Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-12
Regulations Of the Generals

New York, Dec. IA dispatch to the
Tribune from London says: When the
army corps first went out to Africa Gen
eral Gatacre was generally regarded in
military circles as the strongest of the
three division commanders. General
Methuen was called the ideal guarllsman
and tactician Of the parade ground.
General Cleiy was known as the school,
master in strategy, owing to his connec-
ton with the staff college and Wi i
manuals on military science. and also
as the best dressed officer in the army
and the most popular clubman and epi-
cure. General Gatacre had the reputa-
ton of being seasoned soldier, who had
seen more military service than either of
his colleagues and had done brilliant
work in Egypt before Omdurman
Both Gatacre and Methuen We're known
as military martinets, who expected the
men under them to work hard whereas,
Clery was a less rigorous disciplinarian
and more considerate in his treatment
of his soldiers. General Clery has not
yet had a chance to show how good Il
strategist he is, but General Methuen
has so far proved 10 be a poor tactician
although strong fighter, and the enemy
has not been able to entrap any portion
of his force.
General Gatacre has "shot his bolt y
and the best that his admirers can sav
is that South Africa has always been
the graveyard of military regulations. If
General Gatacre RECEIVERS his prestige
1t will be because sympathy is excited by
premature attacks like that made by
Lord Durham yesterday. who in the safe
retirement of a fat stock sale luncheon,
dnCn ihn1 tof a.
mand troops in South Africa. Lord
Durham overshot the mark in declaring
the war office was responsible for the
disasters at Stormburg in appointing
General Gatacre to the command of Il
division when the opinion of officers W no
had served under him were known.
more practical line of criticism
would be to censure the war office for
not sending out a larger force of cav
airy and artillery in good time. and not
aiming General Gatacre with adequate
facilities for scouting and gun practice
without forcing him to depend upon the
treacherous spies as guides, and then
finding himself outclassed in guns
General Younghusband and other mill
tary experts who We're willing to discuss
the question publicly yesterday, content
ed themselves with laying stress upon
the necessity of having cavalry for
scouting. and with explaining Gatacre's
motive of surprising an entrenched posi-
ton when he did not consider himself
strong enough to force It by frontal at
tack, as sound one.
Later details of the retreat from
Stormburg do not prove easier reading
for Englishmen than Gatacre's first hul-
letin which was curtailed by the war
office and rendered uninteligble. What
hurts the Englishmen's pride is the hu-
initiating fact that battalions famous for
fighting as the Fifth and Royal Irish
Rifles are. with historic records of splen-
did service in peninsula campaigns in
the Lucknow and in recent campaigns
down to Omdurman. have been entrapnea
and forced to surrender, no.witnsIa nd =
ing the warnings from Nichoisnn's Ne..
and the Majuba hill battles.
The temperature fell yesterday in
every London club and there was an air
of pensive melancholy pervading the
| whole body Of the civil service The war
office bestirred itself with preparations
for sending reinforcements. and an