The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-26
SOME BRITISH GENERALS
LATE WAR CORRESPONDENTS
CHARACTERIZATIO OF THEM.
Hunter, Gatacre, Macdonald, Now in
South Africa as They Were i'm North
Africa-From Steevens's Book.

ROBERTS In south Africa. he describes the
sirdar. General Kitchener. first and at
greatest length. as the head of the army.
His next subject is General Hunter. who
Is with Methuen now on the Modder river.
eff the sirdar is the brain of the Egyp-
tian army" he says, General Hunter is
its sword-arm. First. and above every
thing, he is a fighter. For fourteen years
he has been in the front of all the fighting
on the southern border. He was intelli-
gence officer during the anxious days be-
fore Ginnis, when the Camerons and the
Ninth Sudanese were beset by triumphant
Dervishes In Kosheh fort, and reinforce
ments were far to the northward. Going
out on sortie one day he fingered behind
the retiring force to pick off Dervishes with
rifle he was wont to carry on such oc-
casions; there he received a wound in the
shoulder. which he is not quit CT to-day.
When Nejumi came down in SO, Hunter
was in the front of everything; he fought
all day at the head Of the blacks at Argin,
and commanded a brigade of them at
Toski. Here he was again wounded-a
spear thrust in the arm while he was
charging the thickest of the Dervishes at
the head of the Thirteenth. Thereafter he
was governor of the frontier at Dongola.
governor Of the frontier at Berber-always
on the frontier. When there was fighting
he always led the way to 1t with his blacks,
whom he loves like children and who love
him like a father. Fourteen years of bugle
and bullet by night and day, in summer
and winter, fighting Dervishes, Dervishes
year in and year out-till fighting Der
wishes has come to be a holy mission, pur-
sued with a burning zeal akin to fanati-
cism. Hunter Pasha is the crusader of the
nineteenth century.
A TRUE KNIGHT ERRANT.
SIN all he is and does he Is the true
knight errant-a paladin drifted into his
wrong century. He is one of those happy
men whom nature has made all in one
piece-consistent, simple, unvarying; every
thing he does is just like him. He is short
and thick set; but that, instead of making
him unromantic, only draws your eve to
his long sword. From the feather in his
helmet to the spurs on his heels, he is all
energy and dancing triumph; every move
ment Is vlvacious, and he walks with his
keen conquering hazel eye looking out and
upward like an eagles. Sometimes you
will see on his face look Of strain and
tension, which tells of the wound he al
ways carries with him. Then you will see
him lolling under a palm tree while his
STAFF are sitting on chairs; light brown hair
rumpled over his bare head, like happy
schoolboy. When / first saw him thus,
being blind, / conceived him a subaltern.
and offered opinions with indecorous free
dom he left the error to rebuke itself.
RECOMMENDING almost alone up to the
muzzles of the enemy's rifles, charging
bareheaded and leading on his blacks, 60
rxxysth fob, fho
| fort of the wounded, he is always the same
always the same impossible hero of a
book Of chivalry. He is renowned as a
| brave men even among British officers; you
know what that means. But he is much
| more than fitting knight-errant; he is
| one of the finest leaders OF troops in the
army. Report has it that the sidar, know
| ing his worth, leaves the handling of the
| actual fighting largely to Hunter. and he
never fails to plan and execute a mastery
| victory. A sound and brilliant general,
| you would say his one fault was his reck-
| les daring; but that. too, in an army OF
| semi-savages, is a necessary quality OF gen.
| eralship. Furthermore, they say he Is as
| good in an office he is in action. Above
| ALL he can stir and captivate and lead men.
| General Archie is the wonder and the
| when the time comes that we want a new
| national hero, 1t may be he will be the
| wonder and the darling of all the empire
| ALSO"
| ABOUT GATACRE
| OF Gatacre. who is at Moltino. the book
has this:
General Gatacre came up with a great
| reputation, which he seized every occasion
| to increase. His one mastering quality Is
| tireless, Astounding almost superhuman
| energy. From the moment he is first out
| of his hut at reveille to the time when ne
goes nodding from mess to bed at he
/ seems possessed by a demon that whips
| him ever into activity. OF middle height
| and lightly built, his body ts all steel wire
| AS man he radiates gentle, serious
| courtesy. AS a general, IL he has fault
| it lies the side of not leaving enough
| to his subordinates. Restless brain and
| body will ever be at something new
| working out a formation, riding hours
across country to get through a zariba, per-
| sonally experimenting the making OF a
| road. addressing the men after church
| parade every Sunday. In the ranks they
/ call him General Back-acher, and love
| him. He is the soldiers general, have
| heard rapturous Tommy exclaim, when the
| brigadier has been satisfying himself In
person that nobody wanted for what could
| be obtained. Later on in the campaign
some thought he drove his officers and
| m en- little hard. But whatever he asked
/ of them in labor and discomfort he was
| always ready TO double and treble for him
| SELF
Macdonald. who succeeded Wauchope in
| command of the Highland brigade, with
| Methuen was favorite of Mr.. Stevens:
| 1.-The brgadier was Lieutenant Colonel
| Hector Archibald Macdonald. one of the
| scundest soldiers In the Egyptian or Brit
ish armies. He had seen more and more
| varied service than any man in the force
| Promoted from the ranks after repeated
| and conspicuous acts of gallantry In the
| Afghan war, he was taken prisoner al
| Majuba hill. He joined the Egyptian army
| In. 1887 and commanded the Eleventh SUI
| danese at Gemaizeh, Toski and Afafit. Al
| Genaizeh the Eleventh, ever anxious tc
| be at the enemy, broke it's formation; and
| ii is said that Macdonald Bey, after ex.
| hausting Arabic and Hindustani. turned In
| despair to abusing them in broad Scotch
| Finally he rode up and down in front OF
their rifles. and at last got them steady
| under a heavy fire from men who would
| far rather have killed themselves than him
| trusted with a brigade: he showed a rare
| gift for the handling of troops, and where
| ever the lighting was hardest there was
| his brigade to be found. In person 'OlC
| Mac'-he is under fifty but anything above
forty Is elderly In the Egyptian army--i.
| of middle height, but very broad-sc
| sturdily built that you might imagine hin
to be armorplated under his clothes HI,
| walks and rides with a resolute stolidity
| bespeaking more strength than agility. HI
has been known TO have fever, but never e
| be unfit for duty
A LEARNED SOLDIER.
Colonel Wingate, who is still with Kitch
ener. is probably doing in South Africa
what he did in North Africa, and Steven.
admired his service:
Whatever there was to know, Colone
| Wingate surely knew IL. for he makes 4
his business to know everything. He Il
the type of the learned soldier, in which
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