104 OUR INFANTRY. 



taught by books, like geometry and arithmetic. 

 This reminds me, that on its being mentioned 

 to the Duke of Wellington, that Bonaparte, 

 while only a general commanding an army, 

 had declined to give the then Government of 

 France a plan of his intended campaign in 

 Italy, before he left Paris, observed that Bona- 

 parte was right, as no general could determine 

 his plan of a campaign till he had surveyed 

 the district likely to be occupied. 



This it is which renders going over a country 

 which has been the seat of war carried on bv a 

 great commander so pre-eminently useful. A 

 young officer there sees the situations where 

 what are called general principles were attended 

 to, and where they were neglected. 



As an illustration of my opinion, that a visit 

 to the districts where a war has been carried 

 on is desirable, 1 beg the readers attention to 

 the terms, strong and weak, as applied to 

 military positions — terms necessarily in con- 

 stant use in all military works, and yet perfectly 

 vague, and practically unintelligible to officers 

 who have not seen service, or been in peace 

 instructed in the manner here pointed out. 

 Doubtless every man capable of thinking, will 



