Dear Madam, NEWPORT, Isle of Wight, August 6th 1740. I received my dearest Mamma's letter on Monday last, but could not answer it then, by reason I was at camp to see the regiments off to go on board, and was too late for the post; but am very sorry, dear Mamma, that you doubt my love, which I am sure is as sincere as ever any son's was to his mother. Papa and I are just now going on board, but I believe shall not sail this fortnight; in which time, if I can get ashore at Portsmouth or any other town, I will certainly write to you, and when we are gone, by every ship we meet, because I know it is my duty. Besides, if it was not, I would do it out of love, with pleasure... I am in a very good state of health, and am likely to continue so... Even at that age, as well as through life, a good state of health could not be safely predicted for him. In this case good luck, if there be such a thing, succeeded, even though the mother had failed, in inducing her son to stay at home. The fleet did not sail within two weeks, nor within two months, and during this time the young volunteer fell ill and was sent back to his home and his books. During the whole of his life he was a notoriously bad sailor and it is doubtful whether he could have survived the disastrous expedition and the horrors of the hospital ships. The tale as told by Smollet in "Roderick Random, even after allowances are made for the novelist's licence is simply appalling. As the after life of Wolfe shows, the next year and a half at school were well spent. Near the close of the year 1741, while he was spending the Christmas holidays in his native village as the guest of his friend George Warde, he received his first commission. It was dated Nov. 3rd and made him second lieutenant in his father's regiment of Marines. He did not go into service, apparently, under this commission, for his father's regiment had not returned in April when he was found carrying the colours of the 12th Regiment of Foot at a review of the army which was destined for service against France. However, the day upon which he received his first commission, with all the incidents in connection with it, was still fresh in the memories of his friends of Squerryes Court when his brilliant career was closed in victory on the Plains of Abraham. While all England was rejoicing in his triumph and sorrowing for his death, his friends thought it seemly to raise a memorial to him upon the spot where he stood when he first received authority to act as a British officer. Accordingly, there now stands on the south side of the house a pedestal surmounted by an urn. Upon the base are several inscriptions, these lines amongst the rest : "Here first was Wolfe with martial ardour fired, A proud alliance with its hero's name. " CHAPTER II. WOLFE IN ACTIVE SERVICE. s might have been expected, Walpole's conduct of the war into which he had been forced in 1739 by the popular cry and the factious opposition of his political enemies was weak and inglorious. The minister whose policy is peace is not the man to make war. A secret compact had existed between Spain and France since 1733, and when Admiral Vernon captured Porto Bello, France made a formal declaration to the effect that she would not permit any English settlement on the mainland of South America. Despite his previously effective methods of securing support, Walpole's majority was slowly but surely fading away, until his belated retirement as Earl of Oxford into Orf the obscurity of the House of Lords was forced upon him. The control of foreign affairs fell into the hands of Carteret, who at once plunged the nation into a continental war in which the interests were considerably complicated. Carteret hoped to unite Austria and Prussia and thus put a check upon the growing power of France. The young soldier entered service therefore with every prospect of soon being under fire. Exactly one month after the date of his commission a review of the army upon Blackheath was held by King George II., and the ensign Wolfe attached to Duroure's regiment first appeared in his military capacity. He was soon with the allied forces in Ghent from where he wrote some interesting letters. It may here be remarked that his fond mother carefully preserved every letter that reached her from her son during his whole life, and in consequence of this fact an unusually good estimate can now be made of his character, while his letters to his father and to his military friends, as well as his dispatches and general orders, show the professional side of his life with great clearness. He left Ghent with Duroure's regiment for Germany in February 1743 and on the march suffered hardships such as his strength was hardly equal to. He was soon joined by his brother Edward, whose health was delicate, but who was anxious for a soldier's life and had secured an ensigncy in the same regiment. James Wolfe wrote from the camp near Aschaffenburg on the 21st of June 1743 his longest and most important letter up to this time. From it we learn that his brother had been under fire and that he himself had been doing the duty of an adjutant ever since the army had encamped. The Brigadier was "extremely civil" to him and desired his Brigade Major, Mr. Blakeney, to instruct him all he could in his duties. As Wolfe was but sixteen years of age when he assumed this important office and secured such attention from his superior officers, his talents and early maturity of judgment must have been striking. Even admitting this, one must wonder at the condition of the British army when such rapid promotion could be possible under any circumstances. As a matter of fact the army was, and had been for years, in a wretched state as to its officers. In time of peace the army was disbanded and the officers were put on half pay, which was insufficient to support them and their families. There being no inducements to enter the service, commissions were taken out, as a rule, by an inferior class of men of good birth who adopted the profession of arms without capacity or intention to perform their duties, while unusual merit without influence at court could never expect recognition. As a result of the system or lack of system the British army was worse officered than any European army, and won its battles, when it did win, by the pluck and endurance of the soldiery. Admiral Byng, to be sure, was executed a few years later "pour encourager les autres, as Voltaire wittily said, but it took England a long time to adopt rational army methods. These facts on the whole do not much lessen our surprise at the preferment of the youthful Wolfe whose earnestness of purpose was quite as conspicuous as his ability throughout his whole career. He had not long to fulfil the duties as adjutant until he was called upon to do so in the important battle of Dettingen. Many detailed accounts of this battle have been written but none has been made more interesting than that of Wolfe in a letter to his father. The Confederate army was confined within a valley, between mountains on one side and the river Maine on the other, across which was the French army of 60,000 men |