Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke, of Germany (b. October 26, 1800; d. April 24, 1891), was the world’s greatest exponent of strictly scientific warfare. He made the Prussian army a most powerful and dangerous machine, and led it triumphantly against Denmark and Austria. By dint of strict organization and drill he made the armies of the German Confederation equally effective, as was shown in the Franco-German war (1870–71), which was a series of brilliant victories, ending with the capitulation of Paris and the downfall of Napoleon III. and his empire. His greatness lay in the fact that cool, sober calculation always dominated his greatest audacity of plan.
Simon Bolivar, or Bolivar y Ponte (b. July 25, 1785; d. December 17, 1830), justly earned the surname of “The Liberator.” The first and greatest of those South American patriots who struck against the tyrannical colonial system of Spain, he achieved the independence of the three States of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, secured their recognition by the civilized world, and lived to govern them with the wisdom and moderation of a wise executive.
COUNT VON MOLTKE.
Robert E. Lee (b. January 19, 1807; d. October 12, 1870), graduated at West Point, and was in the constant military service of the United States till the breaking out of the Civil War. He then transferred his services to the Confederacy, and speedily became the highest exponent of its military powers. Honorable, just, energetic, persistent, skillful in offensive or defensive warfare, schooled in strategy, full of devices and combinations to overcome desperate situations, he prolonged a hopeless struggle to an astounding degree, and met defeat and surrender without dishonor. He readily ranks as one of the world’s greatest generals.
Lajos (Louis) Kossuth of Hungary (b. April 27, 1802; d. March 20, 1894), as writer, lawyer, and statesman, came to stand for Hungarian freedom. After the declaration of independence of his country in 1849, he became its military and political ruler, but was forced by Russian intervention and domestic rivalry from his high place, and escaped to foreign lands to pass the balance of his life in eloquent but fruitless appeals in behalf of his cause and people.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, of Italy (b. July 4, 1807; d. June 2, 1882), typed the restless, daring soldier, the impulsive statesman, and the energetic defender of freedom. He shared Count Cavour’s desire for a free and united Italy, and grew to be a great popular hero. Upon his capture of the two Sicilies, he presented them to Victor Emmanuel, thus consummating his life dream of unification, and his desire for a government in which the wishes of the people were, to some extent, recognized.
Naval Heroes.—Stephen Decatur (b. January 5, 1771; d. March 22, 1820) attained the rank of captain in the U. S. Navy for his gallant exploit of burning the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, after she had been captured by the Tripolitans. He won further fame as commodore in the war of 1812, and again in the war with Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Quick to comprehend emergencies and prompt in action, he was a type of the dashing and absolutely fearless American seaman. True to his fiery nature, he found his death in a duel with Commodore Barron.
Oliver Hazard Perry (b. August 23, 1785; d. August 23, 1819) was rewarded with the rank of captain in the U. S. Navy for the remarkable courage and dash which eventuated in the memorable victory over the British fleet in Lake Erie, September 10, 1813. This victory gave the Americans control of the Great Lakes and hastened, more than any single event, the conquest of the Northwest and the end of the War of 1812. He saw further honorable service as commander of the Mediterranean squadron, and died at Port Spain, on the island of Trinidad, of yellow fever.
David Dixon Porter (b. June 8, 1813; d. February 13, 1891) grew and ripened gradually into one of the great naval captains of the nineteenth century. His courage and energy, large experience, and intimate knowledge of the rivers and seacoasts of the country fitted him for the great emergencies of the Civil War. Many of the victories of the Union armies in the West were due to his cöoperation with gunboats. He greatly aided in the initial success of Farragut’s expedition up the Mississippi, the reduction of Vicksburg, and other strongholds upon Western waters. The greatest victory of his life was the capture of Fort Fisher. He wrote a history of the U. S. Navy during the war, a work commended by all naval nations. On the death of Farragut, 1870, he reached the high rank of admiral.