Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/496

 4GG APPENDIX. veiy ditlerent from the feelings and liabits of otlier nations ; it is not very intelligible, is very discouraging to military men, and wouki seem hardly to be deserved when connected with complete and abso- lute successes. 2. Take, for nstance, a simple record of the thoroughly success- ful events of th Peninsular war, and it would be hard to believe that, according to many of the contemporary writers, every one was accompanied by a tissue of blunders and mismanagement. As for the service in the Crimea, it seems to be thouglit that nothing could be said too bad of all concerned. 3. In this systematic species of criticism no allowance is made for the impossibility of anticipating all the contingencies of war. Where circumstances, as in a campaign, may be developed in an infinite variety of ways, neither party can possibly be distinctly and exclusively prepared for the precise case that may actually occur, although, after the event, it can be easily defined what those pre- parations might (and consequently it is inferred ought to) have been. 4. After an interval of twelve years it may be hoped that the strong and somewhat partial impressions which gave a false tone to many notices on the occurrences of the day will have passed away, and that the circumstances connected with the Crimean war may admit of more calm discussion, and let us hope that such may now be attempted, notwithstanding certain sharp comments by aji eminent writer of the present day in the recent publication of the history of that campaign. 5. It may be thought that those very animadversions themselves indicate that the time is not yet arrived for calm and unprejudiced discussion ; still, many such impressions, and perhaps prejudices, will be at least softened down or obliterated, and statements may be more interesting now, when emanating from the remaining few who bore a prominent part in the proceedings that have been commented Hj)on than if ])Ostponed to a more remote period. 6. In addition to a desire to vindicate those opinions of my own Avith which fault has been found, and which I still continue ti> believe to have been well founded, I may at once declare my thorough dissent from the justii.'c of the violent censures that have been passed on many of the actors in that service. 7. The duties were severe and resfwnsilde ; our means wore totally inadequate to our task ; and my conviction is, that all engaged in it perfonned their parts in the best manner, that the few blundei-s which occurred are inevitable in all military operations, and even