The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-13
WOLsELEY A FAILURE.
A General Who Never Won Battle or Led
Great Army.

New York World.
Whatever may be the ultimate issue of the
war in the Soudan, it cannot be denied that Gen
eral Wolseey's campaign is a failure. He was
sent TO rescue Gordon from the hordes of the
Mahdi in Khartouin. and while he has been lott
ering en- the way sending theatrical dispatches to
1tae Prince of Wales. Khartoum has fallen. and
Gordon with it. The browning blunder of the
Gladstone Ministry. in relation to the Soudan
business, was intrusting so serious an enterprise
TO General Wolseley, man who has never
syineed any military capacity. Had the conduct
of the campaign been committed to Roberts. the
gallant little butcher of Cabul it would probably
have been ended successfully for the English
two months ago. Wolseley enjoys the unique
distinction of being the only general of reputa-
ton who never led great armies, or won any
battles. His reputation is owing to the pen, not
10 the sword. The newspapers made Wolseley
what he is. he is the child of puff.
His first service was in what is styled the
Burmah war, in 1852 This was really no war
at all. 1t consisted in the storming of a few
bamboo huts, and the slaughter of a few timid
Asiatics. Wolseley, who served in subaltern
capacity, showed some personal bravery by
standing on an improvised bridge in the face of
the enemy until he was wounded. He next APP
pears in the Crimean war, where he was severely
wounded, and few years afterward at the
siege of Lucknow and the defense of Alumbagh
in the Indian rebellion. He was then made
lieutenant colonel and for the first time was
enabled to display something more than mere
personal courage He next participated in the
China expedition, in which he witnessed the gun
ners uniting the pleasures of the picnic to the
horrors of the battlefield. by firing into the
ranks of the half armed Chinese mob from the
halt Of hair re vvniln cir hoir
lemonade.
The next ''war' in which Wolseley engaged
was that known as the Red river expedition, in
1870 This was simply a sort of military ex-
ploring party. The only glory attaching to it
was that the expedition succeeded. after many
months, in finding its way to Fort Gary without
getting lost in the woods There was no fight.
ing, and nobody got hurt For this Wolseley
was created Knight of Saints Michael and
George. He was created Acknowledgement in
1871, and, in August, 1873 was appointed to the
command of the expedition against King Coffee,
of Ashantee. The campaign consisted in a
rather protracted hunt through the bush of a
horde of naked negroes armed with pointed
sticks. In this expedition Wolseley came
within a hairs breadth of ruin by an over
confidence in the superiority of his troops
and contempt for the ''niggers' The only
tangible result of the expedition was the cap
ture of King Coffee's cotton umbrella, which is
to-day exhibited in the London Museum
On his return to England he was created Che
Waller Commander of the Bath, and was present
ed by Parliament with reward of Els 000 In
May, 1879. he went to the Cape where he helped
20 catch Cetewayo in the African jungle. His
sonduet of the campaign against Arab Pasha is
fresh in the minds of readers. This was the
only campaign in which he participated that can
be said to rise to the dignity Of war at all. Yet
it cannot be described as battle in the modern
sense Arabs army consisted of a mob of ignor-
ant, timid Egyptian felahs, dragged from their
huts in chains, and who fell On their faces begging
for mercy at the approach of the enemy The only
resistance offered was by two regiments Of Sou
danese blacks, who showed that if they only
equaled the British in numbers Wolseley would
have had no parade victory There
were hundred skirmishes in our civil
war. unmentioned in history, and nameless, in
which more generalship was shown and more
blood shed than in all Wolseley's expeditions put
together. In the present campaign Woseley
Numbered from first to last. Instead of making
Suakim his base, and striking for Berber 260
miles distant, which would have brought him
within go miles of Khartoum. he chose the wind
ings of the Nile, a march of 1000 miles. He
then divided his command into three exped-
tons. without any apparent necessity sent two
OF them ahead in different directions, and sat
down himself at Korti to wait for news! And
now, when the British Ministry have given
him full power to act as he may think best
instead of shouldering the responsibility of
his hIunder and endeavoring to retrieve his dis
aster, he pitchforks the blanc back on the MIN
istry, s'i like the ostrich of the desert tries to
aids his failure by sticking his head In the sand