One of those new officers that began his rise in the Crimean War, he would go on to change the British Army into a modern fighting machine. Well, as much as was possible for it to ever change. This man was Garnet Wolseley. He was born in Ireland in 1833, son of an army officer. That young Garnet would follow his father into the army was never in doubt, but having no means, it was hard for a young man to buy his first commission, His mother hounded the Duke of Wellington until, in 1852, the young man was given a commission into the 12th Foot and sent to India. Garnet was the perfect image of the Victorian officer. He felt that war was a means to glory and honor. Marriage in the British Army was forbidden to officers until they reached the rank of Major and then only with permission of the commanding officer. Wolseley was convinced that the British gentleman was born courageous and with the natural abilities to lead men. Wolseley arrived in India in time for the Second Burma War and was injured several times and finally sent home to recuperate. After a period at home be transferred as a lieutenant to the Cameronians, (90th Light Infantry), and joined them as they set out for the Crimean War. Garnet was worried that the war would be over before he got a chance to achieve the glory that he so craved,

Upon arrival in the Crimea, Wolseley found that most of the great battles had already been fought but that there was still more glory to be won. He offered to serve with the Royal Engineers, as they seemed to lead the most dangerous life. He did so well that he was promoted, but when it was found out that he was only 21 the promotion was revoked.He appealed and it was reinstated. He went on to be promoted to Captain after less than three years of service. This was unknown for a man so young and not from a family of wealth and power. While in the Crimea, he was gravely wounded by an exploding shell. His face was ripped open and one eye was blinded. Sent to the rear he was operated upon and the face was repaired as well as possible in the field. At that time, though anesthesia was known, it was not widely used as it was thought that pain was better for the patient. After the war was over young Garnet was mentioned in dispatches and he was again put up for promotion. Once again his age became a factor, but this time the promotion was confirmed rather quickly. Wolseley was the youngest field officer in the British Army, a major. It was a spectacular rise for a man who had not purchased a single rank. A year later he was a lieutenant colonel and by the time he was thirty-five he was a Major-General.

Garnet went on to lead several very successful expeditions around the world, but still had not achieved the glory that he craved. It seemed that every time he did something worth mentioning, something else stood in his way. One time the commanding general didn�t mention him in dispatches because he was mad that Garnet hadn�t followed orders (which resulted in Garnet achieving an objective before the general.) Another time, the Franco-Prussian War broke out as he was achieving a great victory.. But something was going to happen in England that would set him up for future glory. A new Secretary of War was announced. This was Edward Cardwell. Secretary Cardwell hated violence of all types but threw himself into the job with all enthusiasm. He felt that reform in the army was needed, and so he brought Wolseley in to help him make the reforms work. He introduced short service, the end of the purchase system, and reformed the regimental system. The reforms set off a huge debate in England, especially from the older members of the army, but in the end, the reforms went through.

After this job it was back to fighting for Garnet. He was off to the coast of Africa. But first, for several years he had been making a list of officers he had met or heard of in the army. From this list he chose the officers he wanted on his staff for the campaign. This was to start of what would be known as the �Wolseley Gang.� This gang contained some of the most brilliant officers to be found in the army. They went against the usual standard of the times, as they were not afraid of book leaning and studying the methods of war. In other words, they were not afraid of making changes when they felt that it was for the good of the army.

In the past, when a campaign was planned, it meant that a general was selected, given a staff and troops to fight with and then sent off to win one for England. Wolseley was about to change all that. He sat down and planned every aspect of the campaign. He selected officers that had skills that he needed and then set them to work at solving the problems of the campaign. As he was planning to take regular units into Africa he needed to avoid the sickness that seemed to destroy any unit sent there. He planned a short campaign and tried to anticipate every possible outcome. Upon arrival, he sent the engineers to build a road through the jungle so the men could march quickly to the enemy. They built a corduroy road with some 237 bridges and every seven miles put in a hospital and supply dump. There was a telegraph line strung along side the road. The campaign lasted six months and had the effect of turning Wolseley into a national hero. A new phrase was invented to explain how he planned a campaign: �All Sir Garnet.� He would go on to further glory and many more campaigns and in the end became the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. It could be argued that Garnet brought the British Army into the 19th Century.