New-York tribune., 1905-02-05

The conditions of warfare two hunored years
ago are more less vividly described In these
personal memoirs of accomplished French
officer. The original work published in 1877.
and It went into several editions 1t has GER
tainly deserved resurrection and translation. re-
hearsng as 1t does In familiar fashion, the story
of some of the most famous campaigns In his
| tory.
NJ de la Colonie. the son of noble but pow
erty stricken family of Perigord. received MS
military training in one of the cadet companies
established by Louis XIV in nine of the from
tier towns Of France. The sharp witted boy,
realizing that with money and little infiu-
ence behind him he must cut mis- own way to
fortune flung himself into his studies with
passionate zeal Cadets of quality were then ac-
customed to wreak themselves after drill upon
such elegancies of soldiers education as riding,
dancing and fencing. nj. de Ia Coionie surprised
and delighted the teachers of mathematics by
pursuing that branch with eagerness. and that
he became an uncommonIy skful and resource
full engineer officer his unaffected narrative
shows. He first took the field in 1892 with the
troops besieging Namur under the command of
| the King in person The town, whose fortress
of the strongest on the Flanders from
tier had never been captured by enemy-it
had even safely deied C9eSar-and Louis, max
ing up his mind to break this tantaliZing record,
sat himself down before it, with Nine. de- Main
tenon and the principal ladies of the court COM
fortaby settled three leagues away. The town
presently surrendered but the garrison retired
into the citadel, and for weeks held the besieg-
ers at bay. 1t does not increase our respect for
Louis to read that Vauban nearly persuaded
him into the discredtable breaking of the treaty
wherein he had agreed not to attack the fortress
from the town side. An unexpected chance
saved the King from perjury and brought
about the fall of the fortress: de la COlOnie was
one of the twenty-five engineer officers who
came out of the siege alive. There were sixty
altogether. and the others died in the trenches
The young man fought at Namur again in 1895:
this time France lost the place to the Allies
who sacrificed more than twelve thousand men
in taking it. The siege was not without it's hu-
morous features. the author reveals in his
story of the Gascon Sieur de Vigouroux This
gentleman. he tells us, had never experienced
any serious danger, and the sensation of find
ing himself ordered to take command of one of
the sort1es had such an extraordinary effect
upon him that he brought back miraculous re-
ports of his personal feats of valor.
bI He dsse weared & every one by nterminable recs
ter so much repetition. he ended in believing him
self He took every opportunity of publishing
himself with them. One day he asked him with
Wag of v5F fresh ne could Ld not It put ut him in the
Marechal, tired of his discourses, replied as fol-
M q
NlgOurouX, you shall have your wish. A most con-
venient opportunity presents itself at this mo-
ment-the breach is now practicable in Fort Will
lam; the enemy, as far can see will not be
make you its Governor. Go and take over the
Fort, and If this rabble show themselves kick them
OUT IN proper style and let them feel the weight
OF your arm; as a matter of fact, doubt whether
comes to their that you will be there Run
and gather the laurels and spite the enyious I
give. YOU the preference in this, every other
consloerauon should give place to your well known
Poor Vigouroux, whose intention was but To he
credlted as valiant, and who had no wish to he
taken TOO literally, was aghast at NJ de Bouffierss
answer. he was struck dumb, his GaScon
tees deserted him, and all present roared with
laughter. After thinking a while, he thought he
nad found way out of the difficulty, and said to
M. oe BouterS: THAT, Monsegneur. is hardly
the post for Vigouroux- cannot stand being
boxed up between four walls for the intense desire
feel to dash right and left amongst these sco1In-
drelS would rebel in confined a space / Should
stite with rage; but let me give vent to my yaIour
in the open country. and you will soon see what
Vigouroux do"
At these words "give vent to my valour" etc
the entire company burst into shouts of laughter
room without uttering another word This bit Of
boasting not lost on us, but was Instantly
noised abroad throughout the whole garrison and
vlgouroux soon had the annoyance OF hearing
vent to my valour In the open"
The campaigns of these years preceding the
Peace Of Ryswick were heavy drain upon q
not too prosperous country In 1894 France
had writhed under terrible famine The had
quality of the corn produced an acid in the
bread which, De la Colonie says quickened di-
gestion and left the devourer of the scanty