The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-19
Literary Intelligence.


Literary Intelligence.
WASHINGTON AS Captain" BY GENERAL HEN
NINGSEN.
General Honnngseu's work the military
Il Washington is completed, and will be placed in
the hands Of the printer iu few days. It's OBJECT give
brief history Of Washugtons campaigns and criticism
on his merits general This field has been hitherto
almost unoccup.ed Three OF the best works on his
biography and the War Of Iudepcr5ence-by Sparks,
Losing and Irving comprising nineteen Volumes al
though replcte with graphic descriptions Of the man.
or interesting details OF the events and scenes
amongst which he figured, yet fail to enable the general
reader to conclude whether not Washington was in
fact able commander aud whether the struggle with
which his ia associated really of important
military character either be judged by the standard Of
celebrated captains and Of memorable conflicts in the Old
World. AT all events, without much study and extensive
research elsewhere, these volumes do not enable the
reader approximately TO determine what COMPARE
tive place should Do assigned ia history to the Revoiu
tonsry war and 70 its leader.
To Ill this hiatus General Henningsen has endeavored
TO criticise washpgons campaigns from comparative
and professionalism though from professional, not
tecbnicalpont Of view That is TO say, that either
avoiding explaining the echncaities Of expression
which constitute argon for the non professional reader
Nil reference to the artof has been carefully brought
comparative point Of viewbecausc comparison s1orts
the satisfactory test atiainable whereby estimate
the merits or Importance of men, events and things Tho
War OF Independence, for instance examined aud Illus
raed in these pages by brief comparative illusions the
Of antiquity TO those Of the Middle Ages and of
dern, and subsequent times regards the number
Of ccmbatants extent Of operations severity of hghng
and eventual results. washingtons position general
Is attempted 10 be estimated by comparison with Fabas
William the Silent, Gustavus Adophus Frederick the So
cond, Marlborough, Napoleon Bonaparte, yelling
ton, &c.
The conclusions to which General Hsnuursen has
been Jed are the War Of Independence which the
total number OF oombatants engaged rarely amount
cd to sixty thousand both Sides aud never
exceeded twenty seven thousand one field
though comparatively insignificant to numbers,
yet very remarkable for the extent embraced
In its military operations Excepting the Of AexAn
der, Gear, Zengis Tmur aud Napoleon Bonaparte few
If any, spread wider area and whatever but
those in which entirely dispr ,portonate numbers were
engaged that regards the not very battles
and Oombats Of the years Revolutionary war amoun
ing to some thirty, they were most obstnately con
tested shown by the per ceniage Of loss Five OF these
combsts for instance, Judged by this test hard
fought Of the most sanguinary fields which
Frederick, Napoleon Bonaparte and Wellington COM
nandcd averaging the loss Of Borodino, Ieipsic and
Waterloo that few any struggles in history have been
as important we regard the magnitude and pcrmanence
Of ts results exhibited in the growth present con
dion Of this Union and in its future may most rca
sonaby be conjectured.
With respect to Washington the conclusions arrived at
are, in brief foowsThat, though evnicng no great
ability tactcian though having fought but battles
and those not very successfully yet tina; the sagacy and
strategic skill with which bis operations conducted
en.e hin, a high among great and
taken in connection with the influence Of his peculiar &C.
MUS in determining which have led to results 80
vast insure him justly exalted rank among the re-
markablc captains Of the world. His military career
marked by only half dozen battles, but comprising six
years OF arduous conein respects resembles that
Of Adophus brought close the third year
of his campaigns and in his third battle but yet securing
poseriy great and permanent results and himself
fame rvang tina. by such generals Ale xander in
twelve years campaigning by Hannibal seventeen, by
Cesar in fourteen years and sixty battles, by Tim1r in
thirty five years, by Frederick tho Second In years
and twenty battles, by Napoleon nineteen years and
fifty battles and by Wellington in twenty battles and
twelve years campaigning These and other military
leaders with whom, attempting TO estimate Washington
captain he is incidentally compared contrased)
arc pointed having exhibited grea. diversity OF
acterstcs and merits widely dusmi,ar but yet admitting
Of a certain classification in what may be regarded
az their peculiar styles-like painters, sculp:ors
orators writers, widely differing in incontestibe but
varied excellence There are, for instance, celebrated
commanders who have achieved great things with means
disproportonatey SMALL those whose caution left final
results little possible to chance; these who ade
quate obtained results surprisingly brilliant and
rapid-thc adventurous gamblers in war; reliant upon
fortune astonishing the world both by the greatness
OF their success and the audiences extent OF their
revcrses There those who played the game Of
with or less skill just they found t. aud
those who, IKE Gusavus Adoiphus and Frederick were
inventors innovators in the art
Washington Is shown TO hold distinguished place
amongst those by whom great things have been accom
pshed with small and in the face OF singular d
cultes. Though not winner OF battles, and probably
upon the battle field inferior Arnold Lee Greene and
Sir William Howe, yet, pre- eminent in sagacous caution
and peculiarly fitted 70 the circumstances In which
he was placed, he brought 10 successful issue a
contest in which not only those generals any other
mere "wnncrs Of battles" but of the most famous
commanders upon record would in every likelihood have
failed.
The work, which Ia nowise chronicle, but rather q
narrative, with commentaries upon events 90 far from
pretending to adduce facts docs asgume TO
determine between those upon which historians conflict
The writer contents himself by taking them from the best
accredited authorities his deductions being Of character
sufficiently general not 10 be in any impcachable
by such discrepancies as exist He has however through
considerable statistical and historical research drec
tons pertinent to his subject coAted Tor the purpose OF
illustrating it, large number OF facts which have not
been brought together elsewheresuch the length OF
the Of eminent captains the number OF their
ties average Of loss, populations prosperity and wealth
OF various countries for century past actual and compa
ratve growth aud deveiopement of these, numbers
gagged on both sdes in the War Of Independence the ag
| gregate Of British and Of Anne rlcan .oss sc.
10 the Of this investigation many OF the ideas
author had formed from general reading are stated
have undergone great modification entire change.
Amongst other conclusions at variance with his prccon
notions he has the conviction that the in
tervcnou Of France much less influential on the fate
Of the than is usually believed aud cannot be con-
sdered a having been decisive OF is issue That the