The Washington herald., 1914-09-13
BY WILLIAM ATHERToN DU PUl

BY WILLIAM ATHERTON DU PUY.
OF the great nations now at war in
Europe, strange to say, but one, Eng
land, has in her service generals Of wide
war experience, and OF these England
has three. Lord Roberts, Earl Kitch-
ener, and Sir John French, each with
many years OF actual fighting behind
him. is at the disposal Of the British war
office as advisors or actual leaders in
the field. Gen. Joffre and Gen. Pau, of
the French forces, each saw fighting as
mere boys in the war with Germany
forty-four years ago. Gen. Moltke, of
the German forces, fought as a strip
pling in the same war. and Grand Duke
Nicholas Nicholaievitch, the Russian
commander, fought against the Turks in
1877. But none OF these have handled
armies in actual warfare.
With relation 10 this very limited sup
ply of hardened generals. Of which Eng
land has the monopoly. there is another
very peculiar fact. Each is a son Of
Ireland. Roberts. Kitchener, and
French. were all born on the Emerald
Isle. Each fought his way up through
long service in the field and each has be-
come the idol Of the United Kingdom.
Field Marshal French, of the three, has
been in the field in the present war at
lnH ntdu Oh the IDIillsll lblNfSp hlFfAlllS
the attack of the most formidable fight
ing machine that the world has ever
known and needing every bit OF expert
ence and ingenuity that he has acquired
in his long service. 1t was Gen. Chris
tian De Wit, the most brilliant Of the
South African leaders. who gave the
highest praise to the genius OF Sir John
while refusing to approve the tactics of
any other OF the British commanders.
He fights like a Boer." said that van
pushed opponent in giving a measure
of French's genius.
Yet Field Marshal Sir John Denton
Pinkstone French is the queerest figure
as a cavalry leader that it would be pos
sible to conceive. In the first place he
began life in Ripple Vale, Kent, ireland.
with the ambition of becoming a priest
This desire of his youth escaped him in
some way and he went into the navy.
As a fighting man all his early training
was upon the sea. His father and
grandfather ahead Of him were navy
men. Yet hardly was his naval training
completed when young French resigned
from that service and went into the
army.
Afterward his great success came to
him as a cavalry leader. despite which
fact he is the most ungainly horseman
in all the service. He is still sailor and
rides a horse as r sailor would be eN-
pected to perform that aCt-with rolling
and unsightly motion which gives him
anything but the appearance OF the dash
ing cavalryman that exists in the popu-
lar mind To further mitigate against
his being accepted as the model cavalry
man. he is decidedly short OF stature and
inclined to be stout But despite train
ing and physique Sir John French earn
ed. by scores of exploits in actual war
fare, the reputation Of being England's
greatest cavalry leader and tactician
and was selected as the fittest man in
all her service to meet, as British field
marshal. the German war machine. This
selection was made despite the fact that
he had resigned from the service and
called forth much oficial disapproval by
the stand he had taken on the Irish
question.
Earl Kitchener. as war minister. rec
commended this appointment Kitchener
and French had fought together in Sou
dan and in South 7 Arrlca. These two
Irishmen most cordially dislike each 9TH
er. but each recognizes the military vir-
tues of the other. French's dislike for
Kitchener is said to be largely due to
the Iatter's tall, graceful physique, Civ
ing him the ideal appearance for a cav
alryman. Kitchener instinctively dis
likes the cavalry and French and that
branch of the service got overmuch of
the glory in fighting the Beers. Then
there has always been a good deal of diff
ference as to whether Kitchener or
French deserves the credit for crushing
and capturing COME. and each man,
quite naturally. thinks the honor should
be his However. these two veterans
work most haTmoniously together for
the good of the service.
It was the Boer war that made his
great reputation for French. He went
into that conflict with a service record
that was most hattering. but the public
knew little about him. South Africa had
come to be regarded as being the grave
yard of regulations for English military
men. Many had gone there with the con-
idence OF their government and returned
without it. Yet French brought back a
record Of a long series of successes in
this most difficult sort of fighting and
not single failure. Some Of these ex-
ploits were most spectacular.
There was, for instance, the incident
of his carrying out dispatches from
Ladysmith in the midst Of the siege OF |
that town. The situation was desperate, |
and it was imperative that information |
should be carried to Gen. Butler. French