The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-10

20 regimental officers (of whom | wish
% speak with much respect), who
1ave little opportunity of influencing
he minor actions OF a battle, but to
hose elected officers who are either
advisors or commanders.
Some of these have proved them
:elves TO be equal to. their populations.
one of them have astonished even
hose who knew them best for their ut
,er lack of common sense, for weak
ness in difficulties. and even for inabil-
ity to put in practice the elementary
rules OF war that all soldiers have
earned in the lower grades of the
ieryice. This last. failure strikes one
he more when we consider that they
laFe all, or nearly ell, received a high
nilitary education'at the staff college:
many OF them have even been lectur-
srs and professors.
Il am far from ccndemning military
.cience. l believe IL TO be almost i'm
possible to find general or a staff Of
1eer capable OF performing his duty
who has not given years OF study and
thought to his profession. Takers and
writer's however, are rarely men of ac-
ion; and men who are admirable in
)fiice or rs teachers fail utterly when
onfronted with the harsh realities of
be battlefield. The dead shot who
an put out a candle at twenty yards
axes a wild aim when confronted
with an antagonist az fifteen PAGES.
There Is only one remedy for this
state OF affairs. All GENERALS who have
proved their nefficiency-and they are
as plentiful as the ant heaps which
over the South African plains-should
10 az rnaa1laH. h. -
he country demand 1t. There is no
ifficulty in discovering them; they
ire known to every one from the gen.
lTal in chief to the drummer boy"
~Describing the sticking of convoy
a a drift, he writes:
a scene of indescribable confusion
snsued; men and wagons crowded on
ach other and blocked all the avail
lble space: Kafiirs roared and shrek
Il and flogged their oxen with long
'owhide whips in a way to make even
hose accustomed to trek shudder at
the cruelty, but all was of no avail. IL
had not occurred to any one to send
on a working party with engineers to
improve the passage. These matters
are provided for in military manuals
fbut are despised in South Africa, where
1pwing to the absence of roads and
bridges they are more necessary than
in any settled country. All the gener-
ais and staff officers collected around
he drift, giving orders and counter
orders and directions and adding IN no
small measure to the confusion.
After hours OF delay engineers and
working parties were at length en-
Oloyed and they soon leveled the
banks. placed stones in the soft mud
and dragged the wagons to dry land
or the preliminaries to the attack on
Spion Kop, he says:
Just before dark the officer COM
manding (the late General Woodgate)
was informed that he had been select
ed to lead a night attack on Spior
Kop. He had never even seen the hill
he was to attack or heard it's name
and no correct maps were at hand.
During the few available minutes hs
made every effort to view the ground
But time did not allow. and he had &c
grope his way back 10 his own camI
after dark. So pitch black was the
night and so new was he to the place
that in that half mile he had lost him
self completely and had great difficulty
in getting home. But he was a brave
man: he had received his orders anC
he allowed no doubt of success Il
cross his mind. To those who knew
the ground, it presented a gloomy
prospect and threatened a terrible dis