The history of a war cannot be properly written until long after its close,
for such a work must be based upon a close study of the military
correspondence of the generals and upon the best records, to be had of the
doings of both sides. Nor can the tactical lessons of a war be fully set
forth until detailed and authoritative accounts of the battles are
accessible.
But for the nation the lessons of this war are not obscure, at any rate not
to those whose occupations have led them to indulge in any close study of
war.
Since the middle of December I have written a daily introduction to the
telegrams for one of the morning papers. Before I contemplated that work I
had undertaken for my friend Mr. Locker, the Editor of _The London Letter_,
to write a weekly review of the war.
Many requests have been made to me by publishers for a volume on the history
of the war, with which, for the reasons given above, it is impossible at
present to comply; but to the proposal of my old friends, Messrs. Archibald
Constable and Co., to reprint my weekly reviews from _The London Letter_,
the same objections do not hold.
In
revising the articles, I have found but few alterations necessary. My views
have not changed, and to make the details of the battles accurate would
hardly be practicable without more information than is likely to be at hand
until after the return of the troops.
S.W.
March 9th, 1900
