BULLER, boiler. Sir REDVERS HENRY (1839 --). A British military officer. He fought through the _tshantee, Kaffir, and Zulu cam paigns. winning the Victoria Cross in the last tor the gallant rescue of three comrades. Later Ile served in the Boer War of 1SS1 : in the Egyptian War of ISR2: and in the Sudan Cam paign of 1884-85. a lld received the K.C.B. in 1885. From 18S7 to 18'90 he was quartermaster general, and in the latter year became adjutant general. Ile was promoted to lie lieutenant-gen era] in 1891, and received the G.C.B. in 1894. In 1898 110 was placed in command of the First Army Corps and the garrison of Aldershot. and in November, 1S99. succeeded to the supreme com mand of the British forces in South Africa. Great, things were expected of hint there, for he had been regarded as one of the most active and indomitable coditing generals in the British Army; hut lie suffered several serious reverse.. about Ladysmith, and was snnerseded by Gen eral Roberts and returned to Aldershot. In Con
sequence of an ill-advised speech in London, soon after his return, lie was retired. The unwise championship of friends also bronalit out facts regarding his South A friean leadership. The Secretary for War made public through the ular parliamentary channels the fact that Gen eral Buller. after his first reverse. had advised by heliograph message that General White, the heroic defender of Ladysmith, abandon the siege and surrender troops to the enemy, advice which the latter refused to adopt under any cir cumstances. The Secretary for War, in com menting on the incident, said that had this been carried out, it would have been the "most valam itous reverse in English military history." With the publication of these official documents and statements was swept away the last vestige of Buller's reputation as a war commander.