New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AIR. KINGLAKE's NEW VOLUME.

Tn the prosecution Of his long and remarkable
work Mr. Kinplake has now reached that period of
suffering for the army. Of despair and anger amoag
tho people at home, which followed the battle OF
Inkermsn In this volume the last but one OF the
work. there picture of the clash OF arms; but
there was not less of the hcrosm of war in the ter
ribe winter of patient endurance than in the spen-
did conflicts described with much force In Mr..
Kingakes earlier pages. No one certainly will find
in this portion of the narrative any lack OF
viyacious Characterization dramatic movement.
Mr. Kingake's sketch of the demeancr OF the Brit
ish soldier, under the dreadful hardships CT WIN
ter in tens on the frozen Chersonese peninsula
without f Iel without proper clothing, often WIN
out food performing three tunes his que snare Oh
labor. and working harder and harder every dav as
the rauks were thinned by death though brieI Is
deeply Impressive.
All their MISUNDERSTANDING too often fatal
our officers and men endured with herosii as the
Srbastopol Committee declared unsurpassed III
the annals of war; and III truth the contented de-
votion of the under these cruel trials was such
MS 10 appear almost prete2natura in the eyes OF one
who measures self sacrifice by merely CIVILIAN
standard. Incredible as the statement may seenl'
there is vet ground for saying though OF course III
only general terms. that the men did not choose
to complain of the privatlons and hardships under
which they were suffering. 1t IL remembered IN
deed that once they showed indignant displeasuIe,
but the feeling IN that instance sprang from what
was purely unseihsh. nay. even delicate senti-
blanket in which dead soldier lay wTapt when
carried 10 the edge of his -rave should be removed
from his body before consignins II TO earth, anu
that measure orr men disaDprOyed. In the mast
of their own bodily suhcrlngs, they condemned
what they thought slight to the remains OF their
Departed comrades.
from the one raised u conscripti0n Is indeed ran
governed by FEELINGS and convictions which at hrst
sight appear strangely different from those OF other
human beings. Upon the humble nights that he
has acquired by entering the amy he insists win
fNTs hf nc fS la
his wild. romantic bargain, lac performs IL with
unstinting readiness. paying down his vast stake,
his freedom his ease, his strength his health, ms
life as though it nothing worth. Lord
Raglan when visiting the held hospitals. used to
ask upon entering each tent whether any OF the
men there collected had any complaints TO make;
and then il commonly happened that one OF the
sufferers answered by firmly alleging a grievance
but a grievance strange to saw unc0nnected with
the privations then threatening his veiy life, q
grievance based in general upon some question OF
.stoppagesn and always concerning money.
Thereupon Lord Raglan would promise that the
question raised should be considered. and his at
tendant aile-de-camp who on these occasions was
generally Colonel Nigel Kingscotel used then 10
make a careful note of the complaint This process
was repeated until all the complaints had been
heard but invariably they related TO money Ques-
No man ever used to say: any lord, you see
how l am living vet and cold, with only this one
blanket to serve me for bed and covering The
doctors are wonderfully kind. but they have not
the medicines. nor the wine. nor any OF the com
fortlng things they would like to be giving me. If
onlg had another blanket, / think perhaps might
live y Sneh words would have been true to the
letter and also | imagine, appropriate III the lndg-
ment of almost any civilian; but the soldier was
not the man who wonld deign to utter them He
wOnd hold the State fast TO its bargain iii respect
to those ponce that were promised him through the
lips of the reel uung sergeant bnt. on the other
hand he seemed to acknowledge that ne had com
mitted his bodily welfare no less than MS ME TO
the chances war. and would let the Queen have
what he sold her without 1rudgng word. Some
times the brave men-l speak now OF the mon under
arms-would do more than acqUicSce in their
eutte 1nl-lctCgtIng
care in the face of their honOTed chief when he
rotc mast their camn woul seize any occasion that
offered for showing him that they were content
Thus for instance. when asked by Lord Raglan
whether his regiment had obtained its warm
clothing. q soldier would not merely say Eyes
but gratefully and cheeIiiy add that that was
all they wanted"
81 do not pretend" says III Kingake in a note
"to understand the soldiers true nature and, in
deed all learn tends rather to deepen than to solve
the mystery. 1t cannot be that he is ali angel-if
he were, notwithstanding his inches. should not
wart TO enlist him-but Except upon the snpposi-
ton Of his being actor who is matches III play
ing part 1t is imp0ss BILE TO doubt that his chaiac-
ter has angelic phases" The account of Miss Flor
ence Nightlngales famous achievement belongsito
this part of the history; and Mr. Kluglake has writ
ten few more glowing pages than those which de-
scribe the victory OF women red tape, and the
operations of the volunteer relief gene es whose
self-imposed duties similar in kind TO those
assumed later. on a much larger scale, by our own
Sanitary and Christian Commissions.
The collapse OF the administrative departments Of
the British military service at this time occupies
large part of the book and is discussed thoroughly
and acutely. Censure laid by the public, and
to some extent the Government at times seemed to
concur in it, upon Lord Raglan, his Quarter
master-General, upon his Chief Commissary and
various other functionares, and it was only after
repeated official inquiries that final verdict
at last rend red Apart from faulty
plan of campaign the blame for which
Mr. Kinglake in his second volume laid III
great measure upon The Times newspaper,
the cause of the disasters IF the winter decided
to be the want of transport from the landing at
Balacava to the camp and want OF transport was
owing TO the neglect of the officials Of the Treasury
in London to send out the supplies of hay for which
the military authorities made acquisitions. There
were grave deficiencies nearly all branches of the
supply aud transport services but this lack of for
age was the one chief source OF unnumbered mis-
cries and deaths. Mr. Kinglake gives account of
the English war administration at the time of the
Crimean campaign which would be amusing if we
could forget what tTagical consequences resulted
from its nefciency. part of the confusion sprang
from the imperfectly defiucd distinction between
the military authority of the sovereign, who was
technically the personal head of tie army
ana the authority Oh UOvefnfnenf," or
the Ministers through whom the real
power must BE- exercised. Since the peace of
1915, all the fighting forces of England had been |
made to depend upon centres of administrative |
power established in India and the Colonies so that
lit poss bic for her to be fighting and conquer
ing State during period Of nearly forty with
out having at home in London or Westminster that
handspring of military operations which men call a
war department" Besides the Horse Guards"
or army headquarters, which is royal, |
not government Office. there were two |
departments " which connected themselves with |
the mighty word War nv three opaiutlv dstipctive