THE BEGINNING OF WARS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7482, 16 August 1902, Page 2

THE BEGINNING OF WARS

Circumstances TJndor "Whlcim First Shots 'Wero Fired. . It isWways difficult to find out who fired the first shot in a war. Either a war begins in a scrimmage, in/which several persons are engaged at tae same , time, or, if the honour or the calamity belong to one ■ msfti, several claimants are always found for the place, cays " M.A.P." j ' THE) cbwean WAn. j The wae between Russia and the Allies j began by the invasion of Moldavia and j Wallachia by a Russiaa army, many months ! before the diplomatic rupture occurred between Russia, France and England; and many shots were fired before the Russians faced their real antagonists. But the first shot fired between English and Russians Ayas in June, 18(54, Ayhen a Captain Butler, of the English army, who was temporarily attached to the Turkish army, was reconnoitring on the defences of Silistria, which was besieged by the Russians. His voice was heard outside the works by a Russian sharpshooter, who- fired into an embrasure, killing Butler. On July 7, 1854, took place the battle of Guirgevo, on the banks of the Danube^ andi although the British army had ndfc arrived, here for the first time the Russians faced Englishmen, for the Turks were commanded by Qeheral Cannon — a general officer of the Sepoy army (serving temporarily as a pasha). A Captain Bent, leading 300 riflemen, charged the Russians, driving them from their tents and across the Danube. And "so Captain Bent would probably have <& much claim as anyone to have fired the first shot in the Crimean war proper — that i$ t exclusive of the earlier Moldavian fights. THB INDIAN MUTINY. Early in May, 1857, the episode of "the greased! cartridges " led up to iome insubordination among the troopers of the Third Regiment of Native cavalry stationed at Meerut, and commanded by Colonel Carmichael Smyths who was a severe and unpopular officer. Smyth ordered a parade for purposes of reprimand, and for troops to receive the hated new ammunition. Eighty-five trwpers failed to appear. A court-martial was held, and all the eightyfive, with the exception of eleven youngsters (let off on account of their youth) were sentenced to ten years' hard labour imprisonment. On May 9 the sentence was executed on the parade ground, the regimental armourers 'and smithy shackling leg-irons on the men], while their comrades had to stand by and see them degraded. . May 10 was a Sunday, and a blazing hot day. Rumours were about that mischief was brewing, but the Europeans took no precautions. "The chaplain's children's ayah besought her mistress to fly, but her Avarnings were disregarded. At evening church time trouble was reported in the Sepoy lines, and Colonel Finnis, commanding the Eleventh Regiment, rode down to the Sepoy camp. He was a popular, warmhearted man, and much liked by Sepoysj Strong in his" belief in thein^ he rode fearlessly straight in among them. He was actually remonstrating with them Avhen a young soldier of the Twentieth Regiment discharged his musket at the colonel, but only wounded his horse. Again he fired, the bullet hitting the colonel in the back, killing- him instantly. In a moment the dead body was riddled Avith bullets. The young trooper of the Twentieth had commenced .'the greiafc mutiny 1 THE CrVHi WAB IN AMEBICA.' I know nofc the man who fired the first shot in the: Civil War in America, but who I might have been that man^and very nearly was. Roger Pryor in recent yeara. has been a dweller in New York, and for a time occupied a position on the judicial bench. In his hob youth t howeyer, . he was one of the young bloods of Virginia whose fervour helped l to fan. the flames that burst into the awful conflagration. By a curious coincidence he was one of the party that demanded the surrender of Fort Sumter. With breathless interest I listened to him one night as he told tbe story of the eventful day when he and his friends paid a visit to Fort Sumter with the demand that the northern troops should give the place up. Even when they are going to fight — even when they are going to hang— in whatever position and tragedy of life they may find themselves — Americans are thoroughly human ; I suppose it is part ofl their democratic training under a Republic. And so ifc was that this interview, fateful with such awful consequences — to end in the destruction of a million lives— took place with pleasantness on both sides. The garrison received the deputation in a hospitable spirit; drinks even were exchanged. But both sideß took up their position -with that inflexible and iron determination Avhich is another American quality. > FOBT SUMTEH. And then the Confederates went away ; and soon after the order was given that the fortress was to be attacked, and that the first shob in the fight was to be fired. Lightly, I dare say, these wild young fellows thought of what they were about to clo; for if the men of the south had not been reckless daredevils they would . never have provoked this struggle, the end of Avhich was as certain as anything could have been in history. Somebody ' suggested to Roger Pryor tbat his hand should have the honour — as ib was supposed — of firing the first shot. Though he Avas so young and so hot-headed, some good angel whispered into his ear that this might turn out to be one of those acts of heavy and calamitous responsibility that Avould haunt a man's conscience, ana perhaps blight his life for ever afterward, and he waived away the proffered honour. Another man too, eagerly took it up. I cannob recall ab this moment what was this poor man's name, but it Avill be easily remembered in America. I understand that the awful fact did have these very results which Roger Pryor foresaw in one of those moments of prophetic foresight that sometimes come to men. The man who fired the first shob was bound to become kno-wn to the Avhole American world, and was thereby a target of attention, attack, pity. It weighed upon and overwhelmed him, and I belieA r e he felt for a long time like a marked and doomed man, an outcast and an accursed one. How ifc ended with him I do not recall, but I believe his death Avas tragic. IN THE FBANCO-PBUSSIAN WAR. The first shot in the Franco-Prussian war was fired by a French soldier who was on guard at Strasburg Bridge, ond blazed away across the bridge at a party of Germans. The incident occurred early ii August, 1870, a day or two before the Emperor Napoleon IH. formally took the field. TURCO-BUSSIAN WAR. Tlie bombardment of Poti, in TransCaucasia, on Aprii 22, 1877^jvas the occasion of the first shots fired in this war. At the tame time Hobart Pasha, in his yacht the Rebhymo, ran the gauntlet from Rustchuk, on the Danube, past the Russian guns at Galatz, under the cover oi night. The Russian gunners detected the yacht, bufc the Pasha kept Avell in under the shore so thab the gunners were unI able to depress the gun muzzles sufficiently ! to tako accurate aim, and, after the Rethyi mo had passed, the Pasha sent a shell into i the Russian camp. Afc the same time there Avere " affairs of outposts " in one or two Bpobs where the Russians and Turks faced each other on the Roumanian frontier. Thus -was war beginning in several localities at the same time, and nothing is re-

corded Avhich would help to identify the firsfc shot. AUSTRO-PRTJSSIAN WAB. Most biographies of Bismarck make the attempt on his life, on May 7, 1866, the starting of this war. Bismarck knew if he forced on the struggle his whole career depended on the issuej and it was while he Avas still undecided, and was walking down the Unter den Linden, that Karl Blind's son fired a revolver at him. Bismarck used the attempt and the wave of public enthusiasm for him at Berlin to break do-wn such | governmental opposition as was being ofj fered to his policyi and, from a dramatic ! point of view, that revolver shot in the Unter den Linden might be called the "first shot" in the seven days' campaign which ended 1 in Sadowa. SPANISH-AMBBICAN WAB. ! Captain Sigsbee, United Staites Navy, of the Maine, in his history of the blowing up of that vessel, on Feb. 15, 1898, at 9.40 p.m., sayst "Although tipa war which followed was not founded on the destruction of fche Maine as a political cause, that disaster was the pivotal event of the^ conflict which led to it £ and ended Spanish possession in the New World." The explosion of the torpedo, or Whatever the destructive agent was, could scarcely be called a "first shot," but probably most Americans consider the incident the 'first blow struck in the war. GRECO-TURKISH WAB. Stevens in" With the Conquering Turk" describes the " first shot " at the battle of Meluna of the big Turkish gun, when " Mehemet AU Effendi,, the tall, blackbroAved officer ip command of the battery," sights and fires the first shelf on the Greek blockhouse, two and a half miles away, while "Edhem Pasha sat squatting crosslegged on the ground watching the practice." But two daya before this there had been almost continual skirmishing w the woods of Karya, even before the official notification of declaration of wax had reached the Turkish Generalissimo. IN OTJB OWN DAYS. The last story on my list is of our own time. .Everybody knows that the gallant old Joubert, Avho was the commander-in-chief of the Boer forces, was always an opponent of Mr Kruger and of the ivar. Nevertheless, be went in wifch his country -^ men when the hour of danger came, but he went with no doubt as to the disastrous final result. He and his troops were before Dundee ; and then it was that what was practically the first shot in the war was fired. The scouts brought the information that the English troops were in possession of the town, and it was resolved that they should, if possible, be dislodged. " All right," said Joubert, " bring up the Staats Artillerie." The Staats Artillerie came up. " Fire," said Joubert. The shot was fired; and then, as the smoke died away, amid a thrill Joubert turned to his officers and said : " There goes the independence of ther* Transvaal." 'Some months later the gallant veteran was dead. Probably the calamities which he foresaw, but could not prevent, had much to do with hastening his end.