The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-22

his effort to find out and tell Us what the
Germans were driving at when they u
vaded Belgium!
One of the most interesting episodes IN
the book is the description of Lord kiteh-
ener's sudden arrival in Paris early IN
September after he had made attempts
to order French to "stand and fight IN
stead of continuing his now memorable
retreat from Mons. French had insisted
on complete independence of action, and
he still retains ''the most profound be-
lief that had yielded to these violent So
have been thrown back in disorder over
the Marine and Paris would have fallen
an easy prey into the hands Of the Ger
mans" Kitchener arrived in Paris on
September l in the uniform of Field
Marshal and assumed the air of a COM
mander in chief and announced his In
tention of taking the field and inspect
ing the troops" The British Ambassador
"emphatieally objected" as did French,
who said the command Of the B. Z. +. had
been entrusted to him, that he must be
supreme on French soil, and that Kitch-
ener's presence there Sin the character OF
a soldier" Che was Secretary of State for
War, it will be recalled) would weaken
French's position "in the eyes of the
French and my own eountrymen alike"
Kitchener was eventually persuaded 10
H. raicfala mil LOFT
Paris that night. French alludes TO this
again, comparing his experience with that
of our own Mcclellan in the civil war
when Stanton interfered with his OPP
erations And again he writes, when
Rawlinson was given an Independent CON-
mand at Ostend: "The calamity at Sedan
was due in part to interference from
Paris with the army in the field, and the
American civil war was more than prob
ably prolonged by the repeated interfer-
ence on the part of the Secretary of State
with the commanders in the field" At the
outbreak of the war, we learn here, French
wanted Kitchener to be commander in
chief of the expeditionary force with
him (Freneh) as his chief of staff, a
tacit acknowledgment on Freneh's part
of what he thought of Kitchener as sol
der.
In his final chapter Freneh goes into
minute details as to the shortage of am
munition, factor In the war which even
tually brought about the munitions sean
dial, Reppington's charges in the London
Times and French's recall from France.
He tells how he was helped in his efforts
to producs ammunition by his American
friend George Moore and by a young
lieutenant who was killed while making
some experiments in this work. Frenchs
account of his efforts to show the British
Government its needs in artillery and am
munition are reminiscent of a similar
fruitless effort made ten years ago by
Gen. Crozier to our Congressional mill
tary committees. OF the more purely
military part of his career in France, the
retreat from Mons, the battle of Ypres
and the battle of the Marine, French has
written an admirable account in good sol
der fashion.
In addition to this his pages are graeed
by many affectionate descriptions of the
officers who worked, fought and died I'M
der his command, and appropriations OF
Joffre, Foeh and other French Generals
with whom, except In one instance, he
worked in the most agreeable harmony.
This is really notable war book, writ
ten by man who unconsciOusly reveals to
his readers that he was truly great SOL
der. Marshal Foch has contributed an
introduction and James NJ. Beck has
loaned to the publishers for use as from
tispiece an excellent portrait of Viseounr
French that bears the originals dediea-
ton to the American publicist.
1914. BY FIELD MARSHAL VIscoUNT
lin n