The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-02
The British Lesson In War.

1t Is useless to attempt to minimize the
British disaster at Ladysmith and 1t Is
crcditable to the honesty and dlscrimina-
tion OF the English people that they do not
join in the effort. The greatest calamity
which has bcfalcn British arms In this CEN
tury is manfully recognized by them as such.
They see that beside the military advantage
won by the Beers, defeat must tend to
weaken grievously the British army's self
confidence as 1t has weakened their own in
ii. OF course, defeat which involved also
the surrender OF two Of the most illustrious
Of British regiments Ia q terrible blow to
English pride and military assurance. As
one OF the officials at tho London Govern
mcnt offices is reported rs saying: 1--WE
have lost heavily in many wars and have
had regiments almost wiped out. but to
have regiments captured, and by the Beers
| it is terrible!"
This courage in accepting the facts of the
situation exactly as they are and in their
| full significance, without any foolish at
! tempt to escape from them, is the best
present omen for British arms. II London
had tried to comfort itself with false hopes,
| generated by ostrich-like evasion, the out
| look would have been wholly bad for Eng
land As it is, the English have prepared
| themselves to be- undaunted by the worst
that may happen at Ladysmith. They
| recognize now how gigantic Is the task
before them, and how ill-fttcd by previous
military experience they were for entering
upon it; but they will persist the moro
stubhornly for that very reason.
| Since the Crimcan war OF lS54-5, tho
| British army has been fighting with Inferior
races only, with the single exception Of the
war with the Beers in 1851, by whom they
were routed at Majuba Hill. KTTCHESERs
recent campaign was substantially walk
over, with nothing to oppose him except
weak and half-civilizcd or wholly uncivilized
foes The English troops and their officers,
therefore, had not been put to their mettle,
save in that unsuccessful campaign against
the Beers, during nearly half century.
They had not sized themselves up against
modern fighting force, except on that ono
occasion, when they were worstcd. KIPLINd
had celebrated their prowess, but IL was
prowcss in dealing with inferior forces
only in the process OF England's assump-
ton of THE White Mans Burden" They
had not learned and practised the art OF
war in it's really stern school. and from
WoLsELEY down they have had no general
officer in active service who has had the
training and the experience in fierce war
between well-matchcd contestants which
was obtained by our Generals who are sur
vivors OF our Civil War, tho bttercst con-
flict through which the English-spcaking
race has gone in its whole history-Gcnerals
like WILSON, OTIS, MERRITT, WHEELER and
others. The British army had not found
out yet what its measure OF strength was
} against an adversary under anything like
equal conditions, and hence, 1t naturally
overcst mated itself.
Tho English people now see that in this
campaign, up to the present time. the Beers
have overmastered them in strategy. Muir
murs OF complaint OF British gcncralship
begin to rise In London, though at the out
break Of the war no possibility Of any such
) deficiency had entered into the imagi-
nation OF anybody in England. whether
I military or civilian. They all had such alb
solute confidence In their army rs indom-
liable that when the first reports of engage
= mcnts at Glencoe were received they were
: accepted unanimously and exultngly as
forcsccn exhibitions OF British military
, superiority, sinister though their signiil-
cancc was to every military mind not 30
: prcjudiced. From the first the character OF
1 the news passed 10y the censor and OF the
| news suppressed by him has been Of
. dubious import to the British arms.
, The battle at Glencoe, colored as de.
Z cisivr victory by English Imagination, was
/ manifestly n signal reverse, with the con.
/ sequence Of an enforced retreat after much
= loss in killed and wounded and prisoners
| "A t,,.
. must have struck n sharp blow ut the self
v confidence of the troops instead of going
n ahead, they were forced to fall back, leav
D ing their wounded commander to die in the
3 hands Of the enemy The flush Of the con
0 ildcnt expectation of victory as n matter OF
n course, with which they started out, was
. changed into doubt and misgiving ms to
n their military ability; and then came tn,
o surrender near Lady smith OF two OF tn,
o most famous of the British regiments, witt
o its stunning additional blow to the moral,
y of the army.
n We do not say this with II view to black
d cning the picture, but merely repeat tn,
y judgment of London. The prestige OF
. British arms has received shock in Soutl
@ Africa more bcnumbinE to British prid,
than any since the surrender of CoRNwALLE
o at Yorktown, but the stern resolution
a with which England faces the situation
s without attempting to lessen in any dc
z gree the gravity of its significance, Is of cvi
N omen to the pr, sentIy victorious Beers. i
IS indicates that, melted by the consciousness
o of past shortcomings, the British effort t.
y retrieve humiliating disaster will be all tn,
y more strenuous and determined.
/ The British army has been forced to carl
h the art of war in defeat, and the lesson ma,
1t be repeated even more bitterly; but harsh
"a school as it is it teaches endurance to /
% brave people rs II taught it to us in GU
Al vastly severcr trial of the Civil War Tn,
% British officers have learned that the STRAIT
80 egg and tactics which served well agains
n weak foes musl be replaced by wiser an,