Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-09
MODERN WARS.

The crushing defeat which the French
troops China have received adds anoth-
er TO the many recent proofs that the
reliance which Europeans place upon
their military science, improved weal
pons and steadfast, disciplined courage
may be oyerstrained. The experience
of the Soudan is qsite akin to that of the
French in Tonqnn. The impetuous
charge of multitudes of resolute men,
however badly armed, when they come
into close quarters, may break down the
most compact and powerful squares.
The Arabs who come into fight with
short spears, the Zulus with their shorter
assegais, may do more effective work
than the Henry Martini rifle. OF course,
the numbers must be greatly in favor of
the assailants to enable them to bear
heavy losses while getting into close
quarters; but after the meeting of the
two bodies, spear is as good as bayo-
net-perhaps better. Thus, the zereba
tatics of the British troops in the Sou
dan are for the purpose of OBTAINING a
cavalry charge under fire for while.
A slight intanglement of pack saddles,
boxes or abatis of desert vegetation may
so hinder an impetous charge and so de-
tain il under fire as to give the repeat
ing rifles chance to dc murderOus work,
and to make a sort of fertifcation of
dead men and horses. Yet, so bitter has
been the experience of the British troops
with these desperate fanatics that the
Nile campaign is virtually abandoned.
Wolseley is reported to be falling back
down the Nile, intending to go to the
support of Graham at Suakim. This is
a complete confession of failure, for
Wolseley might have begun at Suakim
more than year ago, and KhartOum
might have been saved.
The French defeat in China places
them in pretty much the same position
as the English in the Soudan. All the
results hitherto obtained appear to be
suddenly lost. The Chinese, by force of
numbers and by an impetuous attack,
have swept all before them, and the only
hope of the French commander at the
date of his last despatch was to save
what is left of his army. He begs for
twenty thousand reinforcements, and
months must pass before they can reach
him, while the impending decisive event
will be measured by days or hours, and
not by months. TIE French, as well as
the English. advanced into the hostile |
country in full confidence that small |
army would be more than a match for
the multitudes of the poorly armed ma
tives, and now they are both on the de
feDsive and calling loudly for reinforce
ments-for numbers.
Cortez marched into Mexico with a few
hundred Spanish soldiers, and met. i'm
mense armies of the natives and inflicted
terrible slaughter upon them. But the
sight of the horses and of the artillery
so terrorized the enemy that they seeu.-
ed incapable of effective fighting. Give
marched into the heart of India with a
few hundred English troops, and he
cared nothing for the Plumbers of the
foe, though they had cavalry, infantry
and artillery-their artillery IS good as
his own-and trained elephants to rush
in and break fhe ranks of the English
Yet he beat them easily whenever he
met them. English manhood has suf-
fered no decline since that time. There
is as much splendid heroism in the Sou
dan to-day as ever Give commanded
There is also, beyond doubt, as much
French gallantry in China to-day as any
that Napoleon led to victory. But what
is lacking is the Cortez, the Give, the
the Gordon. Gordon in China
succeeded where the French fail, though
bis resources were far less than theirs. L
He had genius. He knew what to do
His swOop was like an eagles. While
the routiDist is embarrassed by his re
sources. like poor chess-player with a
full board, the man of genius wins by
the advance of single pawn, pushed
at the proper moment. The most costly
folly of recent times was the sending of
Gordon to Soudan without an army, and
then wasting year in sending relief
by the longest possible route.
If Gordon had been in the place of VOL
,eley, no blunders would have been made
and the Mahdi would now be fugitive
from his own disillusioned followers.
England now needs Gordon in the Sou
Ian, Napier or Give in India and
France needs Napoleon
n China, or even Ney or a Lannes
put where shall they be found? How
lew are the men of genius-the lions
who care nothing how many sheep there
10 a-Raltimora mariooD