Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-03-16
ENGLISH GENERALSHIP.

General Sir George Pomeroy Cclleys
death in this lamentable Transvaal war
will awaken feelings of deep regret, and
possibly some disagreeable reflections,
throughout the entire British army He
possessed high reputation as strate-
gist, and his friends, wisely or otherwise,
were accustomed to boast that he was
equal in that respect to General Won
Moltke. He made the "Kreig speil'' his
favorite study, and used to be able to
master its intricacies with rare ability.
Critics in military circles, when discuss
ing the question as to the coming m IL
among the commanders in the British
army, always mentioned Sir Garnet
Wolseley and his old colleague in the
field, Sir George Colley, as the two most
prominent. tits, however, suggestive
commentary upon theoretical proficiency
in the art of war that Sir George failed
in the first really important campaign he
was appointed to conduct. Doubtless,
Sir George felt certain, when he first led
his little army against the Beers, that he
was bound to be successful His whole
conduct, in refusing to accept reinforce
ments when they were offered by the
home Government, and in venturing to
attack the Beers in strong position with
an army which had been seriously weak
ened by previous unsuccessful encounters
with the enemy, betrays this abounding
spirit of confidence in theoretical strategy,
and it is not to much to say that the un-
fortunate General has had to pay for his
rashness with his life 1t is little re-
markable that three of the English
Generals whose fame has become super
eminent within the last few years made
their reputation by defeating badly-arm-
ed and dly-disciplined antagonists
General Napier won his title of Lord
Magdala because he beat the hordes of
King Theodore in their own citadel in
the heart of Abyssinia. Sir Garnet
achieved fame and honors because he
marched to Coomassie and defeated the
savage hordes commanded by the King
of Ashantee. General Roberts made a
sudden and brilliant reputation by March
ing 10000 men from Kabul to Kandahar
with remarkable celerity, and then de-
feating the army of Ayoob Khan, flushed
as it was, by success in cutting up the
lOIce vi OeueTdl burrows Oh COe lelu OF
Kushk-i-Nokhud, and subsequently COM
pelling the panic-stricken Kandahar gar
rison to abandon their cantonments and
shut themselves up in their citadel.
Roberts feat was more arduous and bril-
liant than the performances either of
Lord Napier or General Wolseley; never
theless, it was but victory won over
savage but undisciplined and porly y-equip-
ped mercenaries gathered from all parts
of .Afghanistan. The Transvaal war is
the nearest approach to struggle with
civilized foes which England has had on
hand since she worked with the allies in
the Crimea, and the total defeat of one
of her pet theoretical strategists will
compel military critics to question wheth-
er the forid reputation of her most con-
spicious commanders has not been ex-
travagant, based, as it has been, upon
achievements against barbarians possess
ing neither the cohesive discipline nor
the superior weapons usually found
among white belligerents.-Nesc York
Times.