The officer who obeys, whatever may be the nature or extent of his
command, will always stand excused for executing implicitly the
orders which have been given to him. This is not the case with the
general-in-chief, on whom the safety of the army and the success of the
campaign depend. Occupied, without intermission, in the whole process
of observation and reflection, it is easy to conceive that he will
acquire by degrees a solidity of judgment which will enable him to see
things in a clearer and more enlarged point of view than his inferior
generals.
Marshal Villars, in his campaigns, acted almost always in opposition
to the advice of his generals, and he was almost always fortunate.
So true it is, that a general, who feels confident in his talent for
command, must follow the dictates of his own genius if he wishes to
achieve success.