that he loved them; that he never spared himself either the dangers, fatigues, or privations to which the meanest of his soldiers was exposed. Verily he was a model general; those who knew him will add, he was also a model man!

Napoleon has said that Turenne is the only general on record whose daring increased with years and experience. Had he written thirty years later, he might well have excepted the conqueror of Scinde, who was a more remarkable instance; he having been upwards of sixty when he won his first battle.

King Joseph neglected the moral means at his command, in permitting Wellington to continue to drive him along the route to Vittoria in 1813, instead of arresting his retreat to give battle, at the moment when the enthusiasm of his army was excited by the intelligence of Napoleon's great victory at Bautzen. But besides this inducement to a bold course, another existed in the fact that on the army of no other nation does retreat exercise so dispiriting an influence as on the French. In speaking of this retreat Napier says, "He (Wellington) had judged the king's military capacity; he had seen the haste, the confusion, the trouble of the enemy, and knowing well the moral power of rapidity and boldness in such circumstances, had acted daringly indeed, but wisely, for such daring is admirable, it is the highest part of war."

If the Great Duke of Wellington is not further alluded to, it is because his character and fame are as household words. Men want no candle to show them the brightness of the sun. He was the master from whose school went forth such pupils as the two brothers, of whom one was the conqueror of Scinde; in the other, Wellington was so fortunate as to find a historian of genius akin to his own, and able worthily to record his great deeds.

Much moral force lies in "the initiative " in war. The power of taking the initiative in a campaign and of obliging an adversary to follow it, is one of the principle indications of military genius in a commander.

In the campaign of 1675 (his last), Turenne was opposed to Montecuculi, whose orders were to invade and reduce Alsace. Montecuculi intended to cross the Rhine by the bridge of Strasbourg, whose magistrates were devoted to him; but Turenne encamped under the walls of the town to overawe the corporation, who did not then dare to open their gates to the German. Accordingly Montecuculi descended the right bank of the Rhine, and gave out that he was going to besiege Philipsbourg, but constructed a bridge at Spire, and passed to the left bank.

Turenne, disregarding this initiative of his adversary, passed himself to the right bank by a bridge which he constructed at Ottenheim about ten miles

above Strasbourg, and advanced to a position which covered both Strasbourg and his bridge. After some days' hesitation, Montecuculi was obliged, or rather thought himself obliged, to follow the lead of Turenne; he returned to the right bank and came to oppose Turenne.

Thus Turenne's object of preventing the invasion of Alsace was accomplished. In speaking of Turenne having compelled Montecuculi to follow his initiative on this occasion Napoleon says, " This first victory of the campaign was real."

EXAMPLES TO CHAPTERS V. AND VI.

Marlborough's Passage of the Lines of the Mehaigne in 1705. (See Plate III.)

These lines had occupied three years in the construction. They extended from Marché aux Dames on the Meuse on the right, to Antwerp on the left; they passed by Wasseigne, where they crossed the Mehaigne river, thence over the open ground to the sources of the Little Gheet, and behind that river to Leuwe. The entrenchments consisted of redans connected by curtains, and were continuous up to this point. From Leuwe to Aerschot on the Demer river the Great Gheet and the Demer formed a natural defence; from Aerschot a line of entrenchments, similar to those described, ran to Antwerp. Protecting the flanks were the fortresses of Antwerp and Namur, and in the interval were numerous fortified posts, particularly Leuwe, Diest, Sichem, and Aerschot. The French army, amounting to 70,000 men, was disposed for the defence of the lines between the Great and Little Gheet, in positions whence the troops could be readily concentrated on

any point threatened with attack. Villeroy, with the headquarters and the main body, was at Mierdorp.

Marlborough resolved to pass this formidable barrier, defended though it was by an army superior to his own. The part which he selected for attack was between Leuwe and Heilisheim, where the lines had the Little Gheet, with its abrupt and slippery banks, as a ditch in their front. It was the strongest part of the line, and was selected by Marlborough for that very reason, as likely to be less carefully guarded by the enemy than weaker portions.

On the 17th of July Marlborough ordered Overkirk, who was in his confidence, to make a feigned attack on that part of the entrenchments between the Mehaigne and the Meuse. Overkirk crossed the Mehaigne and advanced towards the lines, sending detachments as far as the very ditch. Marlborough, to confirm the impression that the right was the point threatened, made a movement towards his own left as if to support Overkirk. These demonstrations produced their desired effect. Villeroy drew nearly all his troops from that portion of the lines between Leuwe and Heilisheim, and disposed them around Mierdorp, and between that place and Namur. While Overkirk was advancing towards the lines twelve pontoon bridges were constructed over the Mehaigne in his rear, so that his force should not