The position on the Downs held by Sir Evelyn Wood
was not only well selected, but it had been strongly entrenched. This position Sir John French tried to envelop. But in doing so he was obliged greatly to attenuate his line. Against this line where it was thinnest Sir Evelyn Wood launched his counter-attack,---a very pretty piece of field tactics. It is, of course, impossible to say whether in real war French's centre would have been pierced or Wood's position surrounded. As the Yankee said of the lift accident, the final destination of the passengers depended upon how they had been brought up. So here the quality of the men and their capacity for "sticking it out," which depends upon their breed and bringing up, would have decided the day. Certainly in both cases they looked like fighting. It remains to be said that the men of the Yeomanry regiments who formed part of the mounted force acquitted themselves admirably. It was the good fortune of the present writer to ride with a squadron of the Hants Carbineers. It would, we believe, be difficult to find in any Continental Army a keener or more intelligent body of men. Their physique was admirable, in most cases they were very well mounted, and they were ably handled throughout by their officers. An equally good report could, we do not doubt, be furnished of the other Yeomanry con- tingents in the field.
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