The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-06

Mr. FORBES himself. He saw a great
deal of service and was always al the
front A sketch OF him states that lin
1876 he was in Servia during the fight
ing there, and in the following year he
vas attached to the Russian army
during all the tremendous fighting
around Plevna and in the Shipka Pass.
Later on he saw military service in the
Khyber Pass and in Afghanistan, final
~ making his way to MandaIay, where
he had a number of. interviews with
King Theebaw of bloody memory At
ter this he was with the forces of Lord
Chelmsford in Zululand, and after the
battle of Ulundf distinguished himself
by riding for 120 miles. across a track
less and dangerous country, with dis
patches for Lord Wolseley."
He visited this country several times
and in 1882, we think it was, delivered
a war lecture in the opera house in this
city. He wrote excellently. most graph
ically, but he had a poor delivery. The
New York Evening Post, the leading
literary daily newspaper of our coun-
try says:
Mr.. Forbes made G series of very
successful lecture tours in Great Bril-
tain, the United States, and Austria
liza. The great bulk of his correspond
nee was republished with emenda-
tons and additions in a variety of vol
umes, and he was also the author of a
humble of biographies Of well-known
men. His writings were remarkable
for ~terseness, vigor, clarity, and pic
tureSqueneSS Of style, and he had the
reputation of setting down the truth
as he saw it without fear or favor. He
had been in bad health for some years"
He died on the Goth of March, 1900.
He married Miss Meigs. daughter of the
late General NJ. c. Meigs, u. S. a. He
published a goodly number of volumes,
among them the following: My Expe-
rience in the Franco-German War;"
published in 1872; "Glimpses Through
the Cannon Smike," 1880; Chinese
l. Gordon" 1884; Souvenirs of Some
Continents" 1888; "Havelock," 1891;
Barracks. Biviouacs and Battles"
1891: THE Afghan War; 1892; Car
and Sultan 1894; Colin Campbell,
Lord Clyde" 1895: Camps, Quarters
and Casual Places" 1896; Memoirs
and Studies of War and Peace" 1896;
The Black Watch" 1896; Life of Ma
poleon ILL.," 1898.
When he was in Wilmington it was
a raw day in the early spring. We
called to see him, and found him with
window up writing in his shirt sleeves.
He remarked he found it q little warm.
We asked how long he would stay
with us. He said he would cave that
hin it was) the confederates used it
Fort Fisher and particulars and tina
he ought to stay over and visit it. He
listened with manifest interest to our
rapid account, and of the earth works.
and the only way it was captured by
the federal troopS-not by their great
fleet-but from the rear with an army.
He said: You have destroyed my the
DRY and my account of the battle" we
thought it was Plevna-it may nave
been Schipka Pass. He said he wrote
a full account of the extemporized
earthworks of the great Russian en-
gineer, .Kobeleff or some such name.
and stated that they were strictly orig
inal, for the first time used in war.
"And now you tell me-" he said, that
in the great American war in 1864 1--WE
night. We told him of the fight at
at Fort Fisher" 1t was some thirteen
years later he SUPPOSED it employed.
OF his own experience as war CORE
%spondent he once said:
81 cannot tell you how often L have
been under fire. A correspondent can
not see anything while hanging in the
rear. For my part I have always found
the front the safest place. l have had
some close shaves, of course, but was
only wounded twice: and then slight
ly, although 1 was once left for dead
in the street at the hands of a Paris
mob. You tell me this is not journal
ism, hat the historian has not inter-
est enough in the quarrel to risk mis-
life. Some brother journalists often
tell me this. Il is a matter of tempera-
ment, 1 believe, but 1 like to see VIA
is going on"