New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-03
THE CRIMEAN WAR.
HE CLOSE OF TIE OLD MILITARY SYSTEM

Uamlav X &. l.. With Portraits and Plans. LIMO
pp. 312. Scribner d Wexford
This is the initial volume of a series 10 De oe
voted to the most important events oil ,hc NtS'
half century. The series opens naturally wiz"
the Crmean War, which. though II mas oe'"
dwarfcd 10 comparative inslgnlficance oA 'ii' Ia,
greater military events which nave o''"ii'"
since was 40 the time Of its occurrence l'S"i"
as momcntous The Crmean war marks '''e
close of what may he called the old mlI''"N DYE
TEN. II fought under the co'"i"'"' 'N
with the annliapces which had been in use at the
beginning OF the century, ana IL WAS INV "''
war 70 he 50 conducted in Europe. II was more
over, fought under all the drawbacks ana "i'ad-
vantages which result 20 armies from ION" PU'c'
Tho EroI,sb commanders rGccl. were, IN several
;pc,aroes officers who had ScTVed under NciIlnG-
,op in In, Pcninsular War and nj Waterloo nut
none OF them had seen any scrNlc" since 1912 anu
ell of them were necessarily well advanced IN
wears The same observation applies to the French
officer, and the rank and file on the English
side were largely mtrcd troops though some
-, tbc rocircnts had served in India as some Of
tho French had been trained in Algeria. In the
allied fleets armor still in the earliest expert
mental stage and il put TO no test. since the
Russians either sunk their warShipS at Scbas'opol
or remained under the guns of stone forts too
formidable to he engaged with any prospect OF
success by wooden lincobattle ships and lrig"'"s.
II NAV he said that war of such secondary
;mnortarcc has been chrOniclcd with greater fui-
ness Mr. knglakc having proceeded in his hIstorN
as though he recording the greatest event OF
the century. Yet before his last volumes issued
from the press that Black Sea treaty which was
tho one practical outcome of the long and COSTLY
contest had been torn in pieces by Russia ana
flung in the faces of the Powers, and proS'rn'e
France and isolated England could do nothing
,IOva hp N IN
doubt that the Crimcan War did for the space
of nearly generation, check Russian aggression
in the direction of Constantinoplc; and II that
was worth doing, or necessary to he done. Vt may
well be contendcd that the struggle served It's pr-
pose. In reading so condensed and compact a
narrative as General Hamley has here written, n
better general view of the whole case Is obtalned
than can he found in kinglakes able hut PROM
work. Sir Edward makes no secret OF his own
position. lie is of those who hold that the war
was not only unavoidable but that the point OF
attack was we'll chosen. What is more important
because here he speaks with the weight oil large
professional experience, is his view regarding The
much-noctcd question whether the Allies. after
the battle OF the Alma, ought or ought not To
have attempted thc assault Of Scbastopol. The
Affirmative theory has hitherto rested mainly upon
the statements Of the famous defender of the place
General Todlebcn who repeatedly affirmed that
when the Allies arrived the dCfCnccS were in so
backward state that quick hombardmcnf fol
lowed by a vigorous assault must have earned
them GENERAL iiamlcy traverses these assertions
md undertakes to show that il would have been
impossible for the Allies to have carried SehaStopol
by assault at the time referred 10. His argument
on this head is strongly put, and he rcInforce> IT
by proofs that General Todl"hcn's position rests
upon several serious errors Of fact or deliberate
misrepresentation.
According to Sir Edward il all the Allies
rould 10 10 hold their own with I}alaklava rs
base and the Battle of Inkcrman proved thar
with free Russian army in tho field the prosccu-
ton Of the siccc was within an Of becoming
imrracticah'c His criticism is. it should he
said distributed with refreshing impartinity.
From the time the Allies landed, ne holds, nothing
could have been worse than nearly all their dis
positions save those of the Russians. II was
game of hlundcIs, in short, wherein the prize
naturally fell r. him who made tho fcwest. Neither
Mcnschikof nor Gort>chakoT knew anything Of
war and Lord Raglan travelling with his head
quarter staff toward and round Sebastopol after
the battlc of the Alma. suddenly encountered
Russian column which crossing his path at
right angles It was the rear OF MenschiloT's
army. and neither Of The Hdycrsarics had the
slightest idea where Tho other was. though it was
for the other Neither cavalry ydet'rs nor Skin
mislcrs were employed on either side and in the
rasc noted. though some fighting occurred between
such English troops as ncarcs, and the Rus
siap rear Column. several DAYS passed before
McnsohikOh learned that he had crossed The line
Of march Of the entire allied forces After the
siege lines were drawn and the Allies sat down
in front Of the place a skilful ard daring advcr
sary might, q dozen times over, have broken up
their operations. For the Russians several times
Outnumbcrcd their opponents, and even al InGrr-
man. and not Wit hstandng the amazing blundcrS
which marked their course in that battle, they
ought for all that can I've seen, 20 have crushed
Tie small force opposed 10 them long before the
French came to It's rescue.
Wien the winter camc VIXEN the TWO generals
hpon whom Nicholas rclicd-GcncIal jauy.cr aud
General Tcvfcr-hrgan 10 SHOW wAa' they could
DO, the position e.. trc Nlcs ami especially Of
the English, became 8, had tI.a' nothing bar The
inactivity Of Cor .'k with his field force
could have enabled them 20 hold the trcnchr,
md carry on The sicge. From the dale Of tha
hurricane which destroyed so many transports
laden with the most indispensable stores and mu-
ntions. and a. the time prost rated hoSui;a
end shelter tents in chaotic mass The suticrings
Of the English troops never alated until spring
The loss Of life hy disease is in war alway, q
iaY.c percentage 81 the whole" but i'm the Crnics
for months together the weather and She general
conditions were bN far the most deadly obstacles
TIE troops had t. encounter. More than one
third Of the whole English Army died Of disease
aud exposure. and at one time il could not muster
third of its nominal strength on parade. Sil
Edward Hamlcy. while frankly admitting the part
played by Thoroughly bad stem in PRODUCING
these disasters. is of opinion that many of th'
worst cvils-such for example, as the horrible
state Of W." road between 1alaklava and The front
--coul not have been provided against or rene
died. We confess that this opinion has SURPRISED
us, for il seems reasonably certain that if am
one of dozen great contractors. such as Mr.
GrasSev had brca given carte blanche a. 10 ont