GENERAL BOURBAKI’S CAMPAIGN. 143 
DISCUSSION. 
THe CHarrmMaAn—After the lecture that we have heard, gentlemen, no words of 
mine are necessary to lead you more fully to appreciate it; but Dr. Maguire has 
kindly offered to reply to any remarks or questions that any gentlemen would like 
to ask on the lecture. 
With regard to the levée en masse of France, I think that France respects her- 
self and the world respects her the more for it, although it was costly to a degree 
as I need not say. 
If any officer has any remarks to make or any questions to ask on the events of 
the campaign, we shall be very pleased to hear them. Perhaps Mr. Poultney 
Bigelow, whom we have the pleasure of welcoming this evening, will give us the 
benefit of his experience. 
Mr. Poutrnsy BienLow—Col. Trench, the reflection that I feel like making 
at this moment is one of gratitude.for the kind words that were said in regard to . 
Captain Mahan, who I am sure would have liked to have been present to hear 
them. If there is anything that could strengthen what the lecturer has so 
eloquently and forcibly said, it would be the knowledge that all the bad that he 
has spoken of England is tenfold more bad in the United States. We too suffer 
in our military administration from the reckless application of popular theories 
regarding liberty. It would be most excellent for the United States as for Eng- 
land to have short but universal service in the army. Every young man should 
know how to defend his country’s honour, as he knows how to spar and to ride. 
It looks now in America as though the time were near when those who repre- 
sent decent government would have to once more step into the ranks, and exchange 
cartridges with the mob. Such a contingency would bring forward the serious 
question of a better military preparation than we have to-day. Butas Dr. Maguire 
spoke of that horrible retreat of Bourbaki’s army, one’s mind instinctively, I think, 
went back to the army of Napoleon I. returning from Moscow, when, starting off 
with all the show and glitter of war, he came back with nothing to speak of except 
disgrace. He even had his great reputation stained by the cowardice of leaving 
his army in the darkest moment and hurrying home for his own safety and little 
else. When I was in Kovno, which is one of the dirtiest cities I have ever seen, 
the only thing I could find there to cheer me was a monument on which was in- 
scribed—it was on the banks of the Memel or Niemen—“ Here there entered 
Russia 600,000 Frenchmen, and there went back 60,000.” T can fancy a delight- 
ful book from the pen of Dr. Maguire on winter campaigns in general, taking 
Bourbaki’s campaign and taking that retreat from Moscow, and other notable 
winter campaigns with a view to discussing the possibilities of winter campaigns. 
Because I think it must be evident that it was not the winter alone that hurt 
Bourbaki. ‘The few remarks that Dr. Maguire has given us illustrate that amply. 
It was bad management, and I think that in Napoleon’s campaign there is a pretty 
general concensus of opinion to-day, that the elements alone did not injure Napo- 
leon ; that it was corruption, thievery amongst his officers or contractors—it was 
thorough bad management. We all remember how, when the troops arrived in 
Vilna, there was an abundance in the store-houses and still the troops were starving 
—they could not get at it; those who could, got too much, and the rest got 
nothing, and the matter is one of particular interest at this moment, because I 
have noticed latterly, in conversation with officers in staff positions, an exceeding 
nervousness with regard to a possible war with Russia on the score of winter cam- 
paigns ; they are always faced by this spectre of the year 1812. I do not know of 
any book that treats of winter campaigns in such a manner as to have a practical 
bearing on the possibilities of an invasion of a great country during the winter 
