The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-10-20

lyle have shown genlus In describing actions In which they had no shAre. Sir William Napier, though soldier, made his type of genius most felt as . military Historian. Jomlni, the great est of writers on tactics, never held an independent command in war
 Field MarshAl von Moltke's chAran- ter is % simple and winning and his military genius of such . high orSicr that is ia most probable he would have become greAt leader of men in the field had any such command ever dcvolvesi upon him. At tho came time 1t is quite possible that even Moltke does not posses the qualities which made the "Tenth Legion. love CasAr, and which made the Roman one of tho few great leaders of armies whom the world has ever known. Great cool mess of head and sternness of nerve are required by the general whoee exclu- sive role in the field is to keep several large armies in motion, each os !.s own line, but each and all moving, ss tho pieces on a cheas- board, toward ons common object The sternness--l may gay the relentlessness--of disposition which enables such a man to do his daily work unaffected either by the l-absorbing Joy ot success or by the depressing influence of passing failures Is rare gift. But lt Is quite possible that such strategist, if carried from tho same position of army headquar. ters, and pushed Into the midst of ex- citement and of peril. and of all the emotions and startling sensations which such position occasions, might then be unable to exercise the qaick- meas of apprehension and the soundncss of judgment that can alone enable a man In that position to duly weigh the circumstances, analyxe the situa- tion, and come 10 the right conclusion.
 would instance Cesar, Hannibal, Marlborough, Napoleon and General Lee as men who possessed what TO. gard as the highest development of military genius---men who combined with the strategic grasp of Non Moltke, and the calm wisdom and just reasoning power of Wellington, all the power of Marshal Bouugeaud and of Souwarofi to infiame the ginati ion oi their soldiers, and impart to them some of the fiery spirit of reckless daring which burned within their own breasts. The personal magnetism which such great men possess so largely, and can without effort impart to others, was, think, wanting in our "Iron Duke" The marvellous, mag netic power of the great, gener- ous leader (Napoleon) over his men was certainly undervalued by Wellington. He seems in his mind to have divided his army Into gentlemen and common men, placing a great unabridged gulf be- tween the two classes. With one or two exceptions, he apparently had the very poorest opinion of the military capacity of his generals of division, while be believed with all his cold heart in the dash, courage, endurance, loyalty and patriotism of his regi- mental officers, the sons of English squires, and younger sons of what was then called our aristocracy. He sel- dom, If ever, spoke in appreciative terms of those brave soldiers who car rlcd him in triumph from Lisbon to Toulouse, and if he had any affection for them he never showed it. He be. lieved that when restrained by the most vigorously enforced discipline and led by English gentlemen, they were, under him, invincible. But he never hcsitated to describe them as A collection of rufiians, the biackguards of every British psrish, the scum of every English town. In fact, he was . thorough aristocrat at heart, with all the best sentiments, but still with all the prejudices of that class. There was no genial sympathy between him and his soldiers they respected him, and during his later campaigns they had the most unboun nded confidence in his military genius, but beyond his own immediate military household, with whom he lived on terms of inti- macy, no one loved him. It is for this reason that l think he will never be chased in the same rank of military greatness-of real military genius with the i've great leaders of men have named above.
 As the highest type ofmilitsry gen. ius, let me take Napoleon. If there be any one rule which may be said to sum up the science of strategy and the tactical art, 1t is that you should make your plans and carry them out 70 aS to be slways superior to your enemy ct the point of contact. This rule, carried out with the utmost secrecy and celcrity of movement, may be said to have been the great secret of Napo- icons sue5oss. Tie :.:Sss s:ss =.:As>. that grand campaign of 1915 the more ia one nnwiilingiy convinced that had Manoiann fhan hem xnhx siess iix inc