Opening the text

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.Campbell, James

History

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

Name: A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.
Author: Campbell, James

Campbell, James

Great Britain. Army

His Grace the Duke of Wellington very rarely bestowed such public
praise upon any part of his army; yet how strange it was that soldiers
who could, in the presence of their officers, behave so bravely
and merit such encomiums should, when out of their sight, act so
recklessly. I do not hesitate in saying that the officers of the army
deserved more credit for whatever was found deserving of commendation
in their men than was usually allowed them. It was of old a common
saying that, "with French officers and English soldiers the world might
easily be conquered." Whatever slur this may have been intended to
convey against British officers, it certainly no longer exists, and it
could be easily proved that they are now second to none; and all they
want is a superior description of men to act with, which the United
Kingdom can easily furnish, and a better system for their guidance--a
system which would allow them to treat those placed under them as
beings endowed with reason, and not as mere pieces of machinery.

The castle of Badajoz, after three unsuccessful attempts, was at last
carried chiefly through the wonderful exertions, persevering zeal
and gallantry of the officers of the 3rd division, several of whom
had waited, according to orders, just before the assault, upon Sir
James Kempt, then one of its generals of brigade, when a plan of the
castle was shown to them, and much pains taken to point out what was
to be overcome in order to capture it; and it must have been obvious
to those officers, that retreating, when once under the walls of the
castle, was quite impossible, and this clearly shows that the idea of
a false attack could never have been entertained; indeed it was talked
of and considered by many of us as an enterprise fit only for the
knight-errants of old.

To these explanations, and to the extraordinary perseverance and
gallantry of the officers, I have always chiefly attributed the
taking of the Castle of Badajoz by the 3rd division. But in giving
what follows, I cannot avoid again calling the reader's attention to
the praises so justly due to the officers, and also to the soldiers
for undaunted courage in following them; and I regret to say, to the
censure, the next moment, so well deserved by the latter. It may be
asked, why I persevere in making such severe remarks upon the conduct
of our soldiers? I readily answer, that my only motive is to induce the
country, if possible, to employ hereafter such men, as can be called
out in the way I have proposed in our armies, and not the inferior and
most difficult to be restrained part of our fine and warlike population.

  "G.O.  _Camp before Badajoz, 7th April, 1812._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

Campbell, James

Great Britain. Army

His Grace the Duke of Wellington very rarely bestowed such public
praise upon any part of his army; yet how strange it was that soldiers
who could, in the presence of their officers, behave so bravely
and merit such encomiums should, when out of their sight, act so
recklessly. I do not hesitate in saying that the officers of the army
deserved more credit for whatever was found deserving of commendation
in their men than was usually allowed them. It was of old a common
saying that, "with French officers and English soldiers the world might
easily be conquered." Whatever slur this may have been intended to
convey against British officers, it certainly no longer exists, and it
could be easily proved that they are now second to none; and all they
want is a superior description of men to act with, which the United
Kingdom can easily furnish, and a better system for their guidance--a
system which would allow them to treat those placed under them as
beings endowed with reason, and not as mere pieces of machinery.

The castle of Badajoz, after three unsuccessful attempts, was at last
carried chiefly through the wonderful exertions, persevering zeal
and gallantry of the officers of the 3rd division, several of whom
had waited, according to orders, just before the assault, upon Sir
James Kempt, then one of its generals of brigade, when a plan of the
castle was shown to them, and much pains taken to point out what was
to be overcome in order to capture it; and it must have been obvious
to those officers, that retreating, when once under the walls of the
castle, was quite impossible, and this clearly shows that the idea of
a false attack could never have been entertained; indeed it was talked
of and considered by many of us as an enterprise fit only for the
knight-errants of old.

To these explanations, and to the extraordinary perseverance and
gallantry of the officers, I have always chiefly attributed the
taking of the Castle of Badajoz by the 3rd division. But in giving
what follows, I cannot avoid again calling the reader's attention to
the praises so justly due to the officers, and also to the soldiers
for undaunted courage in following them; and I regret to say, to the
censure, the next moment, so well deserved by the latter. It may be
asked, why I persevere in making such severe remarks upon the conduct
of our soldiers? I readily answer, that my only motive is to induce the
country, if possible, to employ hereafter such men, as can be called
out in the way I have proposed in our armies, and not the inferior and
most difficult to be restrained part of our fine and warlike population.

  "G.O.  _Camp before Badajoz, 7th April, 1812._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

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