The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-27
Copyright by Captain Carnes. Author of The Coming Waterloo" etc.


 The student of history cannot have Tailed to have noticed that times of crisis in the history of nations have ever been back beyond the limits of the last cen- tury. and confining ourselves to the his- tory Of our own country. we find that Nelson was the product of our great struggle for the mastery of the sea which marked the dawn of the nineteenth cen tury. while our conflict on land with the armed force of France brought to light the military genius Of Wellington. Simi- iarly the desperate fighting which attend ed our efforts to qtiell the Indian Mutiny showed Us that in John Nicholson, In Hayelock, Outram. Colin Campbell and other heroic figures we had soldiers of whom the army and the nation might well be proud. For more than forty years after the last shot of the mutiny had been fired, this country. though always at war yet enjoyed the chief benefits. ot peace, in that no foe arose powerful enough to cause us moments real anxiety, no peril appeared so instant and 50 great as to cause US to look round for the man to save the Empire. But the cen fury was not to close withoat such a mo- n1ent of trial. and when the news Of the battle at Colenso was flashed to wait ing and anxious people on the evening of the 18th of December. 1893. we realized that the hour of need had come. For tlnately for England when that hour came, the man she needed was at hand. W tfi wonderful spontan,ity the thoughts of the nation turned to Lord Roberts, then in command of the troops in Ire land. himself at the moment prostrated by grief at the news of the death of his only son, death which overlook him while performing an act of self-sacriiic- ing heroism in the very battle wnicn proved to the nation their need of his heroic father.
 How Lord Roberts answered his coun- try's call with what skill and resolution he directed the armies which England placed at his disposal, is at this moment stll fresh in all our memories but short sketch of the career which Is Tn the natural course of events slowly drawing towards a glorious close may not De without interest for his countrymcn.
 Lord Roberts at School
 Lord Roberts. who was destined to serve for the greater part of his life un- der an Indian sun. first saw the light at Cawnpore on the Soth of September. 1882. his mother being the second wife Of General Sir Abraham Roberts. himself a soldier who had won honor and distlnc- lion in the dangerous arena of lndian frontier warfare. The hot climate or India is not suitable to children, conse- nucntly young Frederick Roberts was soon sent to England, where he was cd ucated. and where he remained till a eoIdier at last in the service of the East India Company. he sailed for India in the month of February 1sS2. Ills early days at home had been uneventful; edu- cated first at small private school, then  Sandhurst and at Addiscombe. he seems 10 have passed through his school days without attracting any marked notice, either favorable or otherwise, from ms teachers or from his comrades. As boy he was small and delicate. and conse- nuently had little chance Of winning dls. finction for himself at games, the -surest road to esteem open to the britisn scnooi- boy and he appears to have been chiefly remarkable for his continuous industry. and for bright sagacity which earneo him at Sandhurst the nickname or De auctions" nickname which we can now see was shrewdly bestowed.
 Arrived in India. he suffered severely from. honiesickness, till he was at last peI mitted to join his fatner wno a;ss;ss Was ion, and face to face with the unruly DOT der tribes whose predatory habits anu fierce fanaticism continually cause us trouble and annoyance, even at the pres emf day. In the course of his life at Peshawur Roberts learnt from his father many lessons which stood him In good stead in after life. chief amongst them the value of sympathy and humanity Tn dealing with savage races, and the im- ptrtance of endeavoring to control men rather by love than by fear. There IS not an incident in his supseanenn. n career ,er horne these lessons in mind, and at tnls moment, after commanding in the nelo through protracted and arduous cam paign the largest army Whlch 6rltai1 has ever sent across the seas, he Is loved and reyered by his soldiers as no general has ever been before.
 How the Victoria Cross was won
 The outbreak of the Indian Mutiny fotlnd Roberts at Peshawur, and within a few weeks he had taken the field for the first time serving on the stan oe Ne vile Chamberlain, soldier TOT WHO'S. genius young Roberts had the greatest admiration. After a brief spell or ser vice under Chamberlain, Lord hoperts found himself under the orders of John Nicholson. that extraordinary man. whose capacity for high command ,s,,so WAS snoi ,,,,. der leaders such as these the young ar tillert officer quickly mastered the ruo. irnents of the art of war. and was not long without an opportunity or putpns fbeir precep.s into practice before the walls of Delhi Those who wish to fol low in detail the progress of this siege cannot do better than study ForsSpohe ond pnhs erts has told as how the weary struggle dragged on till at last success rewaroen our perseverance and the br'tlsh nag Foated once more over the blood stained walls of the ancient capital of the Mo ruls When Delhi fell. the work was only half done. Lucknow had to be re- levod and Cawnpore had to DC re-occu ,.,i ried and the numerous forces Of muti- neers still fin the field had to be brought to bay punished. and destroyed. rms couid moi be done without great deal of fighting, in most od Wmcn yo9mf heSnr r'osI %
  Sortuflate on one occasion as to win me Victoria Cross hy an act of gallantry which marked him out as soldier as daring as he was intelligent: It was dur ing a battle with the mutineers fouEn' at khudsganj on the End of January. lsos that Roberts. while pursuing the nylne rebels. saw two Sepoys making on Witr a standard giving chase he quickly cul down the standard d-besrer. but n9rroWlS escaped death a the hands of his com rade who. placing tho muzzle Of his mus ket within q few inches of Roberts body nuIIed tho trigger By Sne of those mex, plicabIe fatalities which can be traced Sn the lives of so many great men, ana also of many less distinguished. the piece failed to explode, and the Sepoy, fearing his comrades fate, turned and ned.
 The Mutiny campaign, so far as Rob erts WAS concerned was almost at ar and and Tn the following May he ein barked for home 10 enjoy weil-earn"' neriod of leave. Il may bc interesting t' ask ourselves what were the chief les sons which were probably impressed upo' his mind by his experiences In the Mu' tiny. Judging by his subsequent career If Is not difficult to see that the Yount soldier must have been impressed by tho importance of mobility, for he had seer ho1v Nicholson endeavored to improvis' Mounted Infantry by carrying his troops in "sekkas" or native carts, and he wa: himself at more than one stage of ht' career to experience the valuable result: in he obtained from the power Of rapidly moving infantry without over-tatigulnl inc men by forced marching. He mus aIao have been struck hy the magnitud' 7s ~ ...s ,.,e,,tts to no obtained bN a dartns