motto for a soldier.—glory.—reply to a challenge.—the caricature.—discharges.—a picquet, sentinel, vedette, advanced guard, and flag of truce.—crossing rivers.—presentations.—camps of instruction.—comfort of a cigar.—tribute to the brave.
“the love of country is creditable to every heart; and i would have you, boys, cherish it in yours. i would, if i could, have every soldier, and indeed every englishman, take for his motto,
‘old england for ever!
the land, boys, we live in!’
and make up his mind that it is his bounden duty to do all he can for the country that gave him birth. most of the old boys at greenwich 182hospital, and chelsea college, who have lost an arm or a leg, or are otherwise injured, would heartily join in this sentiment, though they somehow seem to think fighting, and their country’s good, the same thing.”
“when a soldier is wounded, no doubt he tries to comfort himself with the honour he has got in the battle?”
“o boys! boys! ‘will honour take away the grief of a wound?’ a soldier had need have something better to support him than the mere love of glory: he ought to have the consolation of knowing that he has fought in a just cause, and that it is his country’s good, and not his own that he aims at. in my time, perhaps, i have run after the bubble glory as ardently as the boy pursues his butterfly; but there are seasons—i speak from experience—when the heart of a soldier is sick of war; and then he muses and moralizes like other men. when, harassed, day after day, and night after night, when, bivouacing on the cold ground, or watching by the dying embers of the camp-fire, and, especially, when lying among the wounded on the battle-field, he sees friends and foes around him who have been swept down by the sharp scythe of war, he yearns for the calm quiet, the soothing peacefulness of a happy home, where the wasting sword of battle is unknown; and then, like others, he can break out in ardent exclamations against mad ambition, questioning the value of 183mere glory, and even doubting the lawfulness of making earthly honours an object of his desires.
‘o glory! glory! mighty one on earth!
how justly imaged by the waterfall!
so wild and furious in thy sparkling birth,
dashing thy torrents down, and dazzling all;
sublimely breaking from thy glorious height,
majestic, thundering, beautiful, and bright.
‘oh! what is human glory, human pride?
what are man’s triumphs, when they brightest seem?
what art thou, mighty one! though deified?
methuselah’s long pilgrimage—a dream!
our age is but a shade, our life a tale,
a vacant fancy, or a passing gale.’
“you see, that though i am an old soldier, i have no notion of men fighting for mere glory. the good of their country and the real welfare of those around them is a better motive to move a soldier’s or a sailor’s heart than all the glory that can be acquired.”
“officers sometimes fight duels, uncle, that cannot be for the good of their country.”
“very true. he who kills another in a duel lays up for himself a bed of briers and a pillow of thorns. there are restless nights and ugly dreams in store for him. perhaps you may have heard of the reply that was once given to a challenge. as, however, it is short, i will repeat it to you. it ran pretty much in this manner: ‘i have two objections to this duel affair; the one is, lest i 184should hurt you, and the other is, lest you should hurt me. i do not see any good that it would do me to put a bullet through any part, though even the least dangerous part of your body. as to myself, i think it more sensible to avoid than to place myself in the way of anything harmful. i am under great apprehension you might hit me: that being the case, i think it more advisable to stay at a distance. if you want to try your pistols, take some object—a tree, or anything else about my dimensions; if you hit that, send me word, and i shall acknowledge that if i had been in the same place you might have hit me.’”
“that was a famous answer, however.”
“i once saw a caricature of two sailors fighting a duel in a saw-pit with blunderbusses. if this method should ever become popular, the number of duels will not be very great. ‘do you know the use of the sword?’ was once tauntingly asked of a brave officer by a mad-headed young ensign, who wished to provoke him to a duel. ‘better than you do, young man,’ was the noble reply: ‘a soldier’s sword should defend his country from her foes, and not be plunged into the hearts of her friends.’ i knew a private soldier in the dragoons, well educated, but of a proud and violent temper, who quarrelled with his captain, and sent him a challenge. the captain refused to fight with a private; and this so wounded the pride of the dragoon that he destroyed himself with one of his 185own pistole. i would have all such untractable, reckless spirits discharged from the army.”
“when are soldiers discharged?”
“under different circumstances. we will not here allude to desertion, for then, men and muskets too sometimes go off without being discharged. at times soldiers are found unfit for service; they have purchased their liberty; the army has been reduced; their period of service has been completed; or some crime has been committed by them, on account of which they are dismissed with disgrace. it often happens, however, that a soldier, unfit for one duty, is very capable of performing another, and thus many are invalided; they are put on garrison duty, though unfit for general service.”
“ay! that seems a very good plan. garrison-duty, then, is not so hard as other service?”
“it is not. sometimes, when soldiers are discharged, they have pensions, and sometimes they have not. many a man, who is not active enough for a picquet in the field, makes a good sentinel in garrison.”
“what is a picquet?”
“a picquet is an out-guard, posted before an army, to reconnoitre and give notice of the approach of an enemy. picquets have been called the watchdogs of an army.”
“is a picquet and a sentinel the same?”
“no; for a sentinel is one man, whereas picquets are often strong bodies of horse and foot. sentinels 186in the night should be careful not to give false alarms. i knew of one case, wherein a camp was put in confusion by a sentinel firing his piece at a horse, which had strayed; the sentinel mistook the animal for an enemy—the alarm became general, but at last the cause of it was discovered. in case of a sudden surprise, the picquet guard make what resistance they can, that the army may have time to get ready. picquets should be composed of smart fellows, all alive and equal to their undertaking; men who will behave kindly to the inhabitants around them, and keep on good terms with them. telescopes and pocket-compasses are very necessary to picquets. at night, sounds may be heard at a great distance, and the vedettes posted by the picquet, should be very silent to catch a distant sound. at night, too, a person can see better, looking up hill than looking down. these, and a hundred other things, should be well known by picquets, to render them thoroughly useful.”
“you did not say what a vedette was?”
“a vedette is a sentinel on horseback. his carbine should be advanced ready for use, and his horse’s head turned in the direction of expected danger. once, when i was on a picquet in spain, near corunna, a vedette gave the alarm, and a body of horse burst upon us so suddenly that had it not been for a couple of carts and some timber, which we had but just dragged across the narrow 187pass before us, every soldier must have been sacrificed. these are moments that try men, and tell us what they are. advanced guards are parties of horse or foot, and frequently of both the one and the other, marching on before large forces, and thus covering the front of a column.”
“how do soldiers manage when a flag of truce is sent?”
“i will tell you. a flag of truce is sent to an enemy when a cessation of hostilities is required; when time is wanted to bury the dead, or when articles of peace are about to be drawn up. it is the duty of an officer carrying a flag of truce to make the best of his eyes, that he may observe all he can of the strength and position of the enemy. and when a flag of truce arrives the receivers of it should blindfold the messenger who bears it, if he goes to head-quarters. the bearer of a flag of truce is generally preceded by a trumpeter.”
“how do soldiers manage to get across brooks, that are deep, and rivers? that must be no easy matter?”
“the crossing of great rivers is one of the most difficult of military operations, yet this is frequently necessary to be done in the face of an enemy. it is effected in different ways; sometimes a river, which cannot be crossed in a straight line, may be crossed in a slant one. when not fordable at all, pontoons, and pontoon 188bridges are resorted to. pontoons are flat-bottomed boats, made of wood, but lined with tin or copper, as the case may be, a little better than twenty feet long. bridges of boats, too, are used, as well as cables, stretched from the bank by tackles and capstans, and resting on the decks of vessels, moored at different distances. flying bridges are at times very serviceable. they are formed by anchoring a floating body in the water to receive the action of the stream obliquely, by which a force is derived from the current to move the vessel across the river. then, there are rafts of timber, casks, air-tight cases, and inflated skins, resorted to, as well as carriage-bridges, and suspension-bridges, bridges on trestles, piles, truss-frames, and other applications of carpentry.”
“oh! tell us what an inspection is?”
“inspections, like many other duties, are only useful when they are well and efficiently performed. an inspecting general should have a thorough knowledge of his profession, a quick eye, a sound judgment, a love for the service, a nice sense of honour, and an independent mind, altogether inaccessible to flattery. in a word, he should do what he undertakes to do; he should patiently and narrowly examine the troops under inspection, commending and encouraging soldierlike conduct, and reproving and correcting what is deserving of censure.”
189“no doubt, inspections must be very good things!”
“i will show you how an inspection may be rendered useless. fancy to yourselves, boys, a general, setting off with his aid-de-camp in a great bustle, and in high good humour, determined to hurry through his duties. you may be sure that the colonel and the adjutant of the troops to be inspected will not be inattentive to him; and if the colonel and adjutant are forward, the paymaster, the quarter-master, and the surgeon are not likely to be backward. how can the kind-hearted general make himself disagreeable to others by finding fault, when every one is trying to be agreeable to him? the thing is out of the question; and he looks with a favourable eye on everything in the barracks, the hospital, and the books. he is highly gratified in finding such order and discipline, and praises much, and censures very little. he must be very different from the common character of men, if a well-supplied mess, good wines, and complimentary speeches, should sour his temper; so that when the review, the grand field-day comes, on the morrow, he must be a turk if he does not regard things with a kindly spirit. he is struck with the admirable manner in which the battalion is put through the man?uvres by the senior major and captain; both manual and platoon exercises are ably performed, and all goes 190off surprisingly. with a courteous and condescending air, he approaches the colonel, in the fulness of his heart, and thus addresses him:—‘colonel, the soldierlike bearing, and general appearance of the men under your command, afford me much satisfaction. they show what british soldiers, under the command of british officers, can attain. their steadiness and promptitude under arms, and the correctness and precision of their movements, are highly creditable to you and to them. i trust that a spirit of emulation will be kept up among the troops, so that they will never decline from their present high state of efficiency, nor forfeit the good opinion they now deserve.’ now, if all this were to be huddled up in haste, instead of occupying a reasonable time for its accomplishment, and good humour and kindly feeling were thus allowed to take the place of discipline and duty, it is clear that very little advantage would be obtained from the inspection. a sense of duty, and a high and honourable bearing, should fill the bosom of a soldier, whether he be a drill-sergeant or a commanding-officer.”
“a review must be a grand sight!”
“many of them are very much so. the review which took place 7th july, 1824, before the duke of york, when the guards were present, is thus described:—‘the whole of the movements were executed with a degree of precision which excited universal admiration, and received 191the unqualified approbation of the commander-in-chief. it would be difficult to imagine anything, except an actual field-of-battle, more terrific than the view of the troops when performing some of the attacks. one brigade charging at full gallop, the other supporting them in the rear; the roaring of the artillery in the flanks; the irregular discharge of carbines by the pursuers; the sounding of trumpets, and neighing of steeds, all combined in forcing upon the mind a powerful idea of a scene of real warfare.’ a presentation is often an imposing spectacle.”
“what is a presentation?”
“presentations are of different kinds. sometimes colours are presented, and sometimes other things. in january 1831, king william was pleased to declare himself colonel-in-chief of the household brigade of cavalry, consisting of the first and second regiments of life-guards and the royal regiment of horse-guards. his majesty expressed his intention to present to each of the two regiments of life-guards a pair of silver kettle drums, constructed of fine silver, ornamented with royal and regimental devices, of fretted silver, in high relief, with the name of the sovereign, the number and title of the regiment, and the date of presentation, on each drum. the second regiment received these may 6th, 1831. when the ninetieth regiment of light-infantry was presented with a new stand of colours, in 192the square of the royal hospital, kilmainham, lieutenant-general sir hussey vivian concluded his address to the troops in the following words:—
“before i conclude, i must impress upon you, that at all times the watchword of a soldier ought to be ‘honour and fidelity.’ to attain this, the governing principle of his conduct must be, ‘obedience to the orders of his superiors.’ i will remind you of the last, that most impressive order of that great naval commander, who fell in the most glorious victory ever gained by the navy of england, and who in falling sealed the maritime ascendency of the country, annihilating the fleets of france and spain,—i say, i must remind you of that last, that most impressive order, which he issued to those brave men under his command, calling upon them to recollect that ‘england expects every man to do his duty,’ an order so nobly given, and so gloriously and triumphantly executed, that the remembrance of it can never be effaced from the annals of our country. and, lastly, i must beg of you never to forget, when marching against the enemy to victory and glory, as i have no doubt you will do, should an opportunity offer; i say, when marching against the enemy under those colours which i now place in your care, i call on you never to forget that they are to be stained only with your blood; to be surrendered only with your lives.”
193“sir hussey vivian knew how to animate his men.”
“many military men say, that camps of instruction ought to be formed in england, that soldiers may become more accustomed to the usages of war, and made more perfect in their duty. they have them in france, and other countries: and one bad effect has certainly followed the plan, it has made the people more fond of fighting than they were before. you are no smokers, boys, and therefore can hardly conceive what a luxury a cigar is, under some circumstances. you shall hear what a brother officer says on the subject.”
“ay! let us know all about his cigar.”
“‘late on the eve of the memorable battle of waterloo,’ says one who was engaged in the strife, ‘the regiment to which i belonged took up its position on that hard-fought field, in front of hougomont, or, more properly speaking, the chateau de goumont, a strong farm-house, and the key-stone of the british line. the sun set red, ominously foretelling stormy weather; and about dark the rain descended in torrents. our situation, as may easily be conceived, was none of the most enviable, being totally destitute of tents or field matériel. we bivouacked in line; and here and there might be seen, through the murky gloom of night, men huddled together, trying to retain that animal heat so necessary 194to our existence, to say nothing of our comfort. a party of half-a-dozen of us gathered round a fire of half-ignited logs of wood, trying, by every means ingenuity could invent, to nurse it into flame, and prevent the rain utterly drowning its genial influence. we were sitting despondingly, wet, and talking over our probable fate in the morrow’s fight, when, by some unaccountable influence, i put my hand into the side-pocket of my grey great coat. i felt a something; i withdrew my hand with a mingled feeling of joy and fear; joy, occasioned by the unlooked-for discovery; fear, from a dread of being disappointed if i prosecuted my search without ultimate success; when, having essayed again, to my great delight, and to the envy of my companions, i pulled out a cigar,—my last cigar! i seized the half-ignited stick and applied it to the weed,—alas! no smoke rewarded my efforts. i cursed my folly for so carelessly exposing it in my pocket: i rolled it and unrolled it; in fact, i tried all the arts that smokers have invented to doctor a bad cigar, when, after half-an-hour’s patient endeavour, i elicited a blue curling cloud from my last cigar. happy moment! though years have intervened, never have i forgotten that most ecstatic speck in the few hours of terrestrial happiness i have met with.’”
195“poor fellow! how he must have enjoyed it!”
“no doubt he did, boys! it recalls to my mind not only the memorable plains of waterloo, but also many a camp-scene, wherein comforts were scarce. it sets before me bygone struggles in company with those who are now no more. vimiera, corunna, busaco, salamanca, and vittoria, rise before me! to the memory of many who fought and fell on spanish ground, the following beautiful lines would be an appropriate tribute:—
“it was not in holy ground,
bless’d by white-rob’d priest, they laid him,
but on the field,
while the cannon peal’d,
a hasty grave they made him,
with the brave around.
“it was not in costly shroud,
sewn by cherish’d hands, they wound him,
but on the plain,
soil’d by many a stain,
they wrapped his cloak around him,
while the strife was loud.
“it was not by the tolling bell
that to his grave they bore him;
by the iron note
of the cannon’s throat
they cast the cold sods o’er him,
where he bravely fell!
196“it was not by a sculptur’d stone
that in after-years they found him:
they knew full well
where he fought and fell,
with the bold and the brave around him,
ere the fight was done!”
