Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-01
Big Force for Roberts.

ne appointment OF 14prd RDbSrtS as com
nauder-in-chief and the dispatch of $4,000
more men to South Africa will entirely alter
the arrangements for the war. Instead of
one army corps there will be in the field
over 1lDGS men capable of constituting
three complete army corps. They might
fittingly be. under the command of Sir Rcd
VerS Fuller. Sir George White and perhaps
IN" Duke of Connaught. The technical OBJ
lection to the employment of the duke
namely. that he could not serve under Sir
Is-lVrTS Buller. To whom he is senior on the
list Of generalS-diSappears with the APP
i,nintmcnt Of Lord Roberts, who is field
marshal The duke. who was himself will
ing To have waived his seniority. and serve
under Sir RedverS. has. l understand. re-
wed his application and will obtain
d command. 1t is notable that the two
generals. Lord Kitchener and General Hun
Ger who were most responsible for the
smashing Of the khalIfa the two off
Gers chosen for the responsible position of
chief 81 the staff tn the army in South
Africa. Lord Kitchener, if not directly
chosen by Lord Roberts, would certainly
have his entire approval. for. although
Lord Kitchener has not served under Lord
Roberts. the two are close friends. and it
vas noticed that when last Lord kitche-
ucr was in England he spent great deal
OF his time in the company OF Lord Roberts.
LORD Roberts Is s!Xty-Seven, or three
years older than Sir Rcdvers Butler. and
he has a matchlesS experience of forty-one
years service. of which a great deal has
hocn occupied in winning Victories without
defeats. Lord Roberts Is claimed 10y Ire
land - one of her sons, but he is also an
Indian. for he was born at Cawnpore.
WhCre his father himself a famous gen
.-ra! was stationed All his family con-
I,.ctiou> military His mother was
soldiers daughter: he married another SOL
di"r'~ daughter. and The one thing which
mars the joy of his present appointment
j. the death frsm wounds received in ac-
;Iun OF his soldier of the Rifles. Lord
Roberts enjoys almost every honor that
the sovereign state could confer on Il
man Eesides his better-known public dis
'tnctious. | need only mention that he is
LID. of Cambridge. Dublin and Edinburgh
and ilIstt he is in the enjoyment of The free
dom of twelve cities. including Waterford
with which his family have been long con-
I.scted- The appointment Of Lord Roberts
i gratifying in another sense inasmuch as
IT will diSpcl the impression which has
been growing up of late years that when
a great soldier is made field marshal he is
To b. laid by in lavender and no more
seat 10
Gen. Roberts Good Points.
There arr two aspects of Lord Roberts
character which especially commend his
appointment to the supreme command in
South Africa to those who have most
cIo>cIy watched his career. These are his
genius for inspiring the unboundcd conf
d, nee OF the private soldier. and his own
abiding faith in volunteers Throughout
Lis laIe- career both these personal traits
have been cOnspicuously shown, but ii was
during his tenure of the office of comman-
der-in-chief in India that they had the
most striking eXemplincation. His unwear-
fed efforts for the comfort and weIl-being
O. the troops. his unaffected pleasure al
joining in their sports. and, above ALL his
Accessibility. won for him the devotion of
the rank and file. both British and native
but especially British. Like every great
military commander. he took pains to make
himself thoroughly acquainted personally
with the feelings of his men
While the military censor is straining at
items of intelligence which the general in
command has already made public, infor-
nation OF the very gravest character Is be-
ing published In London in the shape Of
letters from the front. Ii has been pointed
out by several people that in the diary of