The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-11-25 00:00:00

A WINTER REVIEW IN RUSSIA.

The following lengthy extracts are from the later of en
Occasional Correspondent of The Time, writing from St.
Petersburg, Nov. 16:—

To some of your readers whose experience of military
reviews is limited to -those which are held in Hyde
Park or at Windsor, it may be interesting to read a
description of the display of troops which I have just,
seen on the Champ de Mars of St. Petersburg. .
As all Londoners know, a review of some 10,010 men in
the metropolis, or in one of the Perks where such dis-
plays are usually made is always attended with a cer-
tain amount of confusion, and the troops appointed to
take part in it are generally on the ground many hours
before the review begins. In this country, however,
which is eesential a military one, and where military
parades of many thousands of men are frequent
occurrences, no such confusion is seen. Tne re-
view of this morning was held, as I said before, on
the Champ de Mars, which is a squere, open
space near the spot where the Emperor was saved
from the hand of an assassin a few years ago, and is
bounded, so to speak, on two sides by houses and
palaces, and on the other two by gerdene. The parade
was ordered for twelve o'clock, and having heatd that
some 35,000 men were to be assembled, I was anxious
to see how they would be brought ,on the eround.
Every Englishman knows the saying of the Duke of
Wellington, that any fool could take 20,000 men into
Hyde-park, but that it took a good man to bring that
number out of its The Champ de Mars of St. Petersburg
presents to may mind, although I am not a military man,
the same difficulties of ingress and agrees ros Hyde-park.
Under these circumstances, and being desirous of look-
ing at the men, who may perhaps before long be c slled
upon to prove their strength and prowess in the field,
1 got up early and repaired to the place of meeting.
On going out of doors I found myself in a heavy
snowstorm, and in consequence felt sure the review
would be countermanded. But, knowing the hardiness
of the nation, I took a sledge and drove to the Champ
de Mars. Is is no exaggeration to say that this open
plain was some six inches deep in snow, at the time
snow was •falling fast, and the morning looked
dismal in the extreme. This was about. nine o'clock.
Not a soldier was to be seen, and the whole place
appeared more dead than alive. I inquired of
a policeman whether the review had been put off,
and he replied, with half a sneer' "No ; why
should it be?" Not liking to admit that in Bug-
lend a review would not be held unless all circum-
stances were auspicious, I thanked him and strolled
away. After waiting some three-quarters of an hour
without seeing any one in the uniform of a soldier
except a few small bodies of men returning from
their 24 hours' guard, I resolved to go home to
breakfast. Oa the road I met several detach-
ments of soldiers going to the place of rendezvous
in order to take up the ground for their respective re-
giments. I followed them, and was much struck with
the manner in which each man appeared to know the
exact spot on which he was to stand. There was no
shouting and no noise whatever, but every regimental
marker went straight to his place, and before I had
time to turn round the skeleton army stood before me.
It was then about ten o'clock. A quarter of an hour
afterwards the sounds of military bands announced
the arrival of the various corps which were to take
part in this military spectacle. From one side arrived
the regiment of Cuirassiers in their great coats, with
their cuirasses over them, which had a most martiel
effect. From another direction marched battalion
after battalion of tall, well-built men in their long
gray overcoats and long boats, treading heavily through
thesnow to their respective positions. Troops of every
description now began to pour on the scene from all
angles of the square in such numbers as would
astonish any military man in England. Being anxious
to get as near as possible to the regiments which were
forming, I hurried across the open space half way up
to my knees in snow, and was much attracted by a
regiment of cavalry sem() 700 horses strong, which took
up its prsition in the moat workmanlike manner.
Several questions which I made with regard to details
were most civilly answered, and I spent about ten
minutes in a very interesting conversation. 1 then
thought I roust look round me to see how the
other corps got into position. To my astonishment
the skeleton army of markers to which I have
alluded had become a real army of about 35,000
men. Every regiment was in its place ; the
General officers, with their Staff,', wore grouped in
front of their various Divisions, Brigades, Stc,, and
all this without the slightest fuss or disorder. . . . .
As the tune drew near for the commencement of the
review I hastened to see the arrival of the Emperor.
I son found where his horse wes waiting for him in a
small street adjacent to the garden. On one side of
this street was drawn up the whole of the Emperor's
Staff, which, as every one knows, is not small, and on
the other side were the military representatives of the
various European Powers. The French and German
Ambassadors, both military men, were present, as
also the Military Attacl, es of England, France, and
Austria The absence cf the Turkish Military Attache
was remarked with sneers by the crowd. In about
five minutes the shouting of the multitude announced
the approach of the Emperor, and very soon after a
sledge drawn by a single horse came quickly round the
corner, followed by another drawn by three hcrses at
full gallop. Odd as it may appear, iu the small one-
horse sledge was seated the Emperor, with int any
footman or aide-de camp, ac,sordiug to his usual custom -
of going about, while out of the troika, or three-horsed
sledge which fellowedejemped the aide de-camp in
waiting. His Majesty mounted his horse and vas met
by the Grand Duke Nicholas, commanding the-troops
of the military circle of St. Petersburg, which were to
be reviewed.

It waa great day for the Grand Duke Nicholap, aa
he bad just bden .ppointed to command the active
Army in the South, and will leave St. Petersburg in a
few days to occupy this new post. The Emperor
stapted at a canter, and, followed by the whole of

hie I

Staff and the foreign officers, rode through the garden
of Paul's Palace, where part of the Artillery had been
stationed. I followed as best I could, when my Eng-
lish ideas, formecichiefly from what I have seen of the
Household Brigade In Lor don, were some what shocked
by hearing the shouts with which the Emperor was
greeted by theetroops. I have since learnt that this is
the custom of the country, and that when any military
authority inspects troops he says, "How do you do,
my brothers ?" to which the soldiers are drilled ice
answer in • loud chorus: Having seen this com-
mencement of the 'inspection, I proceded as fast
As my legs and the enow would allowno to tho CLeelp
de Mars, and was enabled to see the Emperor and his
Staff canter down the Hues. When, on account of the
darkimes clawed by the falling snow, I was unable to
follow the Staff with /pay eyes, the direction which i
took was always msce°. apparent by the shouts of the
troopaeae the Emperor passed therm After: inspect-
ing every regiment minutely, His Mejoaty took
up ilia position at what we should call the flag-
staff. The army wee withdrawn to the opposite side
of the square and the march past commenced. It
is bat due to the Russians to say, that, whatever
they may be in tl-e field, on the parade ground their
drill is perfection. No shouting, no noise, no
euperfluoue galloping about of aides-de-camp, who
hardly know the orders they are carrying,. but
perfeCt quiet and self-possession on the pact of
all appeared to preveil. The march past V 783
opened-by a Squadron of the military Gendarmes at
whose head rode the chief of the Secret Police, who is
at the same time commandant of all the gendarmes of
the Empire. Is followed the Emperor's private
eecort, consistieg of Circassians in their picturesque
dleases. After them came the famous Prearajensky
regiment, made up of four battalions of men of such
size as no country could produce without the system of
conscription. Division after division of, I might say,
almost equally fine men followed the Peeobrajeneky
until all the Infantry had passed their Sovereign. Then
appeared the Foot Artillery, with the men sitting on the
guns and limbers. Next came the Cavalry, headed by a
division of four regiments of CuiaEsiers, who answer to
our Life Guards, and resendelo them,eomewhat in dress,
hut nut in nuaibtrF, considering that one squad of
the former looks as if it could swallow a whole regi-
ment of Life Guards or Blues. Behind the Cuirassiers
came the Light Division, composed of Massaro,
Lancers, mounted Grenadiers, and Cossacks. The two
latter corps struck me much by the entire absence of
noise during their march. The was no clanking of
swords no noise of any kind; one would even have
thought that the horses had been taught not to champ
their bits, so noiselessly did they go past-the saluting
point, and their movements were rendered quite .in-
audible at a short distance by the impossibility of
hearing the footfalls of their horses in the deep
snow. With these horsemen ended the passing of the
Cavalry, and the rear was brought up by the Horse ,
Artillery.
It is impossible to describe the magnificent effect
produced by this review, and although I believe that
the Russian soldiers of the line are very different from
their comrades of the Guerd, it is but justice to give
to the former all the credit due to them with regard to
their movements on parade

Interesting as WWI this spectacle, it ended in a scene
which I regret I could only see from a distance. It
appears that when the march past was over the Em-
peror gathered round him all the mounted officers, as
well as his nulnerous personal Staff. From my stand-
point I eortld see the group, and all of a sudden I RAW
all the ( fficere round the Emperor take off their hel-
mets, &3., and shout. I have since heard that th's
outburst was caused by a speech made by His Majesty.
I eta told that the Emperor, addressing the officers of
the Guard, expreeeed his satisfaction with the effi-
ciency of the various regiments. He added that he hail
found it his duty to mobilizehie Southern Army, and that
if, unfortunately, the occasion should arise for a mobiiiia-
tion of the Guards, he felt sure of their appearing in the
satisfactory state in which he then saw them. His'
Majesty then announced the appointment of his
brother, the Grand Duke Nicholas, to the command of
the) Army of the South, and spoke of his approaching
departure for the Turkish frontier, stating that the
Grand Duke would carry with him the !sincere good
wishes of every Russian soldier for the welfare of the
Southern troops and their Commander-in-Chief.
I cannot conclude this letter without stating that as
soon as the Emperor had finished speaking and he and
his Staff had dismounted, I looked round to have a
hart glance at the iroapa which I had seen manoeuvred
so well. My astonithment excl admiration were great
when I saw the large plAin, which tw,nty minutes
before had been cccupied by some 35,000 men, entirely
empty, and fast becoming as white es before the
tramp of many feet had baled its Winter carpet of
snow.