FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838-1900)

This article appears in Volume V10, Page 637 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: FLA-FRA

FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838-1900) , British war correspondent, the son of a Presbyterian minister in Morayshire, was born on the 17th of April 1838, and was educated at Aberdeen University. Entering the Royal Dragoons as a private, he gained, while in the service, considerable

practical

PRACTICAL

experience of military life and affairs. Being invalided from his regiment, he settled in London, and became a journalist. When the Franco-German War broke out in 187o, Forbes was sent to the front as war correspondent td the Morning Advertiser, and in this capacity he gained valuable information as to the plans of the Parisians for withstanding a siege. Transferring his services to the Daily News, his brilliant feats in the transmission of intelligence drew world-wide . attention to his despatches. He was with the German army from the beginning of the campaign, and he after-wards witnessed the rise and fall of the Commune. Forbes afterwards proceeded to Spain, where he chronicled the outbreak of the second Carlist War; but his

work

WORK

here was interrupted by a visit to India, where he spent eight months upon a mission of investigation into the Bengal

famine

FAMINE (Lat. fames, hunger)

of 1874. Then he returned to Spain, and followed at various times the Carlist, the Republican and the Alfonsist forces. As representative of the Daily News, he accompanied the prince of Wales in his tour through India in 1875-1876. Forbes went through the Servian campaign of 1876, and was present at all the important engagements. In the Russo-Turkish campaign of 1877 he achieved striking journalistic successes at

great

GREAT

personal

risk

RISK

. Attached to the Russian army, he witnessed most of the principal operations, and remained continuously in the field until attacked by fever. His letters, together with those of his colleagues, MacGahan and Millet, were republished by the Daily News. On recovering from his fever, Forbes proceeded to Cyprus, in order to witness the British occupation. The same year (1878) he went to India, and in the winter accompanied the Khyber Pass force to Jalalabad He was present at the taking of Ali Musjid, and marched with' several expeditions against the hill tribes. Burma was Forbes's next field of adventure, and at Mandalay, the

capital

CAPITAL (i.e. capital stock or fund)
CAPITAL (Lat. caput, head)

, he had several interesting interviews with King Thibaw. He left Burma
hurriedly for South Africa, where, in consequence of the disaster of Isandlwana, a British. force was collecting for the invasion of Zululand. He was present at the victory of Ulundi, and his famous ride of 120 M. in fifteen hours, by which he was enabled to convey the first news of the battle to England, remains one of the finest achievements in journalistic enterprise. Forbes subsequently delivered many lectures on his war experiences to large audiences. His closing years were spent in literary

work

WORK

. He had some years before published a military novel entitled

Drawn

DRAWN

from Life, and a volume on his experiences of the war between France and Germany. These were now followed by numerous publications, including Glimpses through the Cannon Smoke (188o); Souvenirs of some Continents (1885); William I. of Germany: a Biography (1888);

Havelock

HAVELOCK, SIR HENRY (1795-18J7)

, in the " English Men of Action "

Series

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

(189o); Barracks, Bivouacs, and Battles (1891); The Afghan Wars, 1839-80 (1892); Czar and Sultan (1895); Memories and Studies of War and Peace (1895), in many respects autobiographic; and Colin Campbell, Lord

Clyde

(1896). He died on the 3oth of March 1900.

End of Article: FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838-1900)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/FLA_FRA/FORBES_ARCHIBALD_1838_1900_.html">
FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838-1900)
</a>

(Previous)
FORBES, ALEXANDER PENROSE (1817-1875)

(Next)
FORBES, DAVID (1828--1876)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email