76 MAJOR-GENERAL SIR GEORGE K. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF, ON THE 



marvellously successful. They fall into regular stages: first the 

 securing of the sea base and the establishment of the " bastion" 

 in Pomerania and Brandenburg, next the acceptance of battle 

 with the Imperial forces under Tilly and the overwhelming 

 victory of Breitenfeld (one of the most decisive battles in history), 

 then the advance on the Rhine and the occupation of Mainz, 

 followed by the advance through the Palatinate, the victory of 

 the Lech, and the occupation of Bavaria, then the operations 

 against Wallenstein, the defence of Nurnberg, and the final 

 victory of Liitzen, where the great leader himself fell, but where 

 he finally crushed the Imperiahst forces. 



Space forbids comment on these operations, and it is foreign 

 to the purposes of this paper to dwell on the raihtary skill and 

 advance in science which led to these startling results, just as 

 we have purposely omitted to review the purely military quahties 

 of the great Macedonian. Both of these great captains had 

 much in common as soldiers, both were cavalry commanders 

 of special skill, both reahsed the supreme advantages of mobility 

 and flexible tactics, both were able artillery generals, and both 

 reahsed, as few have done, the powerful aid that engineering 

 science gives to war. But on these topics it is beside our purpose 

 to dwell. 



When we come to the objects of the two great leaders we find 

 an essential difference. Alexander may have started with the 

 idea of reheving Europe from the Oriental menace, but certainly 

 he had later plans of personal glory and aggrandisement, 

 possibly as the best solution of a difficult problem, but at 

 least not free from selfish interest. Gustavus behaved through- 

 out with a disinterested regard for rehgious hberty. Those who 

 knew him best have disclaimed for him any idea of being a 

 rival Emperor — at all times his rdle was that of a dehverer, 

 and at most his pofitical aim was that of a confederacy of German 

 Protestants with the King of Sweden as the Commander-in-Chief 

 of their forces, charged with the duty of their protection. 

 Whether such an idea would have been practicable is impossible 

 now to say, for the death of the king at Liitzen prolonged the 

 ghastly struggle for sixteen more years, and the war then assumed 

 a different aspect. 



Yet, as regards the personal moral influence of Gustavus 

 we have only to look to our own country and see how it took 

 effect. King and Parliament were at war, and the Royalist 

 cause at first had the better success. Cromwell seems, however, 



