TWO SOLDIERS OF GENIUS

Lake County Press, Issue 982, 3 October 1901, Page 2

TWO SOLDIERS OF GENIUS

The war has nut produced any very great generals, writes Mr F.dgar Wallace. M e have had passable commanders who have managed to steer clear of blunders, but. the touch (if clearness that distinguished Wellington and Napoleon and Moltke is wanting. In two men only does the Napoleonic fearlessness of consequence seem evident, and these two men are French and IMumer. French's performance before Coleshurg was the finest piece of generalship ol the Mar. The splendid audacity with which he man(cuvred Ins men- -he held a line of thirty miles with a few thousand troops; his magniliceut dash : his foresight ; his orioiuality and departure from iron-bound regulation methods. And IMumer. too, has these qualities. 1 have seen him rush oil into the wilderness after a Ilyina enemy "’itlt only two days’ supplies on his transport. He never hesitated, although every day s march he put between himself and the supply base meant a two days wait for food. Calm, imperturbable, gentle always, lie never hesitates. When he Mas following 1)e Wet, the (own guard of Hopetown mistook his column for the enemy, and opened a vigorous (ire on Ids advance guard. lo Mail, until the zealous citizens could be cnmimmicatcd with by flag or truce meant delay. Ninety-nine commanders out ot a hundred would have risked (he delay, and Mould have cited the town guard’s action as an excuse. IMumer did not fear to take a little responsibility. “A little pom-pom. please." he said, in that gentle voice of his. Yes, I’lumer turned his pom pom upon the. ovet zealous defenders of llopctowu. No body was killed; somebody Mas badly frightened ; and there was no delay. <• periodically hold up the colonial officer as a pattern of all that an officer should be. The reasons wr adduce lor bis superiority over his regular comrade are various and amusing. It is his knowledge ot the conn try, his acquaintance with the conditions ol life in the hush, his ignorance ol military regime, his training as a hunter. The real scent is this: the colonial officer accepts responsibility. He scores oil his om n hat. Hom mam limes could not. commanding officers have brought off coups during this Mar if llicv had had the moral courage to act nil limit written instructions? What Mould lin vc happened had Pilcher summarily dealt m ith the Suniiyside rebels the lirsl rebels of the war—instead of referring them In Cape Town? Supposing he had ae ccpled the. responsibility of dealing wit 11 them, and had tried them by court-mart ial and shot a few, do you think that there “would havn been any threats of rebellion a year later?