The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05
BY ARCHIBALD FORBES.

Il J. LAAAOA1L1J-14l4( Il O4hISI@A's
Copyright, 1895. by Archibald Forbes.)
The virtual headship of the army of a
great nation is a position of great re-
sponsibility. It's possessor needs to be
a man Of exceptional attributes. He
must have experience of service both
in war and in peace, but his powers
must not be impaired by aye or in
trinity either of mind or body. 1t was
q misfortune for the United States that
when the civil war broke out. the chief
of its military forces. at the venerable
age of IS, was incapacitated by physl-
cal disability from engaging in service
in the field. For years past The eth-
cheney Of the British army has heen
impaired by the circumstance that its
head has been an obsolete, although
most worthy and 2ssIduouS officer OF
the blood royal, who has recently, with
a pathetic reluctance, retired i'll his IIdh
year from position to which he had
never been fully equal IN contrast to
the unwillingness of the Duke CT Cam
bridge TO resign the COMMUNICATIVE
chief at the patriarchial age just specf-
fed, stands forth the self-abnegating
conduct Of the late General Sherman,
who might have held The command Of
the army Indefinitely, but who, with a
reaching the limit Of active service pre-
scribed by law. We have seen how. In
accordance with this wise and whole
some enactment, General Schoheld has
recently quilted the high position Of the
command of the United States army,
and gone upon the retired establish
ment And. as a curious contrast, on
the lst day Of November, the title and
duties of the command-in-chtef of the
British army, in succession 10 the Duke
of Cambridge. were assumed by Field
Marshal .scount Wolseiey. a distin-
guisbed and brilliant soldier now IN his
63rd year. Thus, at the age of o.
Schoheld. still hale and TT, has gore
into retirement in. obedience TO law.
while Wolseley. only /. few months
younger. and also hale and fit, al
enough, TO alter a tri1e Corse's famous
telegram from Allatoona-'S Short Of
cheek bone and an eye, and other
wise miscellaneously Tfd1led, becomes
commander-in-chlef in Fall Mall for
five years certain, and probably indeed
for an indefinite period.
Lord Wols-ley' comes of a good stock.
The family of which he is a scion is of
great antiquity, the manor of Welse-
ley having been in its possession be-
fore the Norman conquest. There are
two baronetcies in the family The
senior one dates from the period of
James l. and its present possessor, Sir
Charles Michael Wolseley, Of Wolse-
ley. StaffordShire, is the ninth baronet'
whose wife is an American lady-Ahita
Theresa. daughter OF the late Daniel
T. Murphy. of San Francisco A mem
Der of The family to whom the Irish
property was devised was, in 1744, ere
ated a baronet Of Ireland: and de-
scandant of his, the late Major Garnet
Joseph Wolseley, Twenty-hfth Border-
ers was the father Of Lord Wol5eley.
The new commander-in-chief can num-
Der among his ancestry many stout and
gallant soldiers, the most famous OF
whom greatly distinguished himself
under William III during the irish war
of 16S9-9O. Having relieved the hardly
pressed garrison of EnniSkillen, he de-
feated at Newton Butler greatly su-
perior Irish army, and he commanded
his staunch EnniskillenerS IN the mem
orahle uattle of the Boyne.
I think 1t was the Duke of yelling
ton himself who was responsible for the
saving that "the battle of Waterloo
was won in the playing fields Of Elton.
Young Wolseley had no experience OF
any of the great public schools OF Eng
land: but nevertheless, in after life. ne
contrtved to win battles. At quite an
early age he was an assiduous student
of military history He was bent on
becoming a soldier when mere child,
md he was scarcely in his teens when
his name was put down for a commits
sion. Meanwhile he was engrossed in
surveying and in the acquisition OF
knowledge of fertilization. military en-
cheering and astronomical science, his
proficiency in which became of essen
tiaI service to him when, although an
officer Of infantry, he proved his quail
fication for acting as an assistant en-
qineer. during the siege of Sebastopol
In1bued with zeal and loyal ambition,
he very early in his career took to heart
the dictum Of a high historical author
itv that mo comm2ndeT-in-chief is Mt
for his post who is not conYersant with
military engineering.
JOINED THE SERVICE AT 10.
AT the age of 10 wolseley joined the
service in March. 1852. when he re-
ceived his commission in the Eightieth
regiment, then engaged in the second