Excerpt from Complete History of the South African War, in 1899-1902
In order to publish a work of this kind immediately on the termination of hostilities, it becomes inevitable that the course of events should be recorded chronologically rather than that any department of the campaign should be dealt with consecutively and finally by itself.
This imperative method has the advantage of showing the daily development of events over the whole area of the war, while it has what may be considered the drawback of discursiveness from the introduction of innumerable facts and features of the struggle without any immediate connection with each other.
When the effort is to present a history of facts as complete as possible for research, rather than a picturesque story of leading battles, this compilation of heterogeneous matter is unavoidable, even if classified under many headings.
There is one set off to discursiveness. An exhaustive, sustained, and graphic description of a number of battles, one after the other, is a strain upon the feelings that is neither pleasant nor wholesome. In order to wade through and grasp the whole of the details with intelligence and composure, there must be the mental relief afforded by the admixture of diversified particulars.
Many events have been stated in briefest form. To paint everything in strong colours and in mlnuti? would give scope for fine writing and piquant reading, but the chronicle could not also be compressed into a cheap, single, popular volume for the million.
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