At Tarragona he was so mortified with Sir John Murray's conduct,
that he almost forgot that he himself was only second in command,
and charged Sir John with incapacity and cowardice, for which
the latter was tried by Court Martial - General Mackenzie being
one of the principal witnesses against him. Full of vigour of
mind and body, he took a lively interest in everything in which
he engaged, from fishing and shooting to farming, gardening,
politics, and fighting. He never forgot his Gaelic, which he spoke
with fluency and read with ease. Though a severe disciplinarian,
his men adored him. He was in the habit of saying that it gave
him more pleasure to meet a dog from Gairloch than a gentleman
from any other place. When the 78th returned from the Indian
Mutiny the officers and men were feted to a grand banquet by the
town of Inverness, and as the regiment marched through Academy
Street, where the General resided, they halted opposite his
residence, next door above the Station Hotel; and though so frail
that he had to be carried, he was taken out and his chair placed
on the steps at the door, where the regiment saluted and warmly
cheered their old and distinguished veteran commander, who
had so often led their predecessors to victory; and at the time
the oldest officer in and "father" of the British army.
Pages:
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699