Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-08-13
Russia and Poland.
.DvENrUREs OF A POLISH VETERAN.

We translate for the Tribune from
the Leipsic Grcnzbotin, the following
thrilling and characteristic sketch Of
military life. Never before have we
ssen tho utter hatred q Pole bears
the Emperorso powerfully illustrated:
Although the war with Denmark
was purely German affair, and
hence allowed no foreign officer
in the army, as general rule, still a
few Poles and Hungarians were re-
ceived as volunteers. There was an
old Pole, whom knew as a non-com
missionedinfantry officerin the spring
oflS50. He was singular phenom-
enon, to be sure, exciting a lively
interest as soon as saw him. His
appearance was not a little remarka-
BILE. His long, silvery-grey beard
and moustaches hung down from his
thin, sharp featned face, from which
flashed pair of fiery blue eyes. The
skin of his face, as bright and brown
as leather, was dried up and wrink-
led, showing that he had got his looks
from exposure to the burning sun, and
many a bivouac in storm and rain
A frightful scar extended from his
forehead, with dark red stripe over
his nose to the corner of his mouth,
dividing his face into two oblique
parts. His forehead was high and
broad. Only few iron grey locks
struggled out from beneath his hem
let His figure seemed made entirely
of muscles and sinews vigorous and
elastic. He limped little with the
left foot in consequence of a wound,
and the middle finger was also want
ing on the left hand. But his bear
ing was always erect and truly mill
tary, and however hot might be the
July sun, he carried full knapsack
on twelve hours march, walking
off with this heavy load as if he had
had been born with it on his back
His dress, in spite Of dusty marches
and rainy bivouacs, was always clean
and tidy, aad his arms as bright as II
they had just come out of the shop.
The picture of an old veteran of
Napoleon's Imperial Guard was com
pleted by the cross of the Legion of
Honor, and a Spanish order. As a
soldier, he possessed a rare fidelity to
duty, thorough knowledge of the
service, and the most quiet courage.
You could not but see that he had
fought on many a bloody field
During the warm work at Idstedt he
highly distinguished himself. He
was as quiet in the midst of an ene-
my's fire as if he was not in the least
disturbed by the whistling of the
Danish bullets, Or the growl of the
cannon balls. The men of his com
mand asserted that they once heard
him say he would never shoot
Danish soldier, unless obliged to; but
would only pick out the officers 1t
is said among them that the General
of the hostile army, Scheleppegrell,
was killed by his shot, and many eye
witnesses testify that on the retreat
at ldstedt two other Danish officers
were shot by him.
His general department was marked
by an astringent silence. Although
he spoke the German language tole-
rably well, but with a foreign accent,
he would never pronounce a word,
unless necessary; nor had any one
ever seen the slightest smile on his
face at the jokes round the bivouac
fire. For hours long he would sit
brooding over the blaze of the watch
fire, SO that if it had not been for the
flash Of his eye, which looked out up
on the night, he might have been ia
ken for a dead block or stone. Nor
did he talk any more freely with his
Polish comrades, when he happened to
fall in with them. He drank no bran
dy, ate but little meat, and lived for
most part on beans, strong coffee,
which he prepared for himself, and
bread.
The soldiers and even the officers
had a kind of dread of the gloomy
corporal, and although he esteemed
his admirable qualities as soldier
they did not cotton to him very freely.
For myself, ! was strongly drawn to-
ward the dark man, whose iron
strength of character was expressed
in his whole appearance, and had
often tried, without much success, to
have talked with him.
One day the company in which he
Was a corporal had a pretty sharp
shrmish on the out-posts with the
Danes, in which they at last began to
fire some light field pieces. As the
enemy was retiring, a random shot
was fired from distance, and the ball
1ek off both the corporars legs below
EhS knee. He fell bleeding to the
ground with this terrible wound, and
was taken ofby his comrades sense
less.
The next morning a soldier came
% me with the request that ! would
90 to the wounded man, who was ly-
ns IN a neighboring farm house, as
ne wished to speak with me. On the
way. the surgeon of the battalion told
ne that the corporal would die with
. tsSUhours. Although it was bare
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