The Greeks, unfortunately, had no general who knew thoroughly the art of war, and so their mistake was not understood.
In reviewing the short Greek campaign, some interesting comparisons have been made between the war in Greece and the war in Cuba. The conclusion arrived at has been that good leaders are the essential for successful warfare, and that without them the bravest soldiers are of little use.
The army sent by Spain against Cuba was about as large as that sent by Turkey against Greece, but there were only one-fifth as many Cubans to fight the Spanish army as there were Greeks to fight the Turks. The Cubans, moreover, were badly armed, knew little of the trade of soldiering, and were merely a band of sturdy patriots, fighting with a determination to conquer or die, while the Greeks were finely equipped soldiers.
One would have supposed that the Greeks would have given the Turks some hard fighting, and have been able to make their own terms in the end, and that the Cubans would have been subdued in very short order.
ATHENS: KING'S PALACE FROM THE GARDENS.
How different the results have been.
Greece with her splendid army had no leaders worthy of the name, and has been whipped and shamed in two short weeks of war.