in 1874.
General French was essentially a cavalry commander, and as such he
distinguished himself in the South African War of 1899-1902. His
conduct in the European War has been the subject of some criticism.
The time is not yet ripe to form a just estimate of his achievements
and failures. Nothing succeeds like success, and nothing is easier
than to criticize a military commander who fails to realize the high
expectations of his countrymen. Whatever may be the verdict of history
for or against General French, it will certainly acknowledge that he
did great things with his "contemptible little army." The figure of
Viscount French of Ypres will stand out in bold relief when the inner
history of Mons, the Marne, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, and Loos is
definitively written. The present generation may not be permitted to
read it, for even to-day, after a hundred years, military experts are
still divided over the mistakes of the great Napoleon.

The command in chief of the British army now devolved upon General Sir
Douglas Haig, who, though a "born aristocrat," had nevertheless taken
his trade of soldiering very seriously. He had served with distinction
in India and South Africa. During the retreat from Mons General Haig
performed marvels of leadership. By skillful maneuvering he extricated
his men at Le Cateau in the most critical moment of the retreat. He
led in the attack on the Aisne, and is also credited with chief
responsibility for the clever movement of the British army from the
Aisne to Ypres. In his dispatch on the battle of Ypres Field Marshal
French highly praised the valuable assistance he had derived from
General Haig. It was said that during the fierce battle of Ypres, "at
one time or another every corps and division commander in the lot
lost hope--except Haig. He was a rock all through."

On December 2, 1915. Mr. Asquith announced in the House of Commons
that Great Britain's total losses in killed, wounded, and missing
since the war began amounted to 510,230.

The figures for the western front were: Killed, 4,620 officers and
69,272 men; wounded, 9,754 officers and 240,283 men; missing, 1,584
officers and 54,446 men; grand total of casualties, 379,959.

CHAPTER XIII

EVENTS IN THE WINTER CAMPAIGN

It is well-nigh impossible to give a connected story of the
innumerable and far-flung operations of the winter campaign. It
resolves itself into a mere list of dates and a brief description of
what happen