Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-23
MILITARY GENIUS.
LORD woLsELsYs ESTIMATE OF THE
GREAT CAPTAINS
Hannibal, Marlborough, Cesar, Napoleon
and General Robert +. Lee-soms
Comparisons.
Twolselcyin rortnightly Re'lev.l

AZ nations nave Dcen ueSlfO9 ou ~ ih'
diyidu3ls, so. too, they have been ere
ated by individuals. How, then. can It
be said that al the great political and
national revolutions of the world are the
direct outcome OF natural laws? Into
every phase OF history the sheer ability
will. force OF character, the very idIo-
syncrasies OF individuals, and above oil
other things, the military genius OF great
commanders or rulers, enter very largely
as powerful factors for good or evil.
Should we ever have had the Crusades
had Peter the Hermit never been born Z
And in that case how different would
have been the history OF European civil
ization What an influence Holland has
exercised upon the world and yet II the
sickly, prematurely-born William OF
Orange bad died of the virulent small
pox with which he was attacked IN early
life. or had John Churchill died OF fever
in Tangier. there can be little doubt that
Holland would have followed the fate
which then overlook Alsace and Lor-
raipe, and, like them, it must have be-
come in time essentially French IN feel
ing and an integral part of France. IL
Wellington in early life had accepted the
small post 10 the irish Excise which his
family pressed him TO take, or after Tai
avera, had he resigned his command in
DISGUST with the interferences of minis
tiers as ignorant of war as he was OF
theology, Napoleon would, in all
human probability, have died IN
peace and triumph at the Iulle-
ries. After Sir John Moore's death there
was no English general save Wellington.
in the same a hundred years before,
Marlborough was our only commander
who was fit to eopo with Villars and the
other marshals of France of that time.
In Anne's reign the grand alliance, which
may be said to have saved European hber-
tv. could have only been kept together by
the tact and military genius or MARI
borough. 1t was his great ability IN the
field that secured the independence OF
Holland, that saved Europe from the
grasp of the great French King, as she
was saved a century later from the ty-
ranny OF the great Corsican by another
illustrious British soldier.
THE APPROACHING DOOM OF ENGLAND.
That in two such remarkable epochs
Of the worlds history peace and liberty
were secured to all Europe by two Of
Eneland's most renowned soldiers, two
of her very greatest sons, would indeed
be proud remembrance for every
British subject were it not for the com
parision between the position we then
occupied in the world and that to which
a sickly and pharisaical philanthropy
has since reduced us. Then we
were the acknowledged mistress Of
the seas, and our military strength
gave US power and influence
in the world which while it was graft
tying to our pride helped largely to the
creation Of this wide empire of ours and
conduced greatly to the good and well
fare of mankind. The torrent OF anar-
chical democracy lately let loose upon
England is undermining, and must
eventually destroy that fabric of military
and naval strength upon which our sta
bility asanatIon rests. Withlts destruction
hundreds OF millions Of money now in
vested in British enterprises viii be re-
moved 10 some country with an eXecu-
tive government strong enough to main
tain order and secure the rights Of
property at home, and strong enough in
military sense to hold its own against
all foreign aggression. Our recent naval
mannuvres will certainly cause all Eu-
rope to question our naval strength, even
if they do not open the eyes OF our own
electorate to the disagreeable truths long
known to every one not on the " front
benches.
WHAT Is MILITARY GENIUS
In many professions and callings Sc
MUS pure and simple may command sue
cess. but genius alone does not make the
great commander. When leadership and
responsibility in war are conferred upon
q man devoid of sound common sense,
tact. good temper and good health, SIM
ply because he can write ably on strategy
or is a first-rate lecturer on tactics, the
fate of his army will be that OF Genius
in the fable. As / understand the ge-
MUS possessed by the Marlboroughs
and Napoleons of all ages, it Is COM
posed of q greater variety of talents
and of natural gifts than that
which has made men great and re-
nowned in any other walk OF life. Mil
itary genius in its highest sense Is q
combination of many qualities and pow
ers. A man may shine rs an eminent
military historian and yet be wanting IN
some Of the simple attributes without
which no man can even be good pri'
yate soldier. In fact, he need not be q
soldier at all. Mr. Kinglake and Thomas
Carlyle have shown'genius in describing
actions in which they had no share. Sir
William Napier, though n soldier, made
his type of genius most felt as a military
historian. Jomini, the greatest of writers
on tactics, never held any Independent
command In war.
Won MoLTKE.
Field-Marshal Won Motke's character
is 60 simple and winning and his military
genius Of such a high order that it i
most probable he would have become &
great leader of men in the field had any
such command ever devolved upon hun.
At the same time it is quite possible thai
even Moltke does not possess the quail
ties which made the "Tenth Legion
love Caesar, and which made the Roman
one of the few great leaders of armie;
whom the world has ever known. Great
GOODNESS of head and sternness OF nerve
are required by the general whose ex'
elusive role in the field is 70 keep sew
eral large armies in motion, each on iti
own line, but each and all moving as the
pieces on a chess board, toward one
common object. The sternness-I may
say the relentlessness-of disposition
which enables such man to do his
daily work unaffected either by the
all-absorbing Joy of success or by
the depressing influences of pass
ing failures is a rare gift But it is
quite possible that such strategist, i
carried from the safe position OF army
headquarters. and pushed into the midst
of excitement and OF peril, and of al
the emotions and startling sensations
which such position occasions. might
then be unable to exercise the quick
ness of apprehension and the soundnes'
OF judgment that can alone enable 1
man in that position to duly weigh the
circumstances, analyze tho situation
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