General Craufurd and his Light Division. By the Rev. Alexander
H. Craufurd. (Griffith, Ferran, and Co.)—Mr. Craufurd, grandson of the officer whose career he describes, has given us here an in- teresting memoir, not the less interesting because it is somewhat gossipy, and certainly does not aim at maintaining the severe dignity of history. Robert Craufurd was born in 1764, and reached the rank of Colonel in 1805. He had seen some service in the campaigns against Tippoo Sultan. In 1807, he was in subordinate command in General Whitelocke's most unlucky and mismanaged operations at Buenos Ayres. Another not very happy experience occurred in the retreat which ended in the Battle of -Corunna. He then had the command of the Light Brigade, a command which he retained until his death. In the retreat, his brigade acted as rear- guard, and he distinguished himself not only by the skill of his dispositions, but by the unrelenting firmness of his discipline. Here Mr. Craufurd quotes largely, and to good effect, from a book entitled " The Recollections of Rifleman Harris," written by a private of the 95th who went through this perilous retreat. In the operations conducted by Wellington, Craufurd took an im- portant share, not always escaping criticism, as in the affair of the Coa, where he was charged with having maintained his posi- tion after prudence would have • dictated withdrawal, but on the whole retaining the confidence of his chief. His end came at the storm of Ciudad Rodrigo. He was mortally wounded in the breast, being then far in advance of his party, and died a few days after- wards. He was a man of a passionate, even violent temper, but with many high qualities. That his officers disliked him, is con- ceded ; but then, Wellington had not a very high opinion of the majority of his officers ; but his men, stern disciplinarian as he was, admired and even loved him. This is probably the better test of his real worth.
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