Not that Sir John French’s style is an accident.  Like most of the other successes of his career, it is the result of design.  The man who laboriously “crammed” tactics laboured equally hard over the art of writing.  The many prefaces which he has written to famous books on strategy and war bear traces of the most careful preparation.

Apart from his dispatches, however, French has written some virile, telling English in his prefaces to several books on cavalry and on military history.  The most interesting is that which he wrote for Captain Frederick von Herbert’s The Defence of Plevna.  He prefaces it with a dramatic little coincidence of war capitally told.  “During the last year of the South African War, while directing the operations in Cape Colony, I found myself, late one afternoon in February, 1902, at the north end of the railway bridge over the Orange River at Bethulie, strangely attracted by the appearance of a well-constructed and cleverly hidden covered field work, which formed an important part of the ‘Bridge head.’  Being somewhat pressed for time I rode on and directed my aide-de-camp to go down into the fort, look round it, and then catch me up.  He shortly overtook me with an urgent request to return and inspect it myself.  I did so, and was very much struck, not only with the construction of the work and its excellent siting, but also with all the defence arrangements at that point of the river.  Whilst I was in the fort the officer in charge arrived and reported himself.  Expressing my strong approval of all I had seen, I remarked that it brought back to my mind a book I had read and re-read, and indeed studied with great care and assiduity—­a book called The Defence of Plevna, by a certain Lieutenant von Herbert, whom, to my regret, I had never met.  ’I am von Herbert, and I wrote the book you speak of,’ was the reply of the officer to whom I spoke."[22]

[Page Heading:  OSMAN PASHA]

Osman Pasha was a soldier after French’s own heart.  Indeed, his tenacity was probably equal to that of his critic.  Hence this fine tribute:  “The great soldier who defended Plevna refused to acknowledge such a word as defeat.  When things were at their worst his outward demeanour was calmest and most confident.  There was no hysterical shrieking for supports or reinforcements.  These might have reached him, but through treacherous jealousy he was betrayed and left to his own resources.  In spite of this no thought of capitulation or retreat ever entered the mind of Osman Pasha...."[23] What a wonderful little cameo of courage!

One wonders whether the school-boy who sent French the following letter on his return from South Africa knew the quality of his writing.

  “MY DEAR FRENCH,—­You are a great British General.  I want
  your autograph, but, whatever you do, don’t let your secretary
  write it.”