FRENCH OPINION OF THE BRITISH ARMY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2504, 28 July 1888, Page 6 (Supplement)

FRENCH OPINION OF THE BRITISH ARMY.

The military movement in England is attracting attention in France, and of the articles printed on the subject f»w will attract move attention than the conversation published by the Gaitloh between a member of its staff and Marshals MacMahon and Canrobert, Marshal MacMahon said : " You cannot form an idea of the gallantry of the British soldiers. 1 will give you a few anecdotes of matters of which 1 took notice in the Crimea. The first feat of arms I will speak of took place in the plain of Balaclava. Lord Raglan, the English com-mamler-in-chief, had taken up his station on the Plateau of Chersonesus. In front of him was a mound which subsequently was called the ' Mameloa Canrobert.' To the south were heights oscupied by Lord Cardigan. In the middle of the triangle formed by these three points stretched the plain of Balaclava. All of a sudden Russian troopsappeared behind the Mamelon Canrobert, which they appeared to menace. Lord Raglan miw them. He immediately despatched one of his orderly officers to General Cardigan. " Yoi will order him,'he said, 'to charge the Russians.' The orderly officer galloped off without saying a word. He took half an hour to got up to General Cardigan, and, once he had gained that point, he saw the plain which had been previously concealed from his sight, and perceived behind the Russian Cavalry two divisions of whose presence Lord Raglan had not been aware, when he gave the order to advance. Nevertheless he gave General Cardigan the instructions he was ordered to transmit, taking no account of the events which had altered the situation. Hβ was not on good terras with Lord Raglan, who wnuld not have forgiven his taking any initiative upon himself. So he quietly "told General Cardigan, 'Lord Raglan orders you ta charge the Russians.' The General replied. ' Charge the Russians f Don't you see how numerous they are? Lord Raglan must bemad.' 'No matter,' replied the orderly offi-'er,'you have to carry out the order I am commanded to transmit to you.' Having delivered his message, it was quiU open to the orderly to turu back ; but he did nothing of the kind. The General drew his sword, and exclaimed"' En route, men amis-let all fullow the lust of.the Cirdigans.. That same evening General Cardigan had two ballots in hin leg. Only ono third of his men camo out of tho charge, the remaining having been killed, and not one would have escaped but for a French General, Morris, who, advanciujr to the relief of the Engliah, enabled them to fall back. But the orderly officer, who had accompanied the chargo, was killed. What oan bo more admirable than these men, dashing with indomitable pluok against the enemy, although they kuow that death awaits them, without nuy advantage to anyoue, and that merely becauso an ill-inspired chirf had given the word of command ! What can be more admirable than this orderly officer, who, without being under any obligation to do so, accompanies those about to die ! This feat will give you an idea of the British Army. It will be set down in my memoirs, which are to be published after my death. If Lord Raglan had been on good terms with his orderly officer the mishap I have described would not have occurred. I have always kept my orderlies with me as long as I could. Broye, for instance, who now commands a Division in the 13th corps was under my orders chief d'escadrons, One day I sent him with an order to General De La Monte Rouge. He was clever enough to see how matters stood, and directed him to do precisely the reverse to what I had ordered. I was the first to congratulate him on his modification, which the enemy's movements made necessary. Some initiative should be left to one's officers whpn one knows the.n to be intelligent." He gave another inetance of the bravery of the English at Balaclava, and added: ''That is the kind of courage of the British Army. The non-commis-sioned officers are excellent. The soldiers, paid volunteers, freely lay down their lives, for it is in their eyes an obligation, a contract freely entered into. Their force of resistance is very great. Those who ventured to effect a landing in England would have their work cut out for thorn. The Turks alone can bo compared with the Bnglis-h, bs they are buoyed np by the belief that they cannot be killed before their hour is oome. The Russians also have a little of that feeling. They are perhaps a little reluctant to enter the service, but once they are in the regiment they behave well. Improved weapons, military training, count for a good deal, no doubt; but what is indispensable is disregard of death, and, above all, that military spirit that enables men to bear against fatigue and disappointment. That ie everything; that is the only road to victory." Marshall Canrobert was loud in praise of our non-commissioned officers. "If the English non-commissioned officers," he said, "are as good as they were in the Crimea, I congratulate them. These non-commissioned officers were the backbone of their regiment?. The officers sole business seemed to be fighting and getting killed.