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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. — John Shaqi

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

I would have been better pleased were it in my power now to proceed
to other subjects, rather than have to touch upon what is really
unpleasant to me; for I know that I am about to tread on very ticklish
ground, and to offend the aristocratical notions of many; and I am also
aware, it is very likely, that I shall in consequence be set down as a
mere plebeian, or even accused of being wanting in that loyalty, which,
as a British soldier, I should possess; but still I feel that I ought
to go on steadily, in order, if possible, to accomplish what I have in
view, that is to say--in endeavouring to do all I can so as to have our
army the finest in the world, for which we possess ample materials,
and as an essential step towards this, I must venture to propose to
make certain changes in our regiments of guards; and I do not see how
I can avoid recommending that they should, in a great measure, be
converted into battalions of regular cavalry and infantry, so as to
be supplied, in future, with recruits from (selected) districts, the
same as other corps; for without this, they could only be composed of
an inferior description of men: yet in point of rank they should,
of course, be placed at the head of the list of British regiments,
for their gallantry, on all occasions, well entitles them to this
distinction; but the privileges and the advantages of their officers,
in, I must say, improperly obtaining rank, can no longer, it appears to
me, be tolerated by those noblemen and gentlemen, who, I trust, would,
under the proposed system, officer our regular army. It can be of no
consequence to the country, that a few of our young nobility, and the
sons of wealthy men, who wish to go into exclusive corps, for a short
time only, were prevented from getting too rapidly forward in rank,
through the means of money and interest, to the discouragement of real
soldiers. I must, however, in fairness, bring before the reader what a
good soldier, Lieut.-General Sir Charles Dalbiac, says upon the subject.


"TO MAJOR-GENERAL THE RIGHT HON. SIR HENRY HARDINGE, K.C.B.

"My dear Sir Henry,--The army estimates for the ensuing year being
now under the consideration of the House of Commons, I am induced to
trouble you with a few remarks upon a point to which I have always
attached considerable importance.

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.

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