The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23

ture OF our poor General, as a corpulen
red-faced, disappearing bull dog, ridlns
roughshod over colonial susceptibniue,
tones down amazingly when one come,
to hard facts" Mr.. Bradley goes on u
show that what is really known abou
Braddock is in his favor. Vanquished in
a duel. he had been too proud TO ask his Ia
When in command at Gibraltar he va,
1adored by his men," and this, though Ia
was notorious as a strict disciplinarian, .
quality which Wolfe at that very time wa,
declaring to be the most badly needed
one in the British Army. The simple truth
about Braddock is that he was the first
British General to conduct a considerable
campaign In a remote wilderness. He had
no p~recedents furnished by the experiences
Of others to guide him. and he found little
help in the colonies. where he had been
taught to look for much. He has been ac-
cused OF disparaging the Colonial irregulars
and of neglecting TO utilize friendly In
dams. As to the first taunt, Mr.. Bradley
submits that, in view of the appearance
and discipline Of the provincial troops thai.
were paraded before Braddock, he would no.
as a soldier trained on European fields
| nave been human had he refrained entirely
from open criticism. As TO the second
taunt. the facts brought forward In this
book demonstrate that it has nc foundation
Robert Orme Of the T~hirty-ffth Regimen.
who was one Of the Generals a~ide-de-camps
| and who himself was highly thought o.
by the provincials, gives no hint In his
diary that Braddock was the violent, un-
reasonable, foul-mouthed person who has
since figured in magazine articles. Orme
--- 1911 H.. -. Il Il l.
| the appearance and seeming temper Of the
Colonial troops and dwells on the trying
| conditions which Braddock had to meet,
and the energy and honesty with which
he endeavored to do his duty. 1t is certain
that Braddock quickly appreciated WASH
ington, and TO save the Virginia Colonel
from the indignity Of ranking under a
British ensign placed him on his personal
staff. Braddock appreciated benjamin
Franklin also, and in a despatch TO his
Government described him as the FIRST
capable and sensible man i have met in
the country Mr.. Bradley contends that
in no proper sense of the word can Brad
dock be said to have been surprised at
Fort Duquesne. Throughout the march
thither. on the contrary, admirable dis
cipline was maintained, and every pre-
caution that prudence required was OBJ
served. When the attack upon him was
ultimately made it succeeded simply because
~Braddock's soldiers were not baokwoods-
men.
1t Is with some indignation that the au-
thor OF this book points out that even
the dying moments OF the gallant bulldog
have been made the theme OF much fanci-
full dialogue, and garnished will fictitious
utterances Of grief at the disaster and
remorse for his supposed obstinacy and
rashness. That he twice tried to arrest
the stampede, and then took measures
for the comfort of the Wounded is all that
we know for certain OF his last hours, '
II is not, of course, here pretended that
Braddock was a great General. TIT plain
truth is that ne was sent 10 carry out an
undertaking arduous and unprecedented
in British experience, and did his best In
the face Of immense difficulties, human
and physical. Both he and his soldiers
had, perhaps, grown a little too confident
after crossing the second ford Of the Mo-
~nongahela. Til then. however, he had
been entirely successful In avoiding am
buscades, and even the scene OF the final
engagement was no ambush In the ordinary
sense OF lrt IbTIHs Ildd us tSobNo Vci
pushed farther toward. he would have
been notified, no doubt, a little earlier OF
the impending attack; but under no cir
cumstances would his regulars have been
qualified TO face even a lesser numbe OF
Indians in their native woods. or pro-
vincial combatants on the field Of battle.
there were not 200 on the British side, and
many Of these had had 20 backwoods ex-
perience whatever.
The author of this book Is right In saying
that not a few popular historians assume
| that the fate Of Canada was settled by
Wolfe's victory on the Plains of Abraham,
That battle was fought on the 18th Of Sep
TENDER 1859, and was followed by the
| surrender of Quebec. Very little attention
Is paid to the fact that on the 2sth of April,
| 1890, a second battle was fought on the
Plains of Abraham; that it resulted in a
| victory for the French; and that the city
must have been surrendered by the British
II the arrival Of their fleet in the st. Law
renee had been somewhat retarded, or II
a French feet had preceded It Had the
| French recovered Quebec in 1890, II Is prob
able that, no matter what successes might
have bee n subsequently gained by AM
| herst further up the river. they would have
kept Canada at the Peace OF Paris. As it
was, the question was mooted In England
| whether II would not be e~xpedient TO give
back Canada 10 the French, receiving In
exchange the rich sugar-producing island
Of Guadeloupe. There were not wanting
far-sighted men in London at the time
! who argued that, so long as Canada should
| remain In French hands, II would con-
| stitute a guarantee OF the loyalty OF the
| thirteen British colonies, but that, onco
| relieved from the apprehension OF invasion
from the north, tho colonies might rebel
agains, the mother country. The event
| justified the forecast Il In perfectly true
that the bugles which acclaimed Wolfe
! victory on the Plains OF Abraham sounded
not only the death knell Of the French
Empire In the New World, but also the
birth note Of tho great American Republic.
With regard 10 an incident Of the French
and Indian War which has provoked Q
great deal Of discussion-the deportation
Of the French hdbif1ns from Acadia In 1856
Mr.. Bradley declines TO say whether or no
the radical operation was justiiable. He
| leaves the reader TO pass his own judgment
on IL. At the same time. IL Is pointed QUE
hat no hint Gomez down from any oon-
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