The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-03-23

power which is 60 fearful to contemplate, whilst
this giant is in repose. This nervous power being
wanting her strength, in reality is very limited,
and che is only formidable by the fears Of Europe its
apathy, dunion, and the effect Of her Machiavelian
policy working skifuy upon weakness, and such as
Austrian treacheries. If we retrace as briefly as
possible, the military history of Russia we shall 6nd
the confirmation of our assertions Before the reign
of Peter, we find the Muscovte a very unwarlike
people, by handfuls Of Poles and Swedes or
by the Tartars Previous to this epoch, we find the
Stretches, the flower Of the army, cruel turbulent
but brave-ake terrible to their soveregns, as
they were to the people. At Narva, they fed, with
the rest OF the army, $1,000 strong, posted behind
strong entertainments, and protected by 100 pieces
OF cannon, before the attack of 5000 Swedes
When they afterwards revoted against Peter, they
made feeble resistance against the handful of
regulars Of General Gordon, though fighting for
their lives. As long as anything depended upon
very sorry figure. With the introduction Of Euro
pean discipline, new commenced for the Russian
arms AT Pultova, the Muscovtes were three times
the numbers of their adversaries, intrenched, and
protected by l40 pieces of cannon against an enemy
who had none. Their forts were carried their
cavalry was routed, and here, for the first
time, the Russian infantry, in masses, decided
the victory against the worn out, inferior army
and its great leader, Charles the Twelfth, who
was carried into the battle on o brancard. From
this time forward the Russian armies took an impor
tant position in Europe Under Marshal Munich,
find them already placing the crown of Poland on the
head of Augustus; but, although their discipline
rendered them formidable in Europe, Munich's cam
paign against the Turks and Tartars shows that no
personal valor animated his troops. He found SO
many falling sick, to avoid encounterng the dangers
OF the southern seppes that he resorted to the most
barberous to strike terror into the breasts Of
these truants He caused soldiers falling sick to be
buried alive in the front Of his army, and he caused
the general officers to be chained to the guns upon
the march. At the storming of Ochacow he was
obliged to turn his own cannon against his own
troops to compel them to enter the breach Yet
thn.A o,lpt n
masses Poland could not oppose We find after this,
the Russian successful against Frederick the
Second. not dependent upon the military talent Of
their leaders, but to the steadiness of the Russian in
tantry, notwithstanding that Frederick had brought
artillery practice nearly to its present state of per-
fecton. In 1923 the Russians, in the Turkish war,
entered Turkey with 10000 men. The Turks only
proved how their energy and spirit had died away
depending, as they did, for their defence, TO badly
fortified towns, pestilence and climate Before the
small town Of Brailow the Grand Duke Michael, for
many weeks, failed to take it, Notwithstanding the
town capitulated. The Emperor Nicholas commanded
his army in person, which fought the Turkish forces
near Boulanlouk All his efforts only compelled
them to retire to the decentralization of their
camp, where Nicholas was afraid to attack them.
The Notifications Of Varna were bcsieged by the
Russians for nine weeks, and its defender Youssouf
only gave them up for SO much Russian gold, which
proved more potent than their powder and bullets.
foussouf retired with the Russians into Russia,
where he lived on pension granted by the Empe-
ror, and, long after the peace the Porte was COM
PEELED to receive back this traitor Youssouf. So
with the Hungarian traitors, Gorgey and others;
Russian gold did more thanAheir arms to overcome
their indomitable bravery, energy, greatness, and
endurance. We will say nothing Of the constant,
overwhelming. and disastrous defeats the Russians
constantly met with, at the hands of a few semi
barbarian mountaineers, the Circassians. on their
own borders. We will now contrast these with the
campaigns of the great Suwarrow and Romantzow.
Vpha fhn how dad hat
day. united fourth Of these forces
in the field against Turkish armies more warlike
and more numerous; yet SuWarrow is seen storming
the strong well garrsoned and desperately defended
lsmael ESQ graphically poetized by Byron) when,
in 1928, the army Of Nicholas cannot carry the
feeble walls Of Brailow, neither can it succeed in
defeating in an open field, those very Turks whom
Romanztow attacked in their own intrenched camp,
Vizier, commanding 600 men. The war pro-
ceeded az it had begun the Russians repulsed the
Turks at Tchorlan, and at Schounla. without being
able to defeat them, at most prodgous loss Of
men, and without obtaining one single advantage.
The nanty Of their adversares still allows them to
advance. The next campaign opens with the Rus
slams under Diebitch; and the Commander of the
Turkish army. Redschid Pasha. takes the field with
only thirty thousand irreguars, consisting Of the
very worst, the most undiscipned, and badly armed
The decay of the power Of the Ottoman en-
pre, and her enteebled condition, requires no
comment. When we find that this was all the
force the Turkish empire could bring together,
with her utmost efforts in such an exgency, need we
wonder, them that Turkey, being assured of English
protection, refused the surrender Of Kossuth-that
the mere name Of English protection prevented Aus
tra crossing the Turkish borders. great illustration
of Kossuth's reliance of the Anglo-American moral
influence in the cause of Hungarian liberty. Near
Devno. at Yeni Bazaar the dcmoralized Ottoman army
easily gives way. At Koutefcha they make more
spirited resstance-they were deteated the best mill
tary authority asserts that the turn of straw would
have decided the affair in their favor. Debitch
~ d. l..n
which he occupied, and the panic of the Turks in
duced them to peace at the very moment when
the effect Of atgues and disease arising out of causes
already mentioned, that their position had be-
Of Paskiewitch in Asia, changed the disasters
which awaited Diebitcb into a triumph. OF 40, 900
who crossed the Balkin with Diebtch, $4,000 were
lying sick in few weeks. OF the troops drawn from
the interior Of Russia to march upon the Turkish
frontier, 100000 men had melted away Npon the
road; of those who entered the Turkish territory,
in Europe and Asia. during. the two campaigns
$50 600 men persisted from fatigue, disease, and pes
thence, and %, 900 by the sword.
In Napoleons retreat from Moscow. the loss of men
almost equally disastrous to the Russians as it
to the army Of Napoleon, calculating upon the
relative positions of the armies the pursued and
the pursuers with the advantages of rest when they
pleased, and supplies to the latter.
The Polish revolution, in 1880. next led to the in-
vasion Of Poland by an army of 10000 Russians,
under Diebitch. At this time the prediction which
the Emperor Nicholas has always evinced for the
Germans was SO strong that more than three-fourths
of the chiefs Of his forces including Debitch Zabal-
kansky, their commander, were Germans. The
Poles, who were never able to muster above 10000
regulars altogether, and 10000 auxiliaries, in the
shape of badly armed volunteer patriotic Polish
citizens, at Gobie and Okouniew, retired after
desperate resistance, made against the most fearful
and overwhelming odds. The battle ofWawre lasted
two days; after the most sanguinary combat per-
chance on record both armies retained their posi-
tons, though the Russians had 10000 disciplined
men upon the field against mixture Of $4,000 OF
their brave adversaries. The Russian army was now
increased to 100000 men, besides reserve corps,
which placed this grand army effectively at the dis
posal of Diebitch. At Seroczyn, Geismar was de-
ieated by Dwencki, and at the battle of Growchow,
victory seemed first to declare for the Russians; for
moment it was supposed that Diebitch would have
taken possession Of Praga the suburb of the capital
but after desperate struggle he was repulsed AMI
forced to retire Geismar and Rosen are defeated by