in mere legs and arms, but in the head that shall direct them.  If this be either ungifted by nature, or uninstructed by study and reflection, the best plans of manoeuvre and campaign avail nothing.  The two last centuries have presented many revolutions in military character, all of which have turned on this principle.  It would be useless to enumerate these.  We shall quote only the greatest and the last—­The troops of Frederick! How illustrious under him!  How contemptible under his successors!  Yet his system was there; his double lines of march at full distance; his oblique order of battle; his simple lines of manoeuvre in the presence of an enemy; his wise conformation of an etat-major;—­all, in short, that distinguished his practice from that of ordinary men, survived him; but the head that truly comprehended and knew how to apply these, died with Frederick.  What an admonition does this fact present for self-instruction,—­for unwearied diligence,—­for study and reflection!  Nor should the force of this be lessened by the consideration that, after all, unless nature should have done her part of the work,—­unless to a soul not to be shaken by any changes of fortune—­cool, collected, and strenuous—­she adds a head fertile in expedients, prompt in its decisions, and sound in its judgments, no man can ever merit the title of a general.”

The celebrated Marshal Saxe has made the following remarks on the necessary qualifications to form a good general.  The most indispensable one, according to his idea, is valor, without which all the rest will prove nugatory.  The next is a sound understanding with some genius:  for he must not only be courageous, but be extremely fertile in expedients.  The third is health and a robust constitution.

“His mind must be capable of prompt and vigorous resources; he must have an aptitude, and a talent at discovering the designs of others, without betraying the slightest trace of his own intentions; he must be, seemingly, communicative, in order to encourage others to unbosom, but remain tenaciously reserved in matters that concern his own army; he must, in a word, possess activity with judgment, be able to make a proper choice of his officers, and never deviate from the strictest line of military justice.  Old soldiers must not be rendered wretched and unhappy by unwarrantable promotions, nor must extraordinary talents be kept back to the detriment of the service on account of mere rules and regulations.  Great abilities will justify exceptions; but ignorance and inactivity will not make up for years spent in the profession.”

“In his deportment he must be affable, and always superior to peevishness or ill-humor; he must not know, or at least seem not to know, what a spirit of resentment is; and when he is under the necessity of inflicting military chastisement, he must see the guilty punished without compromise or foolish humanity; and if the delinquent be from among the number of his most intimate friends, he must be doubly severe towards the unfortunate man.  For it is better, in instances of correction, that one individual should be treated with rigor (by orders of the person over whom he may be supposed to hold some influence) than that an idea should go forth in the army of public justice being sacrificed to private sentiments.”