New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
HAvELOCK.

HAvELocK. ny Archibald Forbes. iamo' PIP I'D
Macmillan Co. 49,
The life OF Henry Havclock is one of those which
not only attract and interest but stimulate.
However. in an age Of sordid aims. the sreed Oh
cain has dulled mems moral scnsibility, career
vholly noble and self sacrificing, career dcVo'e"
20 duty excitrs the admiration and respect oil even
those who are least capable Of emulatng IT, Inc
choice Of Mr. Archibald Forbes as the "iographeI
NJ uaveloek. for the English Men OF Acuon
sc,,es was n happy one. Ills knowledge oil mill
,.,y asa,rs IA. for q civilian. unsurpassed. lils
u,e,.,v equipment Ia thorough. and his style Is
peculiarly well suited 10 the snblect being N''"'
energetic. full Of color and Virile
I, cannot he said Of Iiavelock that he fonho
free expression for his capacities TN the con
,,.,v for,nne denied him the opportunities he
enved for until he had Suffered many years the
bitterness Of hope deferred. lie came OF a night
,,v family. The Ilavelocks were Of the Dane-
,ayh and Mr. Forbes surmises that - their original
snc,s,or may have been that liavclock the Dane
whose name still lives In one Of the oldest lays
of lie language All the four sons OF his father
entered the army and three 81 them died In
harness Henry was educated at the 'hartcf-
house. aud while at that ancient foundation ne
developed an equally curious ana chafac'erisuc
,rait when he went there, and Tor some years
thereafter the discipline of the school was very
strict and stern, and punishmcn's were severe
Presently a new hcadmasier softcned the us
cipIinc bat So much N young ilaVeocks disgust
that ne asked 10 he removed from the school
Thus was plainly forest allowed the strong t'nH'no'
a, severity which di,tinc nishcd his military caecr
Al the age Of twenty, In tie year 1919, Henry
IIavelock was gagettcd second lieutenant In the
Ssth Foot. now the Rife Brigade. The Peninsni"r
Mar was over The Hundred Days had been
surceeded by tina, loud sunday" which " shook
che spoiler down Peace restored, anu the
xoune soldier found himself condemned TO llie
of inaciion But he dtd not waste his time. ie
ALWAYS took a serious view of his profession ana
Tie seven years spent In the V)th were ueNoeu
20 n thorough study Of the art OF war Here III
short. he prepared himself for real work, ana 80
perfectcd his military knowledge that he was
ouiokly recognized in India as one OF the pcs'
Informed officers in the service. NJ the end oil
those seven years Of study he reahzcd that IL
was useless 90 remain in Europe longer ana en-
changed into the 18th Light Infantry, then scrv-
,ne in India. where his brothers William and
Charles had preceded him. HIS first woIk There
was ON the headq quarter staff of the first Burmese
e,pcdition-a drcary tedious business which cost
much money and produced inadequate results
1Iayelock did his duty all through the war, ana
tlen undertook 70 write history of It, But LIS
classical studies had so saturated his manner with
The style of the ancicnts that he had Dccome III
,anable of writing readable English, and LIS
literary experiments were sim, pcdantlc, anu III
together hopeless. Havelock nevertheless, couIu
write really pleasing letters, III which form OF
composition he dropped the intolerable chsSiclsm
which made his books WEAKNESS to TIE hcSh
His next service was in the ill-starrcd Afghan
war. where Elphinstone's army was annihila'ed
md but for the stubborn defence OF Jelaliapau'
among whose defenders Havelock was prominent,
= worse disaster would have befallen the Indian
Government See. indeed. was for surrendcrlng
The place even after the destruction Of the 'abul
force and but for the obstinate resistance of Have
lock and one or two other members Of his stall
would have done so. thus giving Shah Soolah
Every advantage and paralyzing Pollock and Mott,
who were advancing TO the relief OF the invested
place Haveiocl, however, insisted on taking the
Offensive, and a strong sally being made, Akpar
Khan was defeated with heavy loss. But Have
lock did not obtain much credit for his services
on this occasion. Sent, after the arrival OF foi-
locks army. 20 reduce rcbellious hll-trbes, he
carried out his task No ably and quickly that his
superior, who had entrusted him with the duty,
received promotion. Iavelock, who had both
planned and carried out the enterprise. receiving
no recognition. Mr. Forbes seems 20 think that
no Injustice WIS involved in this or in the re-
rented suppression Of Haveock by men Of greatly
inferior capacity. who purchased their steps over
his head IL appears 10 MS. on the other hand
that the injustice involved in these cases is signal
and that no military system having such defects
can get the hest out OF its best men save by pure
accident Havelock was too poor to buy pro-
motion As q consequence IL took him nearly
forty wears OF service 10 earn n generals commits
sion. and for more than thirty years he was
actively engaged. His great merits were, In
deed, recognized long before they brought nm
my material honor or profit. and it not until
The outbreak of the mutiny, in 1897, that he was
given an independent command Even this he
owed 10 the fact that he had been on service in
The Persian expedition with Sr Pat
rick Grant in the preceding year, ana
Grant had perceived his fitness. In the desperate
struggle for the relief of Lucknow, however, he
WAS 70 show the world of what stun he was made
Mr. Forbes. in this monograph, does what mill
tary historians very commonly fail TO DO; ne &C
cords full Justice to the rank and-lc Of the gallant
regiments that fought their way, first to Ca"n-
pore and then TO Lucknow, and but Tor whose
magnificent pluck and endurance the utmost skill
of plans and leading the part of commanders
must have been futile IL was tremendous
task The troops were called upon to face
the Seadliest season of India; the season
during which, when in the cantonmcnts, The
European soldier is forbidden 10 leaTe his bar
racks after the parade at early dawn until the
sun has set. Not only had they TO march ia this
fearful Indian summer. but 70 night,
and 10 fight, they marched, and
almost NECESSARILY. Their enemies too,
were not mere Asiatics. alarmed, ill-disci-
pned, ill.equipped, and ill-led but trained. dis
ciplined, fully furnished and skilfully commanded
sepoys, who possessed English artillery English
rifles, aud English drill and tactics. Thee men
would and coGld fight. and that iercely and they
could stand tlle climate, which was more. The
18th Highanders went through all the
frst Lucknow campaign wearing their winter
wooen blouses so defective were the supplies.
Sunsiroke and cholera killed more than the
enemy during the terrible slTngge. and the force