Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-23

fans the blackguarjs OF every British
parish. the scum of every English
town. In fact, he was a thorough
aristocrat at heart. with all the best
sentiments, but still with all the prelu..
dices OF that class. There was no genial
sympathy between him and his soldiers;
thew respected him, and during his later
campaigns they had the most unbound
ed confidence in his military genius, but
beyond his own immediate military
bousehold. with whom he lived on terms
of intimacy, no one loved him. 1t was
for this reason that | think he Will never
be classed in the same rank OF military
freatness-of real military genlus-with
the five great leaders OF men have
named above.
NAPOLEON.
As the highest type Of military genius
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. it is that you should make your
plans and carry them out so as to be al
WAYS superior to your enemy at the point
of contact This rule. carried out with the
utmost secrecy and celebrity OF movement,
may be said to have been the great Sc
cret of Napoleon's success. The more
one studies that grand campaign oil 1913
the more is one unwilhngly convinced
that had Napoleon then been physically
the man he was at Rivoli he would have
defeated Wellington at Waterloo as he
he'd inst defeated Butcher at Ligny.
Napoleon failed because at that period
of his life he lacked one of those quail
ties which are essential to military Sue
cess. He was suffering from such terri
bic physical ailments that the marvellous
energy Of the past was at times alto
gether lacking in him.
cEsAR.
Now let me take Caesar What few
men not soldiers realize is that quality
which Caesar showed when defeated by
no fault of his own at Dyrrhachium, or
when. after almost all the world had de-
serted him because of his apparent fail
ure in Spain, nc changed the history OF
the world by his calm facing of misfor-
tune and his power of using his know
ledge of men, and his military skill un-
disturbed by the accidents OF fate. 1t
was probably this latter quality that Pom
pey, himself no mean strategist, lacked,
and his want OF steadfaStness lost him
the empire Of the world. Unduly elated
after Dyrrhachium, he abandoned him
self to despair after Pharsaia.
MARLBOROUGH.
Let me now take Marlborough. No
part of his life perhaps more perfectly
brings out the varied qualities which
went TO make up the sum OF Marlbo-
roughs genius than the campaign OF
Blenheim and the diplomatic laboIs with
the States-General which preceded it..
The large and statesmanhke political
grasp of the whole situation Is easily APP
preciated by the careful reader OF his
life. But what Marlborough was on the
field of Blenheim itself, how in the mo-
ments of apparent i'll success and failure
his presence, by its combined fire and
calmness, terminated the waverlng ana
assured the victory-this may be re-
corded, but here, as elsewhere, believe
that not one man in a thousand who
reads Of it realizes what 1t implies.
GENERAL Ike.
And lastly, let me glance at General
Lee. Lees strategy, when he fought in
defence of the southern capital, and
threatened and finally struck at that OF
the United States, marks him as one OF
the greatest captains OF this or Of any
other age. No man has ever fought AZ
uphill and losing game with greater
frmncss, or ever displayed a high
or order OF true military genius
than he did when in command
of the Confederate army. The
knowledge of his profession displayed
by General Mcclellan was considerable,
and his strategic conceptions were adj
mirable, but he lacked one attribute as a
General. without which no man can ever
succeed in war--he was never able TO es-
innate with any accuracy the numbers
opposed TO him. 1t was the presence IN
Lee Of that intuitive genius which Nc
Clellan lacked which again and again
gave him victory, even when he was
altogether outmatched in numbers.
THE FUTURE OF ARMIES.
Small and large armies have each had
their day. The present age is one Of
large masses of fairly-trained soldiers,
but it is 10y no means certain to me that
the time may not yet come again when
all nations will once more resort to small
standing armies of the most highly
trained and disciplined soldiers. We
may find that the soldier, to be at his
best, or to be even thoroughly efficient
will require such long and, above all
things. such constant training, that an
army consisting of people in arms vii
be impossible. In fact, We may find out
by and by that a comparatively small
standing army Of carefully selected men,
the flower of the nation, highly skilled
in all manly exercises. in ali military
arts, and kept in constant state of per
feet training, is more effective weapon
for fighting purposes than the slow
moving aud more or less unwieldly
armies of the present day. It is only by
deep study of military history, of the
military arts and sciences in all then
phases, that the heaven born genius car
be converted into the successful com
mander. Not even Jomini was more tho
roughly conversant with all the greaI
campaigns of Cesar. Hannibal, Te-
renne. Marlborough, and Frederick the
Great than Napoleon was. Yet what j:
the lesson the history of the American
war teaches us? All those whose names
will be forever remembered in connec
ton with it by the English-speakinl
race throughout the world were educated
soldiers. Lee and Grant, Stonewal
jackson, Sherman, Mcclellan, Sheridan
Longstreet, Johnston, Hill, and a hos
OF others, whose names are and vii
long be household words in their owl
States, we're all graduates of West Point
that most excellent of military colleges
An Artists Gaiiantry TO His wife
lGraphic.l
George A. p. Healy, the artist, wht
enjoys the distinction OF having painted
the portraits Of more royalties, eelebri
ties, and beauties than any living artist
has been spending the summer in this