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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.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

It must be acknowledged, that our selections of officers for staff
appointments were too often injudicious; but I do not allow that they
were ever carried to the extent, shewn by an able French writer, that
they were brought in France at the commencement of the year 1792,
when the Etat Major of their armies were in so wretched a state, that
it was found necessary to re-establish, quietly, but imperfectly,
what had been destroyed by a decree of the 5th of October, 1790. The
difficulties of the service augmented incessantly, from their ignorance
even of the old forms gone through, and which some fancied they could
remedy, by multiplying the numbers employed. The power of attaching
assistants to the Etat Major consequently grew into a complete abuse;
and at last, in the month of April, 1792, rose to such a pitch, that
what with the numbers employed, and through the choice made, the
Minister of War saw himself forced to try to put things to rights, by
a circular letter addressed to Generals commanding military divisions,
and which led to the dismissal from their employments of the whole of
these assistants. It, however, soon after became necessary to employ
the same, or others equally useless; and this letter did not by any
means put a stop to the increasing evils of interest and patronage,
for there were still appointed to the Etat Major the most improper
and ignorant men, and even girls, who had mounted uniforms, and
substituted the sword for the distaff. We are told that there is still
to be seen a letter from General Dumourier to Pache, the Minister of
War, reproaching him for having sent to his army an opera dancer as
an adjutant-general. Men of abilities were, as may be well supposed,
disgusted, whilst they were overwhelmed with business, to make up for
the ignorance of others; and they were necessitated to use every
expedient in order to get through, in any way, the tasks assigned them;
and thus the service only presented one mass of confusion, the Minister
of War not receiving connected reports or returns; and, as a matter of
course, he could not give satisfactory information, when called upon
to do so, to those really interested in knowing the state of the army.
Another circular was, in consequence, issued by the Minister of War,
dated Paris, the 20th of April, 1793; but it had no effect whatever,
because it was not only unreasonable, but ridiculous, to require from
men what they neither could do, nor knew how to do. The Committee of
Public Safety, struck with this state of things, set about putting
matters to rights; but two or three of its members, interested that the
disorders should continue, found means to overturn all, and the state
of the Etat Major was allowed to remain as hopeless as ever. It was
not therefore until about the 4th year of the Republic, that they were
able in some measure to put things into order, by turning out ignorant
and incapable men, and the Etat Major then became composed of some good

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

It must be acknowledged, that our selections of officers for staff
appointments were too often injudicious; but I do not allow that they
were ever carried to the extent, shewn by an able French writer, that
they were brought in France at the commencement of the year 1792,
when the Etat Major of their armies were in so wretched a state, that
it was found necessary to re-establish, quietly, but imperfectly,
what had been destroyed by a decree of the 5th of October, 1790. The
difficulties of the service augmented incessantly, from their ignorance
even of the old forms gone through, and which some fancied they could
remedy, by multiplying the numbers employed. The power of attaching
assistants to the Etat Major consequently grew into a complete abuse;
and at last, in the month of April, 1792, rose to such a pitch, that
what with the numbers employed, and through the choice made, the
Minister of War saw himself forced to try to put things to rights, by
a circular letter addressed to Generals commanding military divisions,
and which led to the dismissal from their employments of the whole of
these assistants. It, however, soon after became necessary to employ
the same, or others equally useless; and this letter did not by any
means put a stop to the increasing evils of interest and patronage,
for there were still appointed to the Etat Major the most improper
and ignorant men, and even girls, who had mounted uniforms, and
substituted the sword for the distaff. We are told that there is still
to be seen a letter from General Dumourier to Pache, the Minister of
War, reproaching him for having sent to his army an opera dancer as
an adjutant-general. Men of abilities were, as may be well supposed,
disgusted, whilst they were overwhelmed with business, to make up for
the ignorance of others; and they were necessitated to use every
expedient in order to get through, in any way, the tasks assigned them;
and thus the service only presented one mass of confusion, the Minister
of War not receiving connected reports or returns; and, as a matter of
course, he could not give satisfactory information, when called upon
to do so, to those really interested in knowing the state of the army.
Another circular was, in consequence, issued by the Minister of War,
dated Paris, the 20th of April, 1793; but it had no effect whatever,
because it was not only unreasonable, but ridiculous, to require from
men what they neither could do, nor knew how to do. The Committee of
Public Safety, struck with this state of things, set about putting
matters to rights; but two or three of its members, interested that the
disorders should continue, found means to overturn all, and the state
of the Etat Major was allowed to remain as hopeless as ever. It was
not therefore until about the 4th year of the Republic, that they were
able in some measure to put things into order, by turning out ignorant
and incapable men, and the Etat Major then became composed of some good

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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