Famous Cavalry Leaders

By Charles Johnston

Famous Cavalry Leaders is a collection of biographies of famous generals throughout the ages.Biographies include Genghis Khan, George Custer, Saladin, and more. The original illustrations are included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles River Editors
• Release date: Mar 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781537800998

Charles Johnston

Charles M. Johnston MD, is a psychiatrist and futurist. He is best known for directing the Institute for Creative Development, a Seattle-based think tank and center for advanced leadership training and as originator of Creative Systems Theory, a comprehensive framework for understanding purpose, change, and interrelationships in human systems. He is the author of ten books and numerous articles on the future and how we can best prepare to meet it.

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FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS

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Charles Johnston

LACONIA PUBLISHERS

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Copyright © 2016 by Charles Johnston

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

[a.d. 410—454]

SALADIN: THE GREAT SULTAN OF EGYPT: [a. d. 1137—1193]

GENGHIS KHAN: THE PERFECT WARRIOR: [1162—1227]

[1475—1524]

COUNT PAPPENHEIM: THE TROUBLESOME: [1594—1632]

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS: THE LION OF THE NORTH: [1594—1632]

PRINCE RUPERT: THE IMPETUOUS.: [1619—1682]

OLD FATHER ZIETHEN: THE PRUSSIAN WAR HORSE: [1699—1786]

FREDERICK WILLIAM BARON VON SEYDLITZ: HERO OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR: [1721—1783]

FRANCIS MARION: THE SWAMP FOX: [1732—1795]

MARSHAL NEY, THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE: [1769—1815]

JOACHIM MURAT: THE GREAT NAPOLEONIC LEADER OF HORSE: [1771—1815]

PHIL SHERIDAN: THE DAREDEVIL

GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER: INDIAN FIGHTER

FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS

Through the ages with the Heroes of sabre, spur, and saddle; with faithful accounts of their forced marches, dashing raids, and glorious charges

By

CHARLES H. L. JOHNSTON

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

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SO MANY INQUIRIES HAVE COME to me regarding the truth of my statement to the effect that the Hon-hearted Marshal Ney was not shot, that I regret a foot-note was not added, giving the authority for my conclusion, at the time of the publication of the first edition of this work. The fact is fully proved in a volume entitled Historic Doubts as to the Execution OF Marshal Ney, by the Reverend James A. Weston, Rector of the Church of the Ascension, Hickory, N. C.; Major 33d N. C. Regiment, Confederate States Army; Honorary Member of the North Carolina Historical Society, etc., etc. Published in 1895, by Thomas Whittaker, 2 and 3 Bible House, New York.

This work is in most public libraries, but, I believe, is at present out of print. It gives convincing and accurate proof of the fallacy of the belief that Marshal Ney was killed by the soldiers of France. I have submitted it to several members of the Bar and also to a number of Judges, among whom I would mention Judge William Allen Hayes, of Elmwood Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, all of whom were of the opinion that the Reverend Mr. Weston had proved his case to their entire satisfaction.

Charles H. L. Johnston.

Single Oak, Woodley Lane Road,

Washington, D. C, January 5th, 1912.

FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS

ATTILA, THE SCOURGE OF GOD

[A.D. 410—454]

Four hundred odd years after the beginning of the Christian Era, a savage monarch terrorized all the nations of Europe and Asia. This was Attila, King of the Huns,—known to all those upon whom he waged barbarous and cruel warfare, as the Scourge of God. So feared was he, that when a boy disobeyed his parents, he was not punished in the usual manner. Pointing to the North with an outstretched arm, the mother or the father of the disobedient child would say, If you are not good, Attila will come down from the North with all his horsemen, and Attila, the terrible one, will get you. This warning was usually sufficient to make the child behave, for Attila, the fierce ruler of Hunnish hordes, was dreaded far and wide among all those who loved a life of peace and harmony.

The father of this much feared chieftain was called Mundzuk, and of him the dim pages of history have given us little record. He could not have had a very pleasing aspect, for the Huns were not a very handsome race of people. They had swarthy faces which they gashed with huge cuts in early childhood so as to prevent the hair from growing and to make them look more savage and ferocious. Their figures were squat, their eyes black, deep-set, and twinkling. By nature they were wild and blood-thirsty. From earliest years they were trained to ride on horseback and they became so perfect in this art that their bodies seemed to be moulded to the backs of their shaggy, little steeds. They lived, as much as possible, in the open air, and despised those who slept in houses.

About the year 400 a. d. we hear that they resided in the country lying north of Italy and Greece, but they had not always been in this part of Europe. Originally they had lived in the northern portion of what is now the Chinese Empire, and, starting from this barren waste, had overrun a large amount of territory. They were proud of these captured possessions and boasted that their kingdom stretched to the Arctic Ocean in the North, and to the Pacific in the East. So powerful were they and so feared, that in the third century before the Christian Era, a wall of fifteen hundred miles in length was constructed upon the frontier of China in order to defend the people from their inroads. This stupendous work can be seen to-day, but it could never keep them from plundering expeditions among the unwarlike Chinese. They would make frequent cavalry raids upon their neighbours, and the squadrons travelled with such swiftness that it was impossible to catch them after they had gained sufficient plunder. These forces frequently consisted of two or three hundred thousand men, armed with long lances, with bows, and with arrows. The soldiers managed their horses with the greatest dexterity and were hardened to stand the most severe changes of the weather. They never allowed themselves to be checked by torrents, precipices, rivers, or high mountains.

Living in the temperate climate of the North and feeding mainly upon raw and uncooked food, their fierceness was similar to that of the wild beasts which often surrounded their camps on the great plains of Siberia. To their flying squadrons of cavalry they would often add a goodly number of spare horses which they would use either to redouble their speed, or to satisfy the cravings of hunger. On quick marches they would provide themselves with a quantity of small balls of rolled cheese. These could be dissolved in water, and even this scanty diet would support their warlike spirits for a great length of time.

Gradually these wild Huns became more anxious for a better and richer country than the bare and rigorous territory which they occupied, so they determined to move with all their herds and families. The Chinese, too, had begun to give them more annoyance, and they had been frequently beaten back from the Mongolian border. Boldly they advanced into Eastern Europe, where they hoped to find more plentiful subsistence and a climate of greater mildness. It was a great emigration and it would have been impossible to move such a horde had it not been particularly easy because of the extreme coldness of the climate. As a result of this the broad and rapid rivers which flow into the Black and the Caspian seas, were frozen to the depth of three of four feet, and over these the advancing Huns safely transported their wagons, cattle, and families. They marched with great energy and soon had taken possession of a new kingdom.

Their advance was, of course, fiercely combated by the people who were then inhabiting the land which they desired. Many bloody engagements took place, but all fell before the might of the greedy Barbarians. The Goths,—a people originally living in the country north of the Danube—were driven farther south into the confines of the Roman Empire, for the Romans then held sway over France, Germany, and what is now Turkey. The strength and cruelty of the Huns were felt, dreaded and much magnified by all who came in their victorious path, for suddenly the people saw their fields and villages consumed by flames, and their women and children slaughtered before their very eyes. Every one abhorred and detested the deformed Barbarians whose shrill voices, uncouth manners, and warlike conduct incited the greatest terror.

Attila was similar in features to the rest of the Huns. His head was large, his complexion swarthy, his eyes were small and deep-set. His nose was flat and a few hairs were upon his face in place of a beard. He had broad shoulders, a short, square body of great strength, and short legs. Descended from a regal line of ancient Huns who had formerly waged war upon the Emperor of China, he showed, by his haughty step and domineering manner, that he fully realized the fact that he was superior to the rest of mankind. He had a custom of rolling his eyes fiercely and it gave him the greatest satisfaction to see the terror which this inspired.

Accustomed from early youth to exercise upon horseback, the King of the Huns was perfectly at home in the saddle and could throw the javelin and shoot with the long, Tartar bow, with splendid accuracy. Although surrounded with much barbaric splendour and handsomely dressed attendants, it was his custom to appear as often as possible in the simplest of raiment. In no way could he have been distinguished from his poorest followers save that his clothes were always clean, and of the newest texture. At the table he would eat from a wooden bowl when those about him dined from golden plates. Flesh was his only food. He never tasted bread and was usually most careful in eating and drinking. He insisted upon using a cup of ivy wood instead of the goblet of gold which one would expect such a powerful monarch to use.

Associated with Attila in the government was a brother, Bleda, and in the treaty concluded in the year of their joint accession, his name appears as co-administrator of affairs. But Attila could bear no interference with his sole direction of the kingdom, and soon his brother was forced to give up his position. He died, shortly afterwards; but whether from natural causes, or whether from poison, the ancient historians who have left records of the Huns on yellow parchment, can give us no clue. It was not long after this event that a simple-minded herdsman, who was tending cattle on the plain near the royal residence, noticed blood flowing from the foot of one of the heifers in the herd. Following the track with much curiosity, he discovered the point of a sword sticking upward from the grass. He dug deep into the ground and unearthed an ancient and rusty weapon which he presented to Attila, asserting that it was that of Mars—the God of War, a deity whom the Huns worshipped in the figure of a sword—and that it was a certain indication that he alone should rule. Attila—much pleased—accepted this favour of the Gods, and then made claim to the government of the entire earth; asserting that his right was based on the will of The Most High.

Certainly we know that he actually did rule over a vast amount of territory. By some of the ancient writers he is spoken of as the Emperor of Germany alone, but by others he is said to have control of an Empire stretching into the very heart of Asia. It is even asserted that he made an alliance with the Emperor of China against their common enemies, and thus became part governor of the Chinese nation. It is certain, at any rate, that he controlled a great number of people of different blood and nationality. The chiefs, kings, and leaders of the numerous martial tribes who lived in the lands which he possessed and who served under the standard of this fierce Barbarian, were submissively ranged as guards and domestic servants around the person of their sovereign when gathered together for peaceful ends, or to discuss war. Thus his court was not only a most picturesque collection of retainers, but it consisted of a great number of persons. In time of peace, all these dependents, with their troops, attended the royal camp where they received advice and counsel from their master. Should warfare be waged and should Attila wish to collect a military force, he could put into the field an army of from five to seven hundred thousand men. These, for the most part, were mounted on horses.

At the beginning of Attila’s reign, Theodosius, the younger, was Roman Emperor of the East. He was but twenty-five years of age and not a man of martial disposition. Instead of perfecting himself in the art of war he interested himself in religious controversies and spent much time in illuminating sacred manuscripts with skill and industry. Thus he was powerless to stop the savage onrush of the Huns, and to protect the Roman province from fire and slaughter, when Attila determined to invade his country. In 441 a. d. the horsemen of the warlike Barbarians ravaged nearly the whole of Europe and drove the Roman legions before them, whenever they came in contact.

Theodosius endeavoured to seek peace with this scourge of the Roman possessions, but, instead of treating him with kindness, the Hunnish retinue, with whom he parleyed, dictated harsh and humiliating terms. They refused to dismount from their horses when discussing the overtures of peace, for they wished to humiliate the pride of Rome. Theodosius had already paid a yearly tribute of seventy thousand dollars to Attila, but this was now raised to one hundred and forty thousand. The Huns insisted that there should be free markets at which they and the Romans should meet on equal terms, and that any tribe upon which Attila should choose to levy war should be excluded from the alliance of Rome, if such an alliance already existed. The Roman Emperor weakly gave in to all these demands, and, in order to further satisfy the will of Attila, two children of the royal Hunnish blood (who had escaped to the Roman province and wished to remain there) were given up to him by the Roman officers and crucified on Roman territory, by express order of the barbaric chieftain.

But this was no check to the ferocious Attila. In a few years he had pushed south to Constantinople, behind the walls of which Theodosius and his unwarlike court took refuge. They were at his mercy, and soon the yearly tribute was doubled. Many hundred thousands in gold was also handed the Huns in settlement for past arrears. The timid Romans were powerless and were incapable of stemming the advance of this rapacious conqueror, who destroyed more than seventy of their cities; defeated the army of the Roman Empire in three battles; laid waste the country between the Black Sea and the Adriatic; from the Danube to the boundaries of Greece; and reduced the greater part of the inhabitants to abject slavery.

In this dire extremity the Romans were nearly freed of this fierce invader by the act of one of the court servants. The Emperor Theodosius persuaded Attila’s Gothic Ambassador to attempt to poison his employer, and he endeavored to do so. But the plan miscarried, as the assassin repented just as he was about to execute the deed. In consequence, Attila demanded a great sum of money from Theodosius, which this weakling was afraid to refuse him. The timid Emperor did not long survive this humiliation. His inglorious reign was soon brought to a termination by a severe injury to his spine when thrown from his horse in the hunting field.

Theodosius was succeeded by his sister Pulcheria, who gave her hand in marriage to Marcian: a Senator sixty years of age; a good soldier; and a man of great tact and obstinacy. The new Roman executive determined upon a different course towards the Huns than had been pursued by his predecessor. He prepared for resistance and for the first time since he had come in contact with the effete Romans, the Hunnish invader received a check to his aggressive demands. Attila had sent a retinue to the Roman court and with his usual effrontery had instructed his ambassador to say, Attila, my lord and thy lord, commands thee, Marcian, to provide a palace for his immediate reception. But this demand was met with the reply that no longer could his Majesty at Rome be insulted with the mention of a tribute, that the Roman Emperor would reward the faithful friendship of the Allies with becoming liberality, but if .the Huns insisted upon their unjust demands for gold, they would be repelled by all the force of arms which the Empire could muster.

Attila received this answer with insolent contempt. He affected to despise these Romans of the East who had so often been put to rout before his onslaught, and he declared, with much braggadocio, that he would suspend the easy defeat of Marcian’s people until he had made a more important conquest. This was the subjection of Gaul, which lay to the West, and is now known as France. He had determined to conquer it and even desired to ravage Italy itself, for the Huns were attracted to this sunny land by the great wealth of the cities and the fertility of the soil. The province which he was about to overrun was a Roman dependency.

Although the brave Marcian, who was at Constantinople, was called Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, the real Emperor of the Romans was Valentinian, who lived in Rome. Before his attack upon Gaul, Attila made a formal demand for this ruler’s sister, Honoria, stating that he would not advance upon the Roman province if she were presented to him. A curt and dignified refusal was, of course, given to this outrageous request. So, in a. d. 451 Attila gave orders for the vast horde of barbaric Huns to sweep down upon the hapless cities and towns of Gaul. From his royal village on the plains of Hungary and with seven hundred thousand marauders, mounted upon their shaggy ponies and followed by their wives and children in ox carts, he marched eight hundred miles to the conflux of the Rhine and the Necker. Here his force was joined by the Frankish army, which much increased its fighting strength. Making a bridge of boats, the mighty host swept, like a huge bird of prey, upon the Gallic provinces. Cities were razed to the ground. Citizens, priests, women, and infants were put to massacre. Fire and sword accomplished an awful butchery.

From the Rhine and the Moselle, this veritable Scourge of God advanced into the heart of Gaul, and, after a long and tedious march, the Hunnish invaders came before the walls of Orleans on the River Loire. But here the tide of advancing butchery was to be turned. Terrified at this atrocious march, the Visigoths and Romans united to stem the advance of the enemy. Aetius, with the Roman legions of Gaul, and Theodoric, with the Gothic host, joined two mighty armies below the Loire and speedily advanced to the relief of the beleaguered town. Attila feared to fight them where he was, and retreated before the courageous defenders of the province until he was behind the river Seine.

It was in the early days of July that the two antagonistic forces, at length, came together. The van of the advancing Goths and Romans had seriously harassed the rear of the retreating Huns, and, angry at the turn which affairs had taken, Attila determined to give battle. Near the city of Chalons are vast, rolling plains called the Catalaunian fields, and here he drew up his Barbarians in battle array. The Romans and Goths had caught up with him, determined to beat off this horrible adversary and revenge the inhabitants of Gaul who had suffered from his atrocious march. What a picture it must have been to see these great armies confronting one another! Here were the horsemen of Attila, clad in mouse skins, knit together, and in hides of wolves and foxes. They were armed with lances and long, cruel swords, and seated firmly upon their half-tamed horses, eagerly awaited the conflict, while Attila, in the centre, with courageous voice and haughty gestures, urged on the attack. Aetius, with the Roman Legions, was on the left of the line opposed to the Huns, and Theodoric, king of the Visigoths, was upon the right. In the centre were the solid Roman phalanxes of veterans. The nations from the Atlantic to the Volga were opposed to each other in one great struggle for race supremacy.

Before the battle began, Attila (as is the custom of Barbarians) consulted the augurs about the outcome. He distrusted his own powers against such a strong adversary and secretly considered the expediency of flight. The priests of the augury first slaughtered some sheep, and, after a deliberate consultation and pondering over a number of the veins in some of the scraped bones, gave forth this decree, Ill fortune to the Huns. They will be defeated, but the chief leader of the opposite side shall fall in the midst of victory, and so the triumph of his followers shall be turned to sorrow.

This pleased Attila more than one would expect, for he supposed Aetius to be the chief leader of the enemy, and his death seemed to be well worth purchasing, even if his own army should be defeated. But he was naturally most anxious over the outcome, and, being a man of forethought in military matter, set the hour for fighting at about the ninth hour of the day (3 p. m.)So, if the tide of conflict turned too seriously against him, the fall of night would put an end to the enemy’s attack.

The battle began with fury, and soon the troops were struggling for the possession of some rising ground. Attila had directed his men to gain the top of this hillock, but, foreseeing the danger of their own formation, Thorismund, the son of the Gothic leader; and Aetius, from an opposite side; fiercely struggled for its possession.

The fight was short and bloody. Soon the allies had conquered, and, from the summit of the hill, easily threw into confusion the advancing Huns as they rushed forward to a renewed attack. Attila saw that his followers had been worsted in this skirmish, and thought that it was time for an address. In a short speech, he endeavoured to bolster up their courage, and, after paying a tribute to their great valour as soldiers, said that they were to go forward with cheerfulness and attack the enemy, since, they who struck the first blow, had the boldest hearts. He told his men to despise the jarring nationalities leagued against them. He advised them to concentrate the attack on the Alani, in the centre of the opposing forces, and concluded with the stirring words, O ye Huns, raise your hearts battle high and let your wonted fury swell your veins. Now put forth all your cunning. Now use all your arms. Let him who is wounded seek still for at least one enemy’s death, let him who is unhurt revel in the slaughter of the foe. Him who is fated to conquer, no dart will touch, him who is doomed to die, fate will find in the midst of a slothful peace. I shall be the first to hurl my weapon against the enemy, and, if anyone can linger inactive when Attila fights, he is a thing without a soul and ought to be buried out of hand. The hearts of his followers were so warmed by this fiery address that they gained renewed courage and rushed with a loud shout upon the successful enemy.

The Huns penetrated the centre of the opposing line, and, beating the Alani to earth, concentrated their attack upon the Visigoths. It was a hand-to-hand fight of tremendous fierceness. Antiquity, with all its stories of bloody battles, has nothing to parallel this savage clash of arms at Chalons The waters of the streams which coursed peacefully over the plain ran red with blood. Valiantly the Visigoths rallied to the defence of their line, and King Theodoric, while galloping back and forth to command and cheer his men, was thrown from his horse and trampled to death under the feet of his own soldiers. This was the event of which the augurs had told, but it was not Aetius, the Roman, who had fallen, as Attila had expected, for that General was busily leading the attack upon the flank and rear of the Hunnish army.

The tide of battle now began to turn. The Huns were forced from their advanced position, and Attila, himself, was nearly captured. He prudently fled behind the defences of his own camp, while Thorismund—son of the dead Theodoric—rushed forward with his valorous Visigoths, and bore so fiercely on the Hunnish line, that all were driven back to the ring of wagons which they had placed about their camp. The allies were afraid to follow, and so the battle ended. Over one hundred thousand lay dead upon the plain. The once peaceful Catalaunian fields were covered with mutilated corpses.

To the Huns the outlook was certainly not favourable, and capitulation stared them in the face. Fearing this, Attila collected the saddles and furniture of the cavalry in a great funeral pyre, determined, if his intrenchments should be forced, to set fire to the mass of wood and perish in the flames, rather than suffer the humiliation of capture. But the victory was not pressed. Fearful, perhaps, that a complete rout of the barbaric host, meant Gothic dominion in the Roman province of Gaul, Aetius did not wish to renew the assault. He left Attila alone and so the great Hunnish army slowly retreated from whence it had come, across a country stripped of everything of value; devastated of homes and crops—almost a wilderness—for Attila had boasted that the grass never grew where his horse’s feet had trot.

Although thwarted in his designs of conquering Gaul, Attila was now determined to enforce his claim to the hand of Honoria by invading Italy. He was angry with Valentinian, as an additional demand for the Princess and her treasures had had no effect upon the Roman Emperor. So the Barbarian again set his invaders in motion and entered Italy from the North with an innumerable host. He met with slight resistance, as the Alani and Goths, who had rallied to the defence of Gaul, would not again join to give him battle. A great outpost of the Roman Empire—the populous city of Aquilea—was the first to fall before the wrath of the Hun. After a nine months’ siege, it was reduced to ruins and its inhabitants were massacred. Many other beautiful cities in northern Italy were also destroyed, for Valentinian made little effort to defend this country. When, at last, Attila proposed to march against Rome itself, the timid Emperor and the Senate resolved that if they could not fight at least they could sue for peace.

So an embassy was sent to the Hunnish camp in the endeavour to dissuade the invaders from further conquest. Among the ambassadors was Pope Leo I, who, when introduced to Attila, seemed to have more influence with him than had any other Roman. He was listened to with favourable, and even respectful, attention; for not only must the Barbarian have been greatly impressed by the logic and majesty of the Roman ecclesiast, but he must have been also influenced by the softened spirit of his followers. As a matter of fact, the warlike passions of the Hunnish soldiers had been much relaxed by the indolence of the warm, Italian climate. These wild savages of the North, accustomed as they were to a diet of raw flesh and milk, had indulged so deeply in wine and in cooked meat, that their valour was far less keen than before, and their bodies had become weakened by self-indulgence and disease. Attila realized this, and so determined to retreat to the North after he had secured as much money as he could from the frightened Romans. He demanded an immense ransom as the price of peace, and swore that he would return—more terrible than ever before—if the Princess Honoria were not delivered to him after a short time. This first demand was acceded to, but the second was refused with scorn.

Attila retreated north, and, in spite of his apparent desire to marry Honoria,—determined to add a beautiful maid (Ildico by name) to the family of his innumerable wives. At his wooden palace beyond the Danube, the marriage was celebrated with barbaric pomp and magnificence. There was much feasting and drinking by all. Attila, himself, departed from his usual habits of temperance, and only retired upon his wedding-night after he had drained many goblets of sparkling wine. Next morning he was found insensible upon his couch, for a blood vessel had ruptured in his mouth during a deep sleep, and the suffocation that had ensued had caused instantaneous death. His remains were immediately enclosed in three coffins,—of gold, of silver, and of iron. Rich treasures were thrown into his grave—when buried next day—and, as is the custom of barbarians, the captives who were forced to dig the trench were afterwards put to death.

So died Attila, the first great leader of cavalry of whom the world has accurate knowledge. He was rightly named, The Scourge of God, for no man ever waged more ruthless and indiscriminate slaughter upon defenceless people, than he. At his death Europe and all Asia were delivered from the terror of massacre and invasion, and the wild riders of the northern plains had lost the only leader who has ever led the race to European conquest.

The Huns soon drifted back to the plains of Central Asia from which they had come, and from warriors and conquerors they returned to their nomadic lives as huntsmen and shepherds. Their glory was to pass into history.

SALADIN: THE GREAT SULTAN OF EGYPT

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[A. D. 1137—1193]

DURING THE PERIOD OF THE Crusades—about the year of 1137—there are two great characters which stand out far above the rest of the famous Frenchmen, Englishmen, Arabs, Turks, and Egyptians, who battled for the possession of Jerusalem. One was Richard Coeur de Lion, or the lion hearted: King of England and leader of a mighty host which swept over the plains of Palestine and endeavoured to wrest the Holy City from the Mohammedans. The other was Saladin: Sultan of Egypt and one of the most skilled and able fighters, and leaders of cavalry, that the world has ever known. Among the Arabs there was an inborn spirit of chivalry, just as there was among the English. The chivalrous Christian Knights who invaded Asia and Palestine, at this time, found a similar Mohammedan chivalry. Saladin is admitted by all to have surpassed the King of England in the true virtue of chivalry—bravery, devotion to his religious beliefs, and generosity to the weak and to the fallen.

The great Sultan of Egypt was born in a castle on the Tigris river in Syria where his father was governor of a province. He was not a particularly brilliant youth and was fond of wine and gaming, but he reformed his conduct when he grew older and became a model of honesty, courage and patriotism. His name was Yussuf, or Joseph, to which his family added Salah-ed-Din, meaning Safety of the Faith. Later on he assumed the title of Malek-en-Nasir, meaning Victorious King.

As a little boy the future leader of the Egyptian armies was taught to ride, shoot, and throw the javelin. He was taken upon hunting expeditions; was accustomed to the chase; to rapid riding; and was given a position in the army. Here he served under his father and under his uncle, whom he accompanied upon an expedition into Egypt against a certain Vizier who was at war with his own people. In this campaign the great city of Alexandria was captured and young Saladin was thought so highly of that he was left in charge of a garrison to defend the place against future attacks. This came very shortly from a party of Crusaders, but they had to withdraw after a long and weary siege. The youthful Saladin had won his first honours as a warrior.

So worthy a person was he considered to be at this time that he was made Vizier, or Governor of Egypt, by the Egyptian monarch, Noor-ed-Deen, who claimed to hold possession of this fertile country. But Noor-ed-Deen was a harsh fellow who wished to make his general obey him explicitly, and, as Saladin had a high and imperious spirit, he refused to follow the orders of his sovereign. So strong was he, indeed, that this Monarch was afraid to enforce his obedience, and so Saladin governed in peace and quietude, until the death