FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838-1900), British war correspondent, the son of a
Presbyterian minister in Morayshire, was born on the 17th of April 1838,
and was educated at Aberdeen University. Entering the Royal Dragoons as
a private, he gained, while in the service, considerable practical
experience of military life and affairs. Being invalided from his
regiment, he settled in London, and became a journalist. When the
Franco-German War broke out in 1870, Forbes was sent to the front as war
correspondent to the _Morning Advertiser_, and in this capacity he
gained valuable information as to the plans of the Parisians for
withstanding a siege. Transferring his services to the _Daily News_, his
brilliant feats in the transmission of intelligence drew world-wide
attention to his despatches. He was with the German army from the
beginning of the campaign, and he afterwards witnessed the rise and fall
of the Commune. Forbes afterwards proceeded to Spain, where he
chronicled the outbreak of the second Carlist War; but his work here was
interrupted by a visit to India, where he spent eight months upon a
mission of investigation into the Bengal famine of 1874. Then he
returned to Spain, and followed at various times the Carlist, the
Republican and the Alfonsist forces. As representative of the _Daily
News_, he accompanied the prince of Wales in his tour through India in
1875-1876. Forbes went through the Servian campaign of 1876, and was
present at all the important engagements. In the Russo-Turkish campaign
of 1877 he achieved striking journalistic successes at great personal
risk. Attached to the Russian army, he witnessed most of the principal
operations, and remained continuously in the field until attacked by
fever. His letters, together with those of his colleagues, MacGahan and
Millet, were republished by the _Daily News_. On recovering from his
fever, Forbes proceeded to Cyprus, in order to witness the British
occupation. The same year (1878) he went to India, and in the winter
accompanied the Khyber Pass force to Jalalabad. He was present at the
taking of Ali Musjid, and marched with several expeditions against the
hill tribes. Burma was Forbes's next field of adventure, and at
Mandalay, the capital, he had several interesting interviews with King
Thibaw. He left Burma hurriedly for South Africa, where, in consequence
of the disaster of Isandlwana, a British force was collecting for the
invasion of Zululand. He was present at the victory of Ulundi, and his
famous ride of 120 m. in fifteen hours, by which he was enabled to
convey the first news of the battle to England, remains one of the
finest achievements in journalistic enterprise. Forbes subsequently
delivered many lectures on his war experiences to large audiences. His
closing years were spent in literary work. He had some years before
published a military novel entitled _Drawn from Life_, and a volume on
his experiences of the war between France and Germany. These were now
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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