several corps from which they had been taken. The various communiCRS and documents, which must necessarily have been made during everal campaigns, though in some degree preserved, are so much stered, that no clear system is established, and no regular plan is laid own for the ready government of future staffs. From a conviction of tas sort, (continues the same author), we have endeavoured to collect all the ranicus objects which may elucidate the subject, and fix, if possible, the principles by which this service may be governed. These observations, wever, though perhaps the ground-work of a more enlarged underking, must be considered only as so many leading heads for a more ample Escussion *." Having given this copious extract from a foreign writer relative to staffs in general, I cannot conclude his observations more appropriately, than by referring the English reader to a small treatise which has lately been pished for the specific purpose of introducing system and regularity into the British Commissariat on foreign service. This treatise is written by a gentleman whose whole theory has had the advantage of practice, and although its contents are confined to one specific branch only, namely the evil administration of an army as far as relates to the commissary's duty, it nevertheless comprehends so much useful detail, that persons emplayed upon that service, will do well to study the British Commissary. The author justly observes in his introduction, that "there is not an article of expence in the contingencies of an army but must in some measure depend on the abilities and integrity of its commissaries. The Commander in Chief, occupied with the great movements and general plans, cannot stoop to the inspection of articles of running expence; neither can the military departments be taken off from the detail of their duty to examine and controul them." It will strike the observant reader in this pice, that the writer of the Evènemens Militaires does not exactly accord with the British Commissary, in as much at least as regards the union of cv and military talents in the same person. The position is notwithstacling correct in its general import, and particularly so with respect to the British army, whose civil administration materially differs from the plaas laid down for the French. Commissaries in our service, to use the English writer's words," although necessarily under the orders of the Commander in Chief, do nevertheless receive instructions from, and report * To those persons who may wish to see the subject of French staffs treated more at large, we recommend the perusal of the Manuel des Adjudans-Généraux, & des 3 hoints employés dans les Etats-Majors-Divisionnaires des Armées; par Paul Truebault, Adjudant-Général.—This work has been translated by an anony Bagus writer. to to the Lords of the Treasury, as being alone accountable to parliament for the expenditure of all grants. Experience shews, that notwithstanding commissariat expences have been commented upon, in and out of parliament, from the Duke of Marlborough's time to this day, no one has attempted to bring a system forward which may obviate the inconveniences of sending men abroad to exercise functions, that are perfectly new to them. The truth is, commissaries are only employed in time of war, and sought for at the moment of active operations; it should, however, be remembered, that the importance of their office is not to be estimated by the length of their services, but by the weight of its responsibility. For instance, continues the same writer, the assistant commissaries sent out to the continent during the late campaigns, received no other information from the treasury, than notice of their appointment, and verbal orders to join at head quarters. Had the nature of the service been previously known to those gentlemen, or at least had general instructions been delivered to them on their arrival, their minds would have been relieved from much anxiety, and their accounts would, from the beginning, bave been regularly brought forward: now as the saving to the country must ever be proportionate to the punctuality of its agents, it may be fair to ask, how many millions would have been saved in the seven years war, the late American war, and the present numerous commissariat establishments, had an uniform system been adopted and followed?" It must be manifest from these and the preceding observations, that, however superior to the rest of mankind an individual may prove, upon the large scale of military arrangements, however gifted with genius, and the faculties of command, it is, nevertheless, impossible for him to act without the assistance of auxiliary talents. From the persons with whom he communicates, in the most confidential manner, who serve immediately under him, and from whom the various branches of executive service take their spring and action, down' to the most subordinate corporal, military knowledge is more or less indispensably necessary. Turpin observes, "that a general who would merit the title of a great man, ought to unite in himself all civil, military, and political excelIt is by this that he will easily acquire the means of making war Nothing will escape him; he will know, without difficulty, however, who imagine that the whole art of war consists in well to reflect upon the following lines of Frederic the s, ces chevaux, ces soldats, ces canons, ennent pas seuls l'honneur des nations: ponez leur usage, et par quelles maximes, guerrier peut atteindre à des exploits sublimes, the 1 the gas of every country, and of the nations which compose the enemy's army, the abilities of the generals who command, and the nature of the traga under them. Without these precautions, he would never think, tis he could act upon sure grounds; he knows that he may venture a vement with some troops, which he would not dare to attempt with abers that are equally brave. One nation is vehement, fiery and formicable in the first onset, as the French; another is not so hasty, but of mare perseverance, as the British or German; with the former, a single instance determines success; with the latter, the action is not so rapid, but the event is less doubtful." We must, however, acknowledge, that many natural qualifications are required to form the character of a perfect general. Mere industry and ambition will not suffice to make it up; there must be genius and an ptitude of mind, to anticipate and to square events; a solidity of judgment to regulate every impulse to enterprize, and a coolness of temper to guide this vast machinery of war, through all the natural and artificial difficulties by which it is surrounded*. Had Bonaparte been ignorant of the principles of mechanics, when he was serving at Toulon †, in the ca pacity of a subordinate officer belonging to the engineer department, he world, probably, never have attracted the notice of the French general, Dugommier, who commanded in that quarter, or have been recommended to the minister at war for his ingenuity in getting some heavy pieces of ordnance up a height which overlooked the town and harbour; nor would be, previous to the battle of Marengo, have been able to astonish all Europe, by the conveyance of his artillery over Mount St. Bernard‡. Let it not, however, be imagined, that a military dictionary ought exclavely to belong to a camp or barrack, or to be found only in the libranies, and on the tables of military men. The arts and sciences are so intimately connected together, that they mutually borrow terms from one another for illustration, and go hand in hand, from the senate to the field, from the pulpit to the bar, through all the vicissitudes of human intercourse and correspondence. 1 Vast conception joined to prompt and resolute execution must constitute the acial features of a consummate chief. The late unexampled success of our wasted and immortal NELSON is the best illustration that can be offered on this If ever a grateful country owed an illustrious and uncommon tribute to Se zemory of departed worth, Great Britain owes it to this constellation in aar glory. God send we may see his like again! In consequence of the French having secured a commanding position and Panted cannon upon it, the English and Spaniards evacuated Toulon on the 3d of January 1794. :See Mountains. Military Military science, in which I include every species of tactics, and the interior economy of corps, is, in fact, of so extensive and comprehensive a cast, that there is not a single trade or profession, to which it may not be rendered more or less useful. To the gentleman, it gives an easy deportment, a frankness of manners; and, above all other qualities, the nicest sense of honour. For it is an abuse of the term to call any person, (let his standing, or occasional services in the army be what they may,) a real soldier, who does not unite calmness of mind and urbanity of conduct, with a knowledge of his profession. Brutal audacity may belong to the mere mechanical portion of fighting men ; but unless it be governed, in the aggregate, by the superior genius of individuals, and in the individuals themselves by the higher notions of national fame and responsibility, the character will degenerate into a public nuisance and disgrace. A real soldier, on the contrary, is an ornament to society. After having fought the battles of his country abroad, or co-operated with those of general service, by guarding her coasts at home, the officer of experience, not only participates in the blessing of peace, but enlivens every scene by the most interesting communications. Nor is it necessary to have been in actual service, to derive advantage from military knowledge; I have already observed, that there is not a single trade or profession, to which it may not be rendered more or less useful. The man of letters cannot, with any permanent satisfaction, read the histories of former times, nor even the ephemeral records of his own, without feeling the justness of this assertion. That a knowledge of military terms forms no inconsiderable part of a writer's qualifications, the folTowing candid avowal of the ingenious translators of Plutarch's Lives, will sufficiently evince: "In the descriptions of battles, camps, and sieges, it is more than probable that we may be mistaken in the military terms. We have endeavoured, however, to be as accurate in this respect as possible, and to acquaint ourselves of this kind of knowledge, as well as our situations would permit; but we will not promise the reader, that we have always succeeded *.” Mr. Gibbon, the historian, who was two years and a half, (from May 10th, 1760, to December 23d, 1769,) a captain in the Hampshire Militia, speaks thus of a military life, even within the limited sphere of that establishment. "My principal obligation to the militia was, the making me an Englishman and a soldier. After my foreign education, with my reserved temper, I should long have continued a stranger in my native country, had I not been shaken in this various scene of new faces *See Preface to Plutarch's Lives, by the two Langhornes. and and friends; had not experience forced me to feel the characters of ading men; the state of parties; the forms of office, and the operatics of our civil and military system. In this peaceful service I imbibed rudiments of the language and science of tactics, which opened a new field of study and observation. I diligently read and meditated the Mémoures Malataires of Quintus Julius (Mons. Guichardt,) the only writer who has united the merits of a professor and a veteran. The discipline and evolutions of a modern battalion gave me a clearer notion of the pals and the legion; and the captain of the Hampshire grenadiers (the As I have occasionally touched upon the manœuvres and evolutions of the ts, particularly under Phalanx, the following additional extract from Sir Ts Browne's Hydriotaphia, may not be superfluous. The Rant batalia was ordered after this manner, whereof, as sufficiently Virgil hath left but an hint, and obscure intimation. For thus were uples and cohorts of the Hastati, Principes and Triarii placed in their wherein consisteth the strength of the Roman battle. By this ordination tory ready fell into each other. The Hartati being pressed, handsomely retired into the intervals of the Princi pe these into that of the Triari; which making, as it were, a new body, might Jy renew the battle, wherein consisted the secret of their successes. And here it was remarkably singular in the battle of Africa, that Scipio, fearing not from the elephants of the enemy, left not the Principes in their distances, et the elephants passing the vacuities of the Hastati, might have run upon drew his battle into right order, and leaving the passages bare, defeated thedef intended by the elephants. Out of this figure were made two reLe forms of battle, the cuneus and forceps, or the shear and wedge battles, Talk at half a rhombus, and but differenced by position. The wedge invented tor work into a body, the forceps to environ and defeat the power thereof, Ged out of the selectest soldiery, and disposed into the form of an V, wherein the wedge, it enclosed it on both sides. After this form the famous § Andered his battle against the Franks, and by this figure the Almans were aad cut in pieces. The halus, or lozenge figure, so visible in this order, was also a remarkable of battle in the Grecian cavalry, observed by the Thessalians, and Philip, Moon, and frequently by the Parthians, as being most ready to turn way, and best to be commanded, as having its ductors, or commanders, at The Macedonian phalanx (a long time thought invincible) consisted of a long For though there might be sixteen in rank and file, yet, when they shut close, * the disposure of the legions in the wars of the republic, before the division of the auto ten cohorts, by the emperors. Sulmas. in his Epis. ad Piereskium et de Re Mi Romanorum. :Fatuus Appianus. Agsihtas Ammianus. |