The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-06-03
British Military Leader Lost
Reputation in War.
FAILED AT CRITICAL TIME
After Defeat at the TugeIa He ADJ
Vfsed Gen. White to Surrender
Ladysmith-COnduct Shattered Rec
ord Made In Forty Years-CriticIsed
by Gen. Roberts and Retired.


Gen. Butler. who retired from active
service in 1906. had been I'll for a long
time. and his death was not unexpected
Indeed, from the hale man he was at
the outbreak Of the war he declined after
hostilities ceased into almost shadow
Of his former self. Worry and disap-
pointment were the causes OF his physical
breakdown.
In April Gen. Butler contracted chill
In London. and this indisposition was fol-
lowed by severe attack OF jaundice and
other complications. Gen. Butler is sur
vived by his wife. Lady Audrey Jane
Charlotte. daughter Of the fourth Mar
quis Townshend.
sketch of His Career.
Redyers Henry Butler was one OF those
unfortunate soldiers who fight one battle
too many. He himself years ago said that
every military leader comes upon HIS
black day II he lives long enough And
yet It might have been thought that with
forty years Of soldering. each year add
ing 70 his honors and achievements, he
would have escaped such fate 1t was
not TO be
IN the height OF his glory the Boer war
broke out, and he was sent 70 South
Africa on what he and his brother officers
Of the expeditiOnary force thought would
be summers campaign. Instead South
Africa proved the graveyard OF his mill
tary reputation. and II was left TO his
successor TO win and wear the laurels OF
victory Butler made the mistake OF
fighting once too often. but at the bottom
OF his mistake was failure TO accept mod
ern military methods. as we'll as the fatal
error Of Understanding his foe
Gen. Butler came Of good old Devon
shire stock He was born in 1883 and
given his early education at Eaton. and
in lS5S went into the army as a subaltern
IN a famous regiment, the Sixtieth Rifles.
He was fortunate at the outset, inasmuch
as he received what Napoleon the Less
called MS baptism OF fire" within two
years Of the date OF his first commis5ion.
I This was the China war Of 1860 In 1870
he took part in the Red River expedition.
which first brought him under the notice
/ OF Lord Wolseley Three years later he
was deputy assistant adjutant general in
the Ashantee war. IN which he was badly
wounded
/ He was in South Africa IN ISIS. and
played an active part in several actions
against the Galkas and Galekas. and
commanded the column in the affair AT
Buffalo range. In the more serious cam
paign against the Zulus he commanded
the mounted troops Of Sir Evelyn Woods
column. as already stated He had
charge Of the Intelligence department IN
the Egyptian war in 1882 and was pres
ent at Tel-el-Kebir also al FL Teb and
Tamai, and was chief Of STAFF in the Cor
don relief expedition in lSS4-S
Wins HOnOrs and Promotions.
In all these campaigns he won honor
and promotion. He was regarded as one
OF England's foremost soIdiers-not a
great strategist possibly. but a man who
would fight at the drop Of a hat. and
stick at Il longer than the other fellow.
/ This sort Of soldering appealed 10 the
/ British popular Imagination and a little
10 that Of his foes as well. since It made
the Zulus call MIN the brother Of the
| devil
/ From 1857 10 1890 he was quartermaster
/ general of the British army, and then
( became adjutant general 70 the forces "a
succession 10 Lord WOlseley. In 1881 ne
was promoted 10 the rank OF Lieutenant
! general When he went 10 South Africa
/ i'm 1889 as commander Of the forces there
/ he had the full confidence Of the army
and the people. and when he took per-
sonal command OF the campaign against
/ the Beers in Natal the quick relief OF the
| beseiged city Of Ladysmith was expected
| The difficult nature OF the task Butler
had taken up was not then appreciated.
Gen. Butler said he would eat his Christ
mas dinner al Pretoria, implying the be-
/ lief that the war would be a brief one
The s.EAt at Tugela River was a most
discreditable affair. showing careless gen
eralship from start to finish. After an
assault on Ladysmith. the Beers retired
| to the Tugela, and Butler attempted 10
| force their position and tried 70 ford the
stream near Colenso with an army Of %,
600 men. He ordered his troops forward
and they were moved down by the artil-
/ lery and rifles OF the Beers. and in the
confusion many were lost and drowned.
This defeat happened on De- .Inber Is.
1883,
Tells White to Surrender.
It was on the day following this defeat
that Butler sent his famous telegram to
Gen. White, saying that he had been
beaten and that White would have to get
along as best he could or surrender.
Gen. Butler began his attempt to relieve
the town early in November. Il was
marked for six weeks by continual Brit
ish reverses.
Then came Buffers defeat at the Tu-
gela River. During the latter part OF
| January 1900 he made an attack on the
Boer position at Spion's Kop, when no
was defeated with great loss In Febru-
cry he made assaults on Vaal Krantz
and Zwarr Kop, and was defeated. With
great difficulty he made a flank move
ment. and managed to save the remain
der OF his army by moving across the
Tugela River. and on March l he was
able to occupy Ladysmith
For his costly defeat at Spion Kop Gen.
Butler was sharply criticised by Gen.
Roberts, but his other blunders and mis-
haps were kindly permitted 10 pass with
mere mention.
On his return to England. a disc-edited
and unsuccessful man. since every one
realized that the real cause OF the rails
ing Of the Ladysmith siege was Rob
erts operations In the west, the whole
question was thrashed out in an army
scandal. Later Butler was relieved Of his
command and then two years ago, re-
tired.
There was never any question Of Bull
ler's courage. he was brave as they
make them" He simply was lacking
when the supreme test OF ability came
AS proof Of his personal courage. he won
the priced Victoria Cross a decoration
given only for the very highest type OF
personal courage.
Currency Commission Plans.