Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-22
GENERAL LORING
Declares Himself Astonished at the Sud.
aen collapse Of the Campaign in
Egypt, at the Audacity and
CelsritJof Wolseley and the Utter Want
of Geaeralship in Arab Pasha-
England's Opportunity.

grw YORK, September 1e.-The Herald
publishes the following interview with Gen
er,l Ioripg touching the sudden collapse Of
the Egypifn caupain:
sHsyaf YOU been little surprised, Gen.
er.l by The sudden ending of the Egyptian
war;"
1T have been greatly zstonished by the
sudd.nness of its ending, not By the final re-
suit I never was so snszed In my life at
fellow not doing any fighting at all. Arab
b,J the forces which estimated he would
have and made the dispositions of them
nearly As predicted he would make them
iumy former interview, but that he should
permit himself to be surprised behind field
vort, vth M forest nor any other obstacle
IN front 70 obstrust the vision-nearly dead
level Of dessrt-with an adventurous enemy
closs At hand was an event which no ordinary
miI;t,ry experience could have suggested as
pos.;bl.. and yet Wolseley's advance at
K,.asslp had been threatened with a
similsr disaster from surprise a few
d,vs ursyious and should have re-
yesl.d 10 Arab the possibilities with refer
ence to bis own position. Again, confess
to great sstonlshment that he did not avail
himself of the means which were ready 10
hand to prevent such catastrophe by widen
ipg deepening and flooding his dnehes in
front. b. keeping his scouts and pickets
tonchin. those of the English, which would
have given him timely warning of any move
ment ard generally by a want of aggressive
enterprise by harrsssiug Wolseley's commu-
nicatious with bis Bedouins in order TO
Eeakenthe enemy by the GU ards which wnnld
have ben required TO protect them. In look
ing at the possibilities OF Ars0i's deisnsc
! Il aIv Il
Doubt HAT had there been an officer sccus-
TONED 10 these common defsnses, SO we'll
known in modern warfare, to advise and di-
rect rsbi and relieve him of details, bet
ter account would have been rendered with
even the means at his disposal, aud be might
have diguifed the close of his revolution
With something like bona fde battle"
"Can you give any reasonable explanation
of the unexpected lack of prudence and en-
terprise on the part of Arab at Tel FL
Kiber?"
at il essential 10 remember that the
Egyptian army WAS 10 great extent dis
banded three years ago, when England and
France virtually took possession of the gov
eminent of Egypt upon the abolition of Khe-
| dive Ismail, and that Arab has had to re-
call into service and 10 reorgsnize and equip
large proportion of the forces which he as
commanded since a short time before the
bombsrdment of Alexandria, and while be-
ing new to war, as l said the other day, he
had undoubtedly been occupying himself with
the onerous duties of organization and
equipment IS we'll as in directing the civil
and religious forces of the country, which
prevented him giving his personal attention
and energies to the defense of Tel Ell Kiber
He ought to have had more men there, and
also two or three other lines of defense. But
considering the time and material he had
and all The circumstances, Arab Pasha &C
complished wonders, and the world Judging
him .hould take all these things into &C,
count"
"What do you think of Wolseley's cam
paign?"
"Wolseley has shown the best generaIshir
in meeting the actualities in Egypt. Hi
attack WAS wisely planned and splendidly
ex ecuted, and his vigor and audacity
throughout are worthy of all praise.n
"ArabIs staff do not eeem 10 have afforded
him very efficient aid?"
His staff was . personal one. According
to their system there never had been regu
lar qusrterm aster, commisssry and sdjutant
general departments. The comm ,nding gen
eral in the field discharged the duties Of the
heads OF these departments. From him il
person smanated all orders with reference tc
them. All this occssioued delays and neg
lect. The American officers lsborsd inces
sanity to establish regular staff system
modelled after that of the United States
but while the Khedive Ismail strongly fs
vored it his ministers, generals and colonies
who feared losing power and chances fol
gain, threw such obstacles in the way
that it was never adopted. The con
sequence was that in a war like the
one they have just had-sharp and
quick-their slow movements and in
vsterate habits of always saying bookrah (tc
morrow so cramped Arab that it is difficult
to conceive the immense load he had to carry
Time was required by them for preparation
as said in my previous interview, but with
only few weeks 10 get ready 10 meet the
most powerful nation in Europe, aad with al
Iness hiudr auces their WELT of SUCCESS is moi
to be wondered at, although the excsedingl,
abrupt termination OF their revolution wa.
wholly unexpected"
"What do you think it may be expected
will be done with Arabi?"
at lie correctly observed in the Herald tn a
Arab was no doubt honest in his desire tc
redress abuses grown out of the past bac
government, and il is to be hoped that En-
gland will treat him as . fallen chief. and
not leave the judgment of his conduct mol
the disposal Of his fate to the khsdiye or any
other power. The very same people who
with great unsnimity urged him 10 war now
that he has failed will. of course, denounce
him. He was bot the lender of nine teuths
Of the people of Egypt of all classes The
English commander, whose prisoner he is
should reserve the sole right to consider his
case, and upon a fair trial he will not be
likely to find him guilty of any violation OF
the rules OF war. II would be wrong to hold
him responsible for the outrages of fanaticsl
mobs which he could not control"
"In case the decision of his fate be left to
the Egyptian authorities, what do you i'm
agine it would be?"
"His execution, beyond doubt, and also
of those they should consider leaders with
him Of the revolution or rebellion as they
would call it."
"What is the usual Egyptian msnner of
executing such personsges as Arabi?"
Hanging or shooting-probably the lat
ter in Arabi's case. He would be condemned
of courre, and then taken to The public place.
stripped OF his medals and insight. of rank
and uniform, reduced to private of the
lowest grade, 4 wooden yoke placed on his
neck, his face turned..away 8nd then .bot in
the back until he was dead. / know of one
execution of this kind in the Abyssinian war.
A major who was accused of melingering
and keeping away from the front and q lieu
tenant who had protested sgainst being
struck by his commanding officer were
yoked together, by order of Ratib Pashs,
with several deserters and marched out and
shot in the back The usual place of execu-
ion at Cairo is at the town gale, Bah Ez Zu-
veeleh. At this gate was hanged Tomau,
he last Mameluke sultan, by Selim, the
Turkish sultan, who had captured him at
Helipolis, in 1917, aud this event fifty char
the transfer of Egypt to Turkish
ule."
SHOULD Eogland alone occupy and con.
roll Egypt, what advantages would probably
ollow to commerce and civilization?
"Three-fourlhs of the commerce which |.
asses through the Suez canal belongs to En-
land. With efficient neutrality laws gov
rning this canal the commercial world
Tsuld be benefited by having the assu red
OF great government like that of
1ogland in Egypt. The Mobammedan
Iorld, with its pilgrimages, barbarisms,
lavery and d gredation of womankipd, would
ecome permanently subdivided, the COM
between Asia and Africa would
e sifted through a country vigorous with |
rec labor, education, religious liberty, and |
lst administration of law. Africa would |
ooa be penetrated through the valley of the |
great natural channel OF COM |
ierce-aud the vast regions, with their be- |
ighled millions, about the sources of that |
iysterious river, even TO the Equator, would |
e reached by the band of modern progress. |
ut above these and all other remote reasons /
re those ofto-osy. believe England to have
cen responsible more than any other nation
" the state of things which brought on this
ar, and she has INCIDENTALLY been solely re-
oonsible for its conduct, aud therefore she |
lould consider herself responsible for the |
roper treatment Of Arab and his coadiu-
'rr, according to the accepted rules of war |
nd the great principles OF humanity She
Mould extend TO these prisoners the protec-
on which she would expect and deman of |
~ Christian nation under similar circum-
ances, and, finally, she should not relin-
uish her responsibility for the future of
gypt."