The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-06-05
TIE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION.



the Hungarian war of Independence has
boon said OF his conduct at its close--to cause
general STIR OF expectation on the first hint OF his
rising up to explain" Ho has dono this at great
Length, III precise, elaborate manner, with no smap
ability. His tone is emphatic his confessions
wear an aspect Of cand0r and b0ldness, becoming
only in enc who feels himself above roproach. Tho
narrative, indeed, is as much an indictment OF
h0ssuth-as chief OF the separatist party--incuding
moro extreme republicans, like Perczel and Guyon
AS vindication--apology it canno. be terned-
OF Georgeis own conduct-which he maintains to
have been from first to last based on adherence to
the old constitution of Hungary, against the revolu
tionary doctrine Of her total independence as false
in principle and fatal to the practical issue of the
conflict The confidence with which this attitude
is taken-the energy and bitter sarcasm which point
tho writer's structures on the character, designs,
and behavior Of Kossuth-the plainness with which
he speaks of the military events of the war, and Of
the conduct Of troops and officers engaged in it
will enhance the sensation which any narrative
from his pen would have produced. If this be act
ing, it is like Kean's-''t terribly in earnest
That it will provoke anger ard denial in many
quarters, is certain; by it be otherwise re-
cslyed than as an ca pare representation But it is
IN any point OF view an important historical docu-
ment; remarkable as well for the ground taken, as
for the subtlety and force with which it is applied
to the whole series Of transactions in which Georgei
was concerned. So copous is the work-contaning
In the two volumes, more than 700 closely filled
pages-that we can only attempt to give general
summary of its coRtents and this, from the nature
of the subject will but faint reproduce its intricate
facts and close arguments. What can be done within
the compass of few columns, must, however, be
attempted by pursuing the course of tho story
as possible in the order Ofthe original. 1t may be
promised, once for all. that in this process we shall
follow the writer Where comment is not expressly
introduced as our own, it must be understood that
We merely state what he says, emitting, for brevity
sake, the repetition Of a formula to that effect
Arthur Gcorgei, formerly a subatern in the Aus
trian service but retired, joined the national rising
early in lsis, under the Batthyani ministry, and
was made captain in Honved regiment. AT this
time the attitude Of the nation was that of resist
ancc, under the express sanction Of its Austrian
King. to what he had declared to be the rcbellious
invasion Of Jellachich. The force of the country
consisted partly Of regularly trained soldiers partly
former only, from first to last efficient in sup
porting the war. but they were badly oficcred the
latter Harmed, suspicious, undisciplned and un-
steady. could never be depended upon. Or their
misconduct in the face Of the enemy, Georgci COM
plains at every stage Of his narrative and he re-
cords acts ofcowardice and msbchayior, not among
the common sort alone, which startling from
their excess andfrcquency in the leyies Of nation
usually deemed altogether warlike. The re.
suit Of his experience in this respect will
have more than a local interest ; it confirms
what has been advanced elsewhere by higher mill
tary authorities. the danger OF relying upon any
thing but discipline in martial operations. As to
the non-ilitary the lowest class and the rral popu
lation are declared to have been lukcwarm. If not
absolutely i'll affected to the insurgent cause. Al
though elsewhere. in and out Of the army, there
was no lack of enthusiasts, the evidence of George
painfully confirms the warning OF Sir Charles Ma
pier, to the danger Of trusting to the efficacy OF
mere impulse against the fire and manGuvrcs Of a
trained enemy.
Georgei soon rose, by skill and resolution in an
army where few of the officers showed either, His
first independent command sguOlVed 10y the
execution, at drum-head court martial Of Count
Eugene Xichy- captured ON way to Roth's camp,
under te-conduct from Thu jan, with forty OF his
proclamations in the cariaSt. Shortly afterwards
came the operations, nominaly under Pcrczel, which
caused the surrender of Roth, and drove Jellachch
across the frontier. The merit of these was given
TO GeoIge, who was made colonel, and employed on
u detached command AT this early stage of the
war. he begins to complain Of kossuth, who was
now become President Of the COMMITTEE OF De-
fence, tor meddng with promotions in the army
an accusation often repeated afterwards, with the
addition, in one place. that. besides the bad effects
of the interference ITSELF too many OF the officers
sent from Ocn were notorious towards or rcprobates
il is alleged that supremacy III military Us well US
in civil affairs was always kossuth's ambition--ior
which Geoice declares few men could be less apt; as
Ii merit. which was transccndcnt in speech was
not suppoited Is either wisdom, sincerity OF pur-
peso. personal resolution In these pages he
is Constantly represented as q mere. orator, won
dc1iully rrofusc of stirring elo1uencc. Thrasonical
IN words, sLifty in pursuing his ends and dcxterous
in hiding them, but failing al last whenever rmness
sclfcNposurc we're necessary to their attainment
ii this picture whatever may be said Of The I'M
stances adducod in support Of its truth, there is cyl,
IDENTITY strong Professional well rs personal
bias, the old Jealousy between :" Arms and the
Gown less than the bitterness Of political an
tipathy.
The Croatian invasion being now blown over, and
an army, called Of the clipper Danube, being in
position under General NIGGA. at Parendorf, near
the Austrian frontier George was sent by kossuth,
who professed doubts of that General, to report on
his movements; and soon followed by the Prcsi-
dent in person. The latter confident in the force of
the national excitement, urged The Immediate IN
yasion Of Austria, for the relief Of bcsieged fellow
patriots in Vienna The officers represent the danger
Of such step, with an army so i'll disciplined, con.
sistipg i'll part Of tumultuary leyies, some armed
only with soythes. In yain:-kossuth insists that
their spirit, reused by his harangues, Mil make up
for the want of training and arms. The generals
shrug their shoulders. The army crosses the
Laitba,--adyanccs as far rs Swechat,-is attacked,
beaten, the levics turning back at the first Shots
and kossuth, ono Of the first to fly, barely escapes
among the fugitivcs, who never stopped till they
reached the Hungarian territory This would seem
to have been the first ard last appearance Of the
President in the field.
Immediately after this, Austrian forces began
to appear on the scene The aspect Of the war
had changed At Vienna there were already
manifest signs Of counterrevolution. But this
the army could resist without violating its Mill
tary oath to the crown Of iIungary-a point on
which Georgei says the trained solders-the only
rcllaDlc part OF l-neNcr WaNcrcu throughout the
war-at least in the division with which he was
concerned, which was also the principal, and the
only one that acted successfully on great scale
In November, Gsorgei, invested with the conf
mand in place Of General NIGGA, began to'move
against Simunich, who was already threatening
Ofen. The aspect Of affairs soon became serious.
Georgei proposes the necessity Of dictatorship to
kossuth, who seems uneasy and hestating and
Georgei begins from this point to mark his growing
aversion to the President lie says the latter would
then have displaced him from the command, if any
other competent officer would have accepted t that
notions ofan independent Hungary" were already
lemcnting in his bran-but these were SO plausibly
concealed that Georgci had no sufficient cause for
retiring, declaring open hostility The operations
against Snunich began in December, 1918. The
Hungarian army, ill provided, badly Offered, I'M
supported by the peasantry, retreats ;-irst, Pres
burg is evacuated then Raab. The Austrians are
reintorced-W indischgratz assumes the command
The ilungarians must retire towards the mountains
The government declares g that il will bury itself
in the ruins of Ofcn J" but retreats at the first
NOR Of the enemy, with such despatch, that George
fastening to the capital to confer with kossuth,
finds him nIready fed.