New-York tribune., 1899-12-03
SIR REDVERS BULLER.
ARCHIBALD FoRpEs's ACCOUNT OF THE
BRITISH IN-CHIEF.

Sir Kedvers Butler belongs TO what used TO be
called the Wolseley Gang. 1T is not easy says
Mr.. Forbes, in his character sketch of the comman
der-in-chief. 'for the most censorous challenge
the discriminating acumen OF Woseey's selections
1t would be superhuous for me to emphasize the
merits of Redvers Buffers military character. al
though perhaps. happen to know more than do
most men how much, and again. that fine
officers acute discernment. fearless masterfulness
Of nature and ruthless prompttude have saved
US"
The gallant soldier to whom England is looking
now TO bring to speedy and successful con-
cusion the war between ourselves and the Beers
OF the Transvaal is. all the world knows. no
novice In African warfare. In Mr.. Forbes's Bar
racks. Bivouacs and Battles" there are some pas
sages referring TO Sir Redvers Buffers exploits
In that country. When Mr. Forbes reached Dur
ban in 1879 Colonel Redvers Butler, as he was
then had already won his Victoria Cross by deeds
OF cons picuous bravery after the unfortunate al
fair at Inhlobane Mountain
He assisted while hotly pursued by Zulus, In
Gop1Sn n T2hr On 0 foot % Colonel Buffer
carrying him on his horse until ne overlook @ tne
circumstances. he conveyed to a place Of safety safety
Lieutenant C. Eert Of the Frontier I'll Light H2rss S
Colonel Buer in the same manner saYeS wa, uSTp COM
Of the and asRf Who ohewse would have
been killed by the Zulus. who were WITHIN e'sh'E
yards Of him
They are the formal words Of THE Gazette" and
give no very vivid idea Of the man Mr. Foroes's
brilliant pages do and his incidental references 10
the dashing officer give an impression OF verisin-
iitude very interesting under present circum-
stances:
We reached Port Durham about the mlddIe cb ,6 ol
Apr 1879 10 nd 1a s b2ours the
ont from England. and its hotels crammed Win VII
Officers General 81 s Ta@FI FTed ana Marshs an old friend
of Beresford and myself Gommanaea f- 'ne hertb on
Ssvsff Sis sa NHsf0 But Better be e him Far up
Sir Eye9 over %
y thousand zuus who had made RPr2
mended Woods irregular volunteer Cavalry ga and nd
in the recent night his stan ohcer Ni''o'
Campbell had been killed
Mr. Forbess "chum Bill"-Lord William Beres-
ford. that is-got the appointment, and next day
went off UP country to his billet, "and not long
after saws the writer II Joined Woods force up
at Kambula:
found Bill too busy to give n, me more 1y than an.
oricer and the force commanded. about thousand
strong was the strangest congeries imaglnaoie IL
consisted IS Gi from Gsee OF The scum Of south
African towns Of stolid Afrikanders, OF Beers
most every European nationality was represented
there were few Americans some goofd some d 6ad
couple Of Canadian v1yage1Ts from somewhere e IN IN
the HTS ot sPesk word Of English and
Islanders whose patois neither Englshmen nor nor
volunteers. recruited for the campaign al the pay
of IS. day. What added TO the complication was was
commands each originally. and still to some ex-
tent a separate and distinct unit. There were were
dngten's Horse and "Ferrelras Horse" and so
on. each body asserting distinctive independence
in everything Buffers right hand man The voun,
eeT sIs 1sa9T srsred s9me sny fnosdse
duty. for the most part quite useless. In enect me
force. which in numerical strength was reckoneo a
hriQ
Butler and "Bill' Beresford. Butler was silent
as ever drew breath-a born leader Of men-who
ruled his heterogeneous command with roo o,
temperament.
After page or two explaining the situation. Mr.
Forbes continues:
the ornGs of Juy GGders ss were Teea1s ssSfa
across the river and make a reconnaissance OF as
much Of the plain bey9nd as the zSTs shI
always in the saddle early, waiting for the first,
ngs Gg Of 6s mss bseed M sd
named Punch He was, perhaps the very ugLest g
bbv bUt he was also among the most valuable. Al
though not very fast. his endurance was wonder,
fql he Wads Rh an OCCASIONAL o saddle and
roll as the only relief But was neiheT s hs
sneeial Vslue' He was sated to the third degree
is to say ore wai Sickness RneSs
The leader OF the irregulars and MS stan sat on
horses
ing for their followers to come on the sTound no.
Wood standing in his tent 99S .nd he 10
0sssd iaoonle little apart Presently Baker came
along at the head Of his assortment Of miscreants
TSrreira leading his particular bandits, was
x,sibIe IN the ofing and Butler alongside OF Baker
headed the procession OF horsemen oowh toward
the river
Then follows an account OF the days doings. in
itch the qualities that have brought Redvers
Ruler 10 the front in the military world are very
discernible-hs coolness and caution MS oash anu
alertness-though. with IT ALL the cleVeI Nuiu
very nearly beguIed them into an ambush. ana
thew saved themselves only by hurried retreat
in the course Of which two men-Loru Wiiia,i .,n
p.-oa,ord and Sergeant O'Tooe-managed to win
the Victoria Cross -,
This apparently was MI Foroess mrs 49,
edge OF a soldier for whom ne after"aIu oHIo
tn nredict the distinction which ne mas NJ"
tuailv attained In a later BOOK Meiho
war and Peace"-published four years as0 '1
Forbas thus writes OF Sir Redvers BuiIer'
90, NOR. notable commander than sr Eyelyn cra
WOOD is his friend and comrade - Sr woiseley's
Buer Like Wood Buer d1s, w4s Under that old leader
in the Red River expedition was VIZ mt' The W zulu
Var served with him IN the EgyP3Sisn S 3ie expedon
and his chief Of dn stan IN camp lne in Zuuand
H priieT there in command OF some eighI nun.
dred volunteer irregular horsenHe"b H baterorene eous
MOUNTED Sb6m Buer held in sternest dscpne and
made do wonders in hshtine and marchins rgt6@ss
1orca ~ character tempered Iusn ioss
s9turnine man with the gift OF grim silence no,
1bsn I'M OF curt ,orcible expression on Srn
R"er ruled these desperadoes with roo Vi 5oa don
Yet while they feared him. they had sor. % been
nv love for him Buffers advancement has ~,
eSccptionaily rapid but almost every step oL be
be eained in face OF the enemy, just as ne "oIl W
ne sae rnes m bv series OF deeds OF almost unique
heroism Routine men grum6led that so6an ~
sbouId have scnt him TO the Eastern Souuai ". W
Command a brigade In Sir Gerald Grahams n,se sd
short expedition Amply did Butler vihdifase no con ne
cboiSe II is not too much to aver that by MS cop.,
sEful handling OF his brigade In the Crisis OF tne t
fight OF Tamai he everted disaster that ou' 10, bU
his conduct was Inevitable. retrieved the an ~
desnerate situation and buttressed the tottefinB
fortunes Of the British arms Again later on M lnh
Mo- n was he who with characteristic abrupthess'
snatched the disheyelled remnant OF the column,
y,bIcb re found al Gubat out o.! the very jaws OF
Imminent peril and reconducted It, with cool
promptitude that was all his own, back mo ~ a a
reoion Of comparative safety. He shares with me
pike OF Devonshire the by no means unservlcea ble