Arizona republican., 1900-08-15

tenancy when clouds of the Franco Prussian war began to lower, and with in four years from the time he entered the army as boy of eighteen the storm broke. This war was remarkable in the great rapidity with which large bodies of troops on zach side were thrown into the field. The science of war took on a new meaning, with King William and Napoleon arrayed against each other.
 Upon the termination of the Franco Prussian war he entered the military academy at Berlin in 1873 to still fur ther pursue his profession. In 1876 General Won LesseI joined the Twenty seventh infantry as first lieutenant on the general staff, and two years later was promoted to a captaincy with the Third army corps. Seventh division In 1884 he was made colonel of the Thir- tieth infantry and after a year and a half of service in the line rejoined the staff. for which he had special qualifl- cations. In 1SSS-'S9 he was with the Tenth army corps in Hanover, and his capabilities were Of so commanding a character that he won the praise of his sovereign. as well as a decoration. After a year spent with the Tenth army corps in command of the Forty-third in fantry. Von Lessel became chief of staff of the First army corps, and in July. 1896, was transferred to the col onelcy of the Second Grenadiers.
 In 1897 he was made major general and given command of the Twenty eighth infantry brigade at Dosseldorf From October 8, 1898, to May of the pre- sent year. he filled the very exacting position of quaTtermaster-g general, then receiving his promotion as lieutenant general, with command of the Twenty eighth cavalry division. With this wide experience he brings to the service in China qualities of a kind which must command attention in the forward movement to Pellin.
 It will be seen that Major General Adna R. Chaffee, commander of the American forces in China, is by no means in bad company; but neither is he outclassed by any of his colleague commanders. He has also been a life long soldier and has risen from pri- vate in the regular army to his present high rank. His experience is fully as extensive as that of any of the other allied commanders, covering, as it does, the entire period of the civil war, many murderous Indian campaigns. and the conquest of Cuba. With the lamented Lawton, he shared the highest honors of the Spanish war on land. those which were won at Fl Caney. He was selected to command in China because he was deemed the best-equipped man in the American army for the difficult work in the orient. General Chaffee is not only field 'officer of indubita bIe bravery, but also a man of great ex- ecutive force ,as shown by his splendid work in Cuba as chief of staff to Ma jor-General Brooke after the occupa- tion of Havana. Chaffee is a soldier very much after the order of Lawton. He was known to be man who could be fully depended on to carry immedi- ately into effect the stirring orders of the American war department to "ad- vance on Pekin without a moments de- lay" So urgent Were these orders and so effective were his own arrange ments that General Chaffee had scarce ly landed before the onward movement began, participated in by the Japanese, English and American troops. The London cables have credited the Ameri- can commander with being a very po- tent force in pushing the advance. The complete confidence on Chaffee is evi- denced by the comment of Lieutenant General Miles: General Chaffee is q courageous, competent, experienced. thoroughly efficient officer of whom the best may be expected"