New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
LONDON WAR NOTES.
,.vs IN THE WAR LOTTERY-THE
VAR OFFICE AND CABINET AM
RrSCADED-THE HERO
OF MAFEKING.

,,,,ish generals. With the single exception
W. -, arst Boor war of independence when
.,rcos were outuumbered and surprised bv
o,ov the British after the Crimean were
srbtinc with white men, but with inferior
who were badly armed and ignorant of
- s,,ence Of warfare. The generals were
,os in q single school of tactics and were
.s,sntlv in service. and. while they had more
.o-ierce in warfare than the officers OF any
~ European army, ii al Of one kind
-, are having the penalty in the present cam
~ sor their confirmed habit Of undertaking
-, -ssourCes OF the enemy and Of believing
~, reckless audacity and treless energy will
',aars win Victories. Sir George White was
.hs srst victim in a badly planned battle on the
40, before the investment Of Ladysmith was
.,r,nleted when the garrison was saved by the
,;r,elv arrival Of the naval brigade. Lord
ue,huen had narrow escape at the Modder
p8er where he was delivered from disaster
~ the fortitude and endurance Of Tommy
Atkins" and ne repulsed in his fourth at
tack Sir William Gatacre, the hero Of Chitral
and Atbara has buried his reputation In the
e-,hrscade Of Stormberg
when these three instances are critically ex-
sninei each will be found to be an example of
Indian tactics of the Roberts school although
Lord Roberts ought not to be held responsible
10Y all the vagaries Of his followers Each OF
these generals underrated the manuuvring
mower and defensive strength of an enemy
armed with superior artillery. and each over
worked and overstrained his army in reckless
attempts 10 carry everything by hard hitting,
forced marches and frontal attacks. Sir George
White has been able to retrieve his reputation
by sinCularly prudent and vigilant conduct
and vel planned sOrties during the prolonged
siege II Ladysmith. and Lord Methuen has only
10 hold on like a bulldog and to relieve Kim
herley after a series Of battles in order TO be-
come the chief hero Of the campaign; but Sir
william Gatacre is exposed for the moment TO
merciless criticism for his rec<essness at Storm
berg and is not likely ever TO regain his pres
tjce With the single exception of Sir Redvers
Butler he went out to South Africa with a more
brilliant reputation than any other Lieutenant
General as a resourceful soldier Of exceptional
experience and superior energy. He had fought
in many campaigns. and had studied the theory
Of war at the Staff College, and. while ne had
earned from Tommy Atkins the sobrquet Of
"Old Rackacre" by his ceaseless energy in
hustling and drilling his battalions. he seems TO
be A natural leader Of men. This Is the gallant
soldier who has Unexpectedly drawn a blank
in the lottery of war. when his friends were
looking for a peerage for him.
Sir William Gatacre is now sharply censured
BY military critics. who applauded his appoint
nent few weeks ago as division commander or
the army corps for his recklessness in under
rating the strength Of the enemy, and IN at
lacking a superior force without careful recon
1oissance and systematic scouting. These crit
cs forget that General Hildyard pursued the
saroe tactics at a critical stage of the Boer IN
vasion of Lower Natal. Finding his communl-
cations with the sea suddenly cut off he marched
out Of Estcourt with his entire force and at
tackled the enemy by night in q splendid sortie
and bv this brilliant movement he broke up
the Boer advance southwark, and cleared the
way for the concentration OF the relief column
AZ Frere General Hildyard succeeded IN sur
prising the enemy after forced march through
rain and hail General Gatacre aimed at ac-
a similar result by an arduous
n ight march, but the enemy, warned by Cen
eral Hildyard's gallant exploit, knew what TO
expect from an Indian fighter and caught the
British force in ambuscade. The Outch are
despised at British headquarters as ignorant
and stupid. but they have the faculty Of watch
ng closely their enemy's tactics. adapting them-
selves TO them and profting by them If there
had been similar degree Of feXibihty on the
British side there would have been fewer re-
verses and disasters during the campaign
Not only have the generals been slow 10 learn
that they must adapt their customary methods
of hard hitting Indian warfare to the conditions
NJ canpaignine with white men, but the War
Office and the English people have been equally
backward and rigid. The staff at headquarters
had many weeks in which to make preliminary
u-aC
neglected to consider practical details, which
were of the first Importance. 1t was so deeply
with the success Of the mobilization
scheme and the dispatch Of army corps on
prearranged lines that II had no leisure for
lscertaining what resources the Dutch allies had
for making war and what precautions were
requisite for a campaign with a wary white
race which had been secretly preparing for
years for desperate struggle for the conquest
" South Africa. The army corps, with its units
1f infantry cavalry and artillery. was sent out
precisely as IL had been worked out on paper,
without the slightest effort to adapt il TO the
peculiar requirements Of a in which the
enemy would be well supplied with superior.
long range artillery and capable Of rapid man
-euvrinC by virtue Of being mainly an irregular
force Of mounted infantry. The result has
been that the staff. like General Gatacre has
been caught in an ambuscade through overcon-
fdence and lack Of adaptability.
The War Office. unlike General Gatacre. who
was expected 10 carry strongly intrenched posi-
tons wnen outcassed in artillery and to pro-
vide systematic arrangements for scouting
without having cavalry under his command. is
sole to cover and retrieve its earliest blunders
and shortcomings. II has shipped to South
Africa after long delay its howitzer batteries
and has taken and mounted siege guns from
the forthcations in order to match the Krupps
and CreusOts with which the Dutch were out
CHASING the British field artillery sent out on
the slowest ships. The Admiralty has stripped
us ships Of heavy guns and improvised car
rages for them; and siege train has left Eng
land this week with scientific mechanism OF
war. Cavalry reinforcements have also oeeh
hurried forward with belated energy after the