While General Sale and his scanty
garrison
were anxiously awaiting succour besieged
in Jellalabad by Akbar Khan's troops, the one
survivor of the main body of the garrison of Cabul
arrived. Havelock, in a letter, thus describes
it :

" About two p.m. on the 13th of January, some officers
wore assembled on the roof of the loftiest house in Jellala •
bad. One of them espied a single horseman riding towards
our walls. As he got nearer it was distinctly seen that he
wore European clothes, and was mounted on a travel-
backed yaboo, which he was urging on with all the speed
of which it yet remained master. A signal was made to
him by some one on the walls, which he answered by wav-
ing a private soldier's forage cap over his head. The Cabul
gate was then thrown open, and several officers rushing
out, received, and recognised in the traveller, who dis-
mounted, the first, and it is to be feared the last, fugitive
of the ill-fated force at Cabul in Dr. Brydon. Ho was
covered with slight cuts and contusions, and dreadfully
exhausted. Ins first few hasty sentences extinguished all
hope in the hearts of the listeners regarding the fortune of
the Cabul force. It was evident that it was annihilated.
Countenances full of sorrow and dejection were immedi •
ately seen in every corner of Jellalabad ; all labour was
suspended—the working parties recalled—the assembly
sounded—the gates were closed, and the walls and batteries
manned, and the cavalry stood ready to mount. The first
impression was that the enemy were rapidly following a
crowd of fugitives in upon the walls, but three shots only
were heard in the direction of Char Bagh ; and when the
effervescence in some measure subsided, not an Affghan
could be discovered in that quarter, though numerous
telescopes were directed to it. ut the recital of
Dr. Brydon filled all hearers with horror, grief, and indig-
nation."
Shortly after the arrival of Dr. Brydon, Havelock
wrote to Serampore the following letter, which is
characteristic of the cool, calculating, courageous
soldier :
" A wide and sweeping destruction has overtaken our
force which formerly garrisoned Cabul. Their retreat was
not a military operation in any way. Had they retired as
a column, ever so late, they might indeed have lost their
cannon and one-half their force ; but they could have ar-
rived under these walls with their colours, some show of
discipline, and the other half of the force of every arm. But
they credulously confided in Affghan faith, moved in the
power and at the dictation of Akbar Khan, took uP the
positions which ho pointed out, forbore to fire on the parer).-
sans whom he had arrayed to destroy them ; and, as much
as
to the last the dupes of intrigue and treachery as the vi riiii
of the sword, cold, hunger, and fatigue, have beenaulhfeads
in the eastern Ghilzye mountains. One fugitive ]one
reached us alive. but I trust
" This has rendered our task a d;fficu, „ one,
u
We can no
we look its asperities in the face.like soldai
d ree"getting rid of
longer trust our Affghan Irregulars,.
aento defend an
them. We must, by God's help,
exten-
sive enceinte, of which the parknesttsrelavfreafinlontiusninirtpioluy7camn,bnioenh
proof, with an insufficient supplye and only two, not strong
can last only by being husbad
European and the other native,
regiments of infantry, one.
00 norm We have full six weeks'
a good artillery, and
the country around us., lfVae
thhaovue.
provisions, but forage 2 for only ahout three weeks longer
than we can conlmand
p followers already to upwards o
embodied our cam
sand, and we are arming
ftohre
tmhewdi tehfennicueskoefttsh, jee7zaailll ss,.swords,
spears, and even stones
Khan has been at Lughrnan, and is now at Time, raising
followers. I think we can, by God's blessing, if besieged
with guns, protect our defence full forty days. We are
resolved on every effart to save for Government Jellalabad
and Eastern Affghanistan. If it cannot then relieve us, we
sink, but we shall, I trust, die like soldiers."
The author's description of this ill-fated retreat
through all its details are most graphically nar-
rated, he enters into the probable causes of the
outbreak, shows how it might iu all possibility
have been averted ; he cites also high authorities
to prove that the first war in Affghanistan should
never have been undertaken; and, finally, he
expatiates on the vacillating policy of the Governor-
General, and his cowardly conduct at last in throw-
ing the responsibility of advancing upon Cabal:on
General Nott, by giving him leave to retgaii:d_bwoyenhow.iue
of Cabul. Havelock served with distinction with
General Nott in the retreat via Cabul ;
return he wrote a history of the campai.
however, met with no success; in fact, "
never succeed as an author, not from
ability, but from one cause or another 4alh:,
nonewacl I 1 oi
:

three productions were fortunate. Having served
in Persia, he returned in ill-health to England, and
on his again 'going out he remained inactive until
the mutiny called forth his energy and talent, and
gave the neglected soldier an opportunity of gain-
ing greater distinction and higher honour than lay
in the power of the War-office to bestow. Such is
a brief sketch of the leading features of these me-
moirs. We have made nolmention of Havelock's
latter career. That is well known to all ; but to
those who desire to peruse carefully the life of tne
undaunted General, together with the history of
many memorable events which have taken place
in India, such as the Burmese campaigns, the wars
in Affghanistan and Persia, all of which are de-
scribed with truth and ability, this work will prove
highly attractive.