New-York tribune., 1902-05-25

SIR HARRY SMITH IN 1s15-
! G'rom portrait by an unknown paiuter}
was soon sent back TO Newt Orleans with The *
pedition Of his dear friend. Sir Edward PaaeE-
ham. The defeat of this he considers due %
the every imaginable difficulty" Pakenham had
10 contend with. starting with the most uuvLse
and difficult position in which he found the
army. He Overcame them all but one which
he never anticipated. a check 20 the advance
Of British soldiers when they ought 10 have
rushed forward:
of officers The fire, admit was the most Iulr-
derOuS | beheld. before or since: still. tvo
companies We're successful in the assault and
had our heaviest column rushed forward t
place Of halting To fire under fire fifty times
superior. our national honor would not have
been tarnished, but have gained fresh lustre
Sent with flag OF truce 10 General Jackson
and request to be allowed to bury the dead,
he found the Americans not accustomed 10 the
civilities of war like our old associates the
French" and it was long before he could
duce them 10 receive him. But he finally sue
ceeded. and the reply from General Jackson w,lS
u very courteous one"
General Smiths personal experiences at
Waterloo interesting. but he modestIy re-
Trains from adding much To the consideration
of the strategy there displayed With the
exception of one spot at New-Orleans and
INV AIttttu VI bdudJoS 1T udU HtN NtE seen any
thing comparable TO the slaughter at Waterloo.
As to the credit due the Prussian cooperation.
he thinks that the Prussians were part Of the
whole on which Wellington calculated much
as ON the cooperation of one of his own dilis-
ions. and that they ought 10 have been on the
field much sooner. Napoleon fought the battle
badly; his attacks were not simultaneous, but
partial and isolated. and enabled the duke 10
repel each by concentration IL was not
battle of science: IL was II sIJui-up HEH- be-
tween two pusiIists"
Sir Harry Smiths notable service IN south
Africa and in India occupies much vi his
second volume. and if his own frank account
may be believed, he greatly endeared himself
To native ami English and Dutch alike He
says of the emigration of the valuable mern-
bers of the Dutcn population" to Zululand
Had my system been persisted in and the
order of things So firmly planted and rapidly
growing into maturity been allowed 10 con-
tinue not BOer would have migrated / am
proud say l had much influence ON the
Beers as over the KaffirS. and by a kind and
persuasive manner in eNpoStuldtion. had they
meditated such u step, l could at once have
deferred them
Sir Harry had the modification Of being re-
called by Earl Grey for failure in foresight
energy and Judgment; though the editor is able
to show through spirited defence made by
Sir Harry himself that the charge had little
foundation.
In closing the consideration of this life Of
doughty martial deeds il is suggestive t. note
what Sir Harry Smith thought of his pro-
fession. There are not a few references u his
views scattered through the book. Thus he
preceded General Sherman by a generation in
his remark: The seat of war is hell upon
earth. even when stripped of the atrocities COM
mitted in Spain and Portugal" And the
Of Waterloo iDSDiras tbis-
No but those who have witnessed the
awful scene knows the horrors of a field of bat
te-the plies OF the dead, the grOanS of the
dying. the agony of those dreadfully wounded.
to whom frequently no assistance can be rem
dered at the moment Often have my
self. tired and exhausted. in such scenes almost
regretted the life L have adopted, in which one
never knows at any moment how near OF dis
tant ones own turn may be-