Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-19
.EDITOR'SBOOK-TABLE
THECAMPAIGN OF WATER
LOO BY j. G. ROPES.
Poems OF william WatsOn---
Confederate Campfire
Talks, &C., &c.

The Canpaign of Waterloo. A Mill
tary History. BY joan GOODMAN
RopEs. member OF the Massachusetts,
Historical Society, etc. New York !:
CHARLES ScRDNER's Sous 1872. Up.
40l. $3.50.
For sale by West, Johnston & Go.
is ih re need OF still another account
OF the battle Of Waterloo after so much
has been written on the subject and by
80 eminent hands? one may very natu-
rally ask in taking up this volume. Nor
has the author himself failed to put the
same query. AS We arc aware, how
ever, much OF this writing was performed
under moro or less peculiar circum-
stances, which left little hope OF having
the numerous vexed questions treated
from an bipartisan point OF view. Yet
the very discussions which these rels-
tons called forth have elected so many
fresh details that we may feel reasona-
bly, sure now OF being in possession OF
all the facts and divergent views.
The task, therefore, set himself by the
author in the present work is to collect
and to coordinate all this material in a
spirit OF impartiality aud to show the
conclusions reached. As the subtitle
indicates, the volume is purely a m'h-
tary history, and nothing else is dis
cussed-no political, nor social, nor
moral, nor other considerations In tho
light OF the modern science OF warfare,
in view OF all past experience in battles.
did Napoleon make mistakes? If so,
wherein did they lie? What was the
value of his plans and executions ? Such
are the points kept in view, just as when
game of chess is playei queries are
put as to whether each move was best
under the circumstances, and where were
the points Of fatal weakness in the game.
The author comes well equipped Tor
his task. lie has done notable work be-
fore in recounting military actions, and
hny already published volume on Ma
poleon. He is, besides, author of "The
Army Under Pope" in the Scribn"r Sc
ries of Campaigns OF the Civil War, "
and more recently has written an intro
duction to the late Colonel William Al
lens volume on the Army OF Northern
Virginia, 1882"
The method adopted in the work be-
fore us is 10 give first the narrative I'M
der each heading and afterwards in sup
Elementary chapters to treat more tech
meal parts as notes. Still further in de-
tail, appendices, a photography, q map,
an unusually complete table OF contents
and index are added. For those de-
sirous of following the movements OF
the troops in detail, an atlas Of the entire
theatre of war has been prepared as a
separate work.
Of the many details entered upon and
discussed We can merely indicate few
conclusions. In the beginning Napo-
leon decides as usual to act on the often
sive, and to move against Wellington
and Blucher and contend with each
separately, before opposing the Austrian
/ anu NufSAdn blOODo AAiy AftioNs AC'NA
| the daring character OF the man ne ex-
poets that Butcher will fight him any
way, whether or not he receives the as
sstance he might hope for from Wei
hngton. And the result iustiiies his
preconceptious. Napoleon sought later
to show in his own narrative that be was
not the cause of the final miscarriage of
the plans he now enters upon, but that
| it was mainly due TO his officers who re-
fused to carry out bis orders. On the
whole, the conclusions of the present
writer confirm this. though much in Ma
poleon's conduct seems reprehensible.
Marshal Ney was sent for at the last
moment-why not sooner ?-and natu-
rally had not time for preparation and
for acquainting himself with his troops.
OF the three marshals Soult was serving
in new capacity for him, that of chief
| of staff, for which he was rather too old
and UNACCEPTABLE. Ney, as intimated
above, hal no opportunity to get a
hold on the troops assigned him, and
| Grouchy, inst made marshal, had never
commanded an army-corps in his life.
at would probably not be going too
far to say that Davoust in the place OF
either Ney or Grouchy would have pre-
vented the catastrophe OF Waterloo"
page 22). Looking ut Napoleon himself,
his physical condition and his maladies,
many circumstances would tend to make
him less thoughtful, less vIgilant, less
careful at this time than in earlier cam
paigns; still the Napoleon of 1915 is nc
ordinary standard page 24l. AS to the
state OF his army, il was not 1.-THE finest
be had ever commanded. but it is quite
certain that it was by far the best of the
three armies then in the field page 25).
The three armies were curiously differ
ent in their internal economy. Napoleon
expected cooperation, Wellington ex-
acted obedience, while Butcher received
both advice and at times criticism.
The crossroads at Quatre Bras were
not occupied on the 18th, despite verbal
orders to Ney. This step, while not
fatal in itself, seems only part of the
vacillating policy characterizing Ney
during the entire campaign. 1t was not
until tho early hours of the 10th that
Wellington thought of Selling the cross.
road in order to lend support to
Blucher's movements. Delbruch's the
DRY that Wellington purposely misrep-
resented the position of his army in
order to induce Bit cher TO give battle
and thus allow himself time to concen-
trate his army has nothing to support it.
The Duke was himself deceived by the
statement OF his chief of-staf, and this
fact placed them all, both Prussian and
Anglo-Dutch allies, in a precarious DO
sitiOn, and would have resulted in disas.
trous defeat had Napoleon's orders been
duly carried ont page 1l0). On the morn
ing OF the 10th again Napoleon had or
dered Ney expressly to occupy the cross
roads, but Ney disobeys this explicit
order, seems unwilling to surrender
his own judgment and trust the Emperor
fully, contents himself with holding back
two miles, and actually intended keeping
two thirds of his men at this distance
from the battle field until 8 in the after
noon, at which hour he finds that they