Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-10-06
dM Masbinaton gentinel.
The Late Sir Charles Napier.

without military blemish. For sixty years,
and in all quarters of the globe, he was good
officer or a successful commander; nor would
it be easy, even in his numerous campaigns, to
discover an instance in which his professional
duties were either ill-discharged or unfortunate
ly conducted. His reputation had commenced
before the Peninsular war began, while, so re-
cent were his latest services that they are still
the subject of current discussion. Throughout
his remarkable career his actions we're charac-
terzed by traits long reputed to be common to
all the members of his family. Courage
amounting to recklessness, invincible energy,
originality Of idea, and enthusiastic devotion to
his profession distinguished his conduct on all
occasions; and, on reading the hazards to
! which he exposed his life, it seems difficult to
conceive how it could have been protracted so
long. In the desperate battle of Corunna, af
ter receiving FIVE wounds in the action, he was
only rescued from death by the generosity of a
French drummer and the marked kindness of
Marshal Soult-a circumstance which contribu-
ted, no doubt, to the chivalrous partiality with
which the great enemy of England was after
wards regarded by more than one soldier of the
name of Napier. At one conjuncture of the
war Soult despatched particular message to
say that he intended to pay Major Napier's re-
giment visit The corps was drawn out ac-
cordingly in its best array, and the French re-
tired from the encounter with little reason to
think lightly of the interview they had bespoken.
After such encomiums as these, it may seem
hard to imagine in what Sir G. Napier's SER
vices may have fallen short of absolute excel
lence, for a soldier can scarcely be more than
brave, ingenious and successful. Yet there
are few officers in the army whose achievements
have been more acrimoniously controverted
than his, or whose general merits have been
more frequently brought under discussion, and
the difficulty OF reviewing these incidents IS
increased by the fact that they still fresh in
the minds Of ALL Sir Charles conquered, adj
miGistered, and settled an eastern province as
large as European kingdom; but his conquest
was decried, and even his justice called into
question. Later still be Quilted an honorable
retirement to accept a post OF enormous res
possibility at an hour of extreme peril; but his
| sacrifice, even in this respect, was lightly es-
| teened and not generously rewarded Among
soldiers themselves there may not possibly be
found two opinions. upon his deserts, though
upon the whole it is in the army that his merits
will receive the fullest Acknowledgements as it
is there certainly that his failings should be re-
garded with the greatest indulgence. We may
say, indeed, that his defects became visible in
proportion as he was called upon to apply the
more ordinary exigencies of life. We do not
mean to imply, as our own opinion, that he was
incapable OF pacific administration on the
contrary, we think that both in the Ionian
islands and in Scinde he gave evidence not only
Of vigorous resolution, but Of clear and COM
prehensive views. We doubt whether any civil
liam could have been found to govern the country
of the Ameers, as it came into his hands,
with greater economy or success than he exhi-
bited himself His fault was that he carried q
military spirit into every transaction, and con-
Quoted all proceedings with the blunt decisive
bearing OF soldier. In the controversies
which this habit could not fail to create he was
hasty and violent, extending little consideration
to his opponents, and putting few restrictions
on his language. On many, perhaps on most
occasions, he had right on his side, and that he
always believed SO is what may be safely infer
red from his known integrity and honor; but
he rarely made allowance for those differences
of opinion which must necessarily exist, and
was too apt to regard disinterested opposition
as personal affront The inevitable conse
quence was the formation oftwo parties, one of
which infexibly adhered to his side, while the
other not only attacked his admitted failings,
but deprecated without scruple his best SER
vices, and cast unwarrantable imputations on
his motives.
A signal illustration Of these remarks is
found in his Indian career. As a soldier, Sir
Charles Napier was not less successful in the
east than any of those commanders whose
names have been associated with Oriental tri-
umphs. He was proof against the influence OF
climate, the seductions OF luxury, the cajolery
of native courts, and the temptations of an east
ern campaign. He not only won great victo-
ries, but he suffered no reverses. He was
never overreached, outnumbered, or overcome,
and he won his way against numerical odds as
great as those encountered by Lake or Welles-
ley. He did even more, for, after destroying
the enemy in pitched battles, he succeeded in
sitting the last sparks OF insurrection among
the scattered tribes of an almost inaccessible
district No foe once Frustrated by his sword
has ever risen again. Yet, with all this mill
tary excellence, Sir Charles was exposed to re-
monstrances as serious as if he had been suf-
ferng defeat or endangering the army COM
mitted to his care He could not keep on terms
with his employers Provoked, not unreason-
ably, by the pretensions of civilians, he was in
duced to disparage the entire civil service, and
in the irritation occasioned by opposition to his
will, he unhesitatingly assailed the whole gov
ernment of India. The East India Company
was naturally indisposed to submit to repri-
mands from servant of its own, however, dis
tinguished, and to such height was the dis
pleasure Of the directors carried, that when our
whole Indian empire appeared to he in jeopardy,
and when Sir Charles Napier was called upon
BY common consent as the man to save it, it
was understood that the government of the COM
pany actually hesitated at accepting so dis
tasteful a deliverer.
On this occasion, as on some others of his
life, the course of events ran somewhat unfoE-
tunately. The battle which he was despatched
to fight, and which he would undoubtedly have
won, was fought and won before his arrival,
and he found before him nothing but field of
service in which, whatever might have been his
abstract capacities, the risk Of offence was too
great to be escaped. At neither of our strug-
| giles with tho Sikhs was it Sir Charles Napier
| lot TO be present, and he missed therefore those
opportunities which in the case of others
brought such honorable rewards More than
one soldier has been raised to the peerage
whose services, on an impartial estimate, must
needs be pronounced inferior to those we have
been recording. The "fortune Of war is a
4 nhrasa which may be yariously understood.