New-York tribune., 1903-04-12


fession and exposed them to the grayest
picion and consequently the severest treatment
How O'Brien made a successful dash away from
the escort when almost at the gates of Bitche;
how he got as far as Lindau before beng ar
rested after having supported a miserable exist
ence on growing cabbage invented more stories
in explanation than a Munchausen, and passed
by numerous sentries over the bridge at Kehl
concealed, like Ulysses, in a herd of cattle; how.
when forced to rejoin his companions at Bitche.
in that Mansion of Tears he led them in
successful descent from their prison down a rope
of sheeting and cobbler's twine and across the
Rhine and on to the safety of the Austrian
lines at Salzburg, the reader who begins this
book will not fail to discover. The later chap
ters tell the story of capable fighters work in
the small fleet that harried shipping the
Adriatic from the island base of Lissa until the
end of the Napoeonic wars. OBrien rose at the
time to the rank of lieutenant and then COM
mander, and the satisfaction he took in strik-
ing at the Emperors power has an ample
background in his earlier sufferings.
The second of these books. another of the ten
or a dozen of the time which Mr.. Oman an
nounces he deems worth reprinting. describes
the ways and stress of life in the English army
during the Peninsular War The lieutenant of
the SSth-the Connaught Rangers. they were
caled-is frankly engaged in setting forth their
exploits and insisting credit which he feels
they unjuStly missed For that matter he Is
outspoken about what he calls the "scandalous
manner in which the entire army was treated
by the Duke of Wellington and the government
His book is a record of active round shot and
bayOnet In contrast with the preceding story of
individual adventure this is the tale of a hardy,
unfiinching regiment determined in the face of
danger and gayly witty in camp and on the
march; one that felt at home when taking
the road barefoot and missed even the proper
round of rations less than the other regiments:
one that did not suggest long harangues before
battle. Before the assault on Ciudad Rodrigo.
General Picton rode before them with these terse
words: Rangers of Connaught. it is not my In
tention to expend powder this evening. Wen
do this business with the cold IRON And they
did it. The CALLING fire of brave and sl1ilful op-
position could not keep the English beyond the
walls leaving the breaches horrid with dead.
Grattan handles the confusing facts of battles
progress with unusual c1earness. and he OBJ
served what was going on with a vivid minute
ness. He notes the pallor of color of the mems
faces and their expression before the advance,
their temper in full career, the exhaustion writ
ten in a generals begrimed face dripping with
sweat-the little details that can only be sup
piled by eyewitness in the thick Of things
and that therefore we most neeu IToHl AZ
the battle OF Salamanca, when Marmonts flank
movement gave Wellington advantage he was
quick enough to SEIZE we get this picture OF the
commander and his men:
The Third Division had but Just resumed
their arms when Lord Wellington, at the head
of his staff, appeared amongst them. The ofl-
had not taken their places in the column
but in group together in front OF IL
AS Lord Wellington rode up TO Pakenham
every eye was turned toward him. He looked
paler than usual, but notwithstanding the sud-
den change he had just made in the d1sposl-
tion of his army, he was quite unruf1ed In ms
manner and as calm if the battle about 10
be fought was nothing more than an ordinary
assembage of troops for field day. His words
were few and his orders brief Tapping Paken-
ham on the shoulder he said, Edward, move
on with the Third Division; take the heights
in YOUR front and drive everything before you
Il will, my lord was the laconlc reply OF the
gallant Sir Edward. Lord wellington galloped
on to the next division, gave, suppose, orders
to the same effect, and in less than nan al
hour the battle commenced
Grattan had keen eye for psychological ef-
fects in battle He sums up the fighting quail
ties of the several nations well, setting the I'M
petuosity and wonderful marching ~pihty oi
the French over against the gayety and stock
ineIess endurance of the Irish; or the lrishmanS
snnerior mastery over his stomach against that
of the better fed Engshman's. The excep-
tional too he is alert to recognize, as when ne
notes what prime marchers" composed the
45th "a parcel of Nottingham weaVers, whose
sedentary habits would suggest the opposite.
He is interesting in his analysis of the dlstaste
natural born fighters in the open showed for
1incr