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

This is a well-drawn picture of the French, yet I hope he will excuse
me for saying, that I think an officer of great experience, like
Colonel Napier, must often have seen supernatural efforts made by
French officers, both to bring on their men and to make them stand
their ground, but all in vain, when they saw British troops about to
close with them. Again Colonel Napier speaks of the unrelenting vigour
of British infantry, and of their deafening shout, rolling over a
field of battle, more full and terrible than that of any other nation,
and followed by the strong and unwavering charge. All this must be
fully acquiesced in, and the British soldier well merits this praise;
for I do not think that Colonel Napier ever had any difficulty in
getting his men to stand or follow him, either to the charge or to the
assault of the most rugged and impracticable breach; on the contrary,
I should suppose he must have found more difficulty in restraining
them in their headlong course, with their officers, still more daring
than themselves, at their head. In the comparison, therefore, drawn
between French and British soldiers, I consider that Colonel Napier
scarcely does the undaunted brilliant courage of the latter justice,
when he only speaks of the unrelenting vigour of the British infantry.
I conclude, when Colonel Napier composed this passage, he had the
fields of Talavera and Waterloo before his eyes, where, certainly,
great endurance of fire was necessary on the part of British troops,
and where the French had full scope for displaying their best qualities
as soldiers; but in the 3rd division, when it fought in Picton's
style, and was led as he expected his officers to lead, he would, on
all occasions, have witnessed the fine qualities attributed to French
soldiers most amply displayed, and even surpassed. Much, however, as
I admire the undaunted courage of British soldiers in following the
bravest and most noble-minded officers in the world, I cannot be blind
to their imperfections, and especially to their conduct after victory,
and upon other occasions, which often threatened us with the most
serious consequences; and it is this makes me so anxious to have more
of the good and true men of the British empire brought into our ranks,
and of whom there are enough to be found to form a well conducted
invincible army.

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

This is a well-drawn picture of the French, yet I hope he will excuse
me for saying, that I think an officer of great experience, like
Colonel Napier, must often have seen supernatural efforts made by
French officers, both to bring on their men and to make them stand
their ground, but all in vain, when they saw British troops about to
close with them. Again Colonel Napier speaks of the unrelenting vigour
of British infantry, and of their deafening shout, rolling over a
field of battle, more full and terrible than that of any other nation,
and followed by the strong and unwavering charge. All this must be
fully acquiesced in, and the British soldier well merits this praise;
for I do not think that Colonel Napier ever had any difficulty in
getting his men to stand or follow him, either to the charge or to the
assault of the most rugged and impracticable breach; on the contrary,
I should suppose he must have found more difficulty in restraining
them in their headlong course, with their officers, still more daring
than themselves, at their head. In the comparison, therefore, drawn
between French and British soldiers, I consider that Colonel Napier
scarcely does the undaunted brilliant courage of the latter justice,
when he only speaks of the unrelenting vigour of the British infantry.
I conclude, when Colonel Napier composed this passage, he had the
fields of Talavera and Waterloo before his eyes, where, certainly,
great endurance of fire was necessary on the part of British troops,
and where the French had full scope for displaying their best qualities
as soldiers; but in the 3rd division, when it fought in Picton's
style, and was led as he expected his officers to lead, he would, on
all occasions, have witnessed the fine qualities attributed to French
soldiers most amply displayed, and even surpassed. Much, however, as
I admire the undaunted courage of British soldiers in following the
bravest and most noble-minded officers in the world, I cannot be blind
to their imperfections, and especially to their conduct after victory,
and upon other occasions, which often threatened us with the most
serious consequences; and it is this makes me so anxious to have more
of the good and true men of the British empire brought into our ranks,
and of whom there are enough to be found to form a well conducted
invincible army.

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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