Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-07-23
THE CAMP AT cHoBHAM, (Eso1Asp.)
PROM rur Lorpox r,xr. oy ,rv, X

The long talked-of formation Of camp on Chobham
common took place yesterday and for time to come
the inhabitants OF London have within reach Of them
military display extensive, and more nearly an
preaching to the realities Of soldiers e than for
years has been wtnessedn this peaceful country That
such spectacle will prove immensely attractive cannot
be doubted that it will be useful as means Of disc
plning the troops is equally certain and if hard fare
and exposure bring with them certain amount Of dis
comfort 1t is some reward to our brave defenders that
unbounded sympathy will be felt for them every time that
they have wet jackets that rainy days will be accounted
to them as battles and that the suerings sprnging
out of nasty commssarat will rank almost with those Of
campaign The weather seems bent upon awarding to
them this species Of glory 1t has entered thus far ygor
tousy into the plans Of the and
should 1T perseyere the distinguished regiments
cenrated on of the heaths of Surrey hardly wish
to gnaze themselves against any more formidable oppo
nent Yesterday the tents hardly pitched when the
thunders of Heavens artillery opened upon them
did not damp the ardor Of the men, though it must have
soaked them to the skin. Monday was day of continu
GUS wet and the Welsh Fusileers who arrived on the
ground and took up their station in the midst OF n ns
have thought themselves more bivouacked some
| where amid their humid mountains It was boned
that yesterday would have found the clouds exhausted
and that the main body Of thu force ordered
rate upon Chobham would be favored with fair weather
The result has been disappointment What might have
been brilliant spectacle ended in rather undign6ed
rush 70 shelter The Of the encamp
ment vanished and vsters who had hasened from town
to sacrifice to Mars returned disconsoate their military
enthusiasm considerably lower than when they started
Inc morning was gloomy and unpromsng, with watery
clouds sweeping IN long succession the sky and
dampness in the air that could not be mistaken Occa
sonally the sun would burst with momentary brillancy
through the intervals Of flying vapor and the troops as
they marched along the different approaches to the COM
mon frightened up under his beams The roads were
hled with them, and it curious to see the contrast
presented by great columns and of men equipped
for war and the quiet secluded through which thew
passed. Pretty cottages, the homes of retired compe
tence with flowers in their window shook as horse
and foot and rumbng guncarriages by Groups of
gaping country folks collected crossroads to stare at
the unwonted pageant and when it was gone they
still fingered to watch the camp baggage numbered
heavily behind Now and then there was halt during
which the men who had marched furhest seemed glad to
rest themselves as best they could until the call of the
bugle once more set them in motion Till nearly mid
day the advancing columns were struggling along the
narrow approaches to the common taking up the no.
tons respectively assigned them OF the order in which
they came or the distance which they had travelled we
do not venture to speak Some had had long and ia
tIgung march, others comparatively short one Some
looked fresh and unsoed by the roads the weather
others appeared to- been soaked by the rain They
ALL however, dspla tegreat alacriy when the time ar
rived for encampng and each regiment appeared to vie
with the other in the rapdty and precision with which it
pitched its tents Luckily that important operation had
been completed before the storm broke
The force assembled upon Chobham- common is from
oooO TO loOOO strong 1t comprises four regiments of
cavalry three battalions Of guards two brigades of
Iantr each comprising three regiments; one troop of
royal horse artillery three batteries of horse artillery
company OF sappers and pontoon train The cavalry
Is composed Of the LIST Life Guards, the 9th Dragon
Guards, the 18th Light Dragons and the 18th Lancers
commanded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam |
bridge Colonel Henry Bentinck commands the battalion
Of the Grenadier Coldstrcam and Scots Fuser Guards
Sir DE Lacy Evans commands the lst Infantry brigade
which consists Of the 38th the 3d. and the I'd battalion
OF the Rife brigade Major General Fame commands the
AID the 5Oh and the 95h forming the second Infantry
brigade Lieut.. Col. Bloomfield commands the RovaI
Artillery Lieut. Col Wears the Sappers and Miners and
Col H. ID. Jones the Pontoon train The entire division
Is under the command Of Lord Seaton, Lieut. Col. B.
wood being Assistant Aduant General and COL Torrens
Assistant Quartermaster General Thus it will be seen
that force has been brought together completely ap
pointed in all respects considerable in siren than
has for many years been assembled in this country and
representing every of the service Cavalry infantry
and artillery will each have their efficiency and discipline
tested separately and in combination and may fairly
De expected that the practice onChobham- heath
prsng as II is intended TO do, every form of military
operation, will bring results far more and
important than those of ordinary ed-days and reviews
nongn compared with the martial displays Of contnen-
tai Europe the encampment in Surrey may appear very
contemplate affair." and though we at home here are more
disposed to smile at those who treat grayely matter
which hits mainly at the minor comforts of our soldiers
still there good deal TO be gathered from this Cbob
ham encampment which is once consonr to our pr;de
and assuring when we look at the question of our military
resources The numbers are small, certainly but the
men are unsurpassed by any army the world for size
and strength for rigid discipline and for the material
excellence OF their equipment The household troops |
horse and foot may be rather spoiled by luxurious life
alternating between Windsor and the metropolis Let
them be closely examined however let foreigners o ont
to Gotham and see how they look there Their earth
Kitchens may be somewhat more carefully made than
those belonging to the line their horses better proyided
for and some faint efforts Mt furniture in their
but they are as fine and noble body of soldiers as
General could desire to WELD one not helm
some pardonaoc pusaons Of national vanity at seeing
them yesterday conspicuous feature of the camp The
troops OF the ne however the strength of the Brit
ish army and must always be its chief pride In them
are supposed TO be happily blended the
spirit OF three four nationaites and the historians
our wars affect to trace in battle the firm and
courage OF Enghsn regiments the devoton.of the High
landers, or the wild mpetuosy Of the Irish II there
be truth in this view Of military force il is wei de-
yeloped at the camp, where yesterday as Won passed
from one set OF tents TO another you heard the
tongue spoken in unmsakable varieties of accent Now
O meifuous brogue saluted the ear and little beyond
was the broad dialect Of the land Of cakes while
waving arans and plumed bonnets appealed similarly
the eye The sappers and miners probably the most
teigent and the best educated men in our army make
the least external show. They with contnrents from
each regiment have for time past been preparing
the ground for the purposes Of encampment. They
have sunk wells formed reservoirs erected stables and
made kitchens These kitchens constructed by them
decided Improvement the old form use during the
Peninsuar war, and which regiments, we observe
still practice They economist fuel and enable cooking
TO be carried on more quickly and in larger quantities
but on the other hand they perhaps little more
troublesome to construct The experience and practice
OF the camp yesterday mainly conferred this point
for Of course, when the the ground after
their tents were up, the first thing requisite was to feed
them and when that was done the rain had effectuay
cleared the common of spectators 1t must not be sup
posed that the culinary art practsed in the midst
wars alarms, Is an unnterestng object of study Anv
thing more rude and accordant with campaigning Il
IS hardly possible to conceive. trench is dug with
short mud chimney at one end; fire is lighted at the
M md fha A. h. 49, - -. |