The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-06-18
Military Condition Of Turkey.

Military Condition OF turkey.
A Prussian officer, who held Office in Turkey in
1s4s-e has lately published Statements in regard
to the military strength of Turkey which disagree
with those of the London Netos and New York
Times on the same subject He says:
"The journals in government pay there exhibit
on paper a brave army of six hundred and sixty.
four thousand men ready and longing for action;
but this army ia mere numerical estimate, a de.
sign; plan for raising an army on the ruins of
the ill-slarred army Of Mahmoud H., on the found
alton of the divisions of the empire, which ia
and the divisions of which still for the most
part unknown to the superior officials.
"The system of ecruiting is by lot; the recruit
ing districts are based upon divisions of the land
which have not as yet been officially ascertained
and boundaries have been done away with, and
thus endless con Infusion is caused. How little the
interior is known may be inferred from the fact
that within four leagues of Consantinope there is
sunexplored land.'
and soul, and made greater progress in European
reforms than any OF the powers t.at be- now in
Turkey, felt, after the destruction of the ianisa.
ries in 1926, the necessity OF creating another
my assimiated to the military state and standing
of European armies He put himself at the head
of his four companies of life guards, which he in
tended to form into a normal school for his new
army but the lamentable war with Russia, as
well as the unsuccessful campaigns in Lower Asia
and Syria, destroyed his arrangements in the bud
In spite of the great personal care and the enor,
nous sums he bestowed on the furthering of his
lans, he could never bring together an army of
SO. 900 men.
sin 1889 Prussian officer, known in Turkey
as Rsa Pasha. was engaged to construct an army,
and, though this engagement and the consequent
reforms came to speedy and premature end, the
divisions OF the army as arranged by him still re.
main. They are as follows: The whole military
fnVOo 10 d,vyfA od into civ l.
each commanded by a field marshal, (Musch y
each order is divided into two corps, under the
command Of generals of division, (Ferik.j
"Each order is composed Of six infantry, four
cavalry, and one artillery regiments and contains
$4,000 troops of the line, with reserve (rediff} of
similar strength, together $4,000. The six orders,
therefore. are of themselves 300 900 strong but in
addition to them are, fret, four detached corps,
the Crete, the TrPoli, the Tunis, and the Central
artillery corps. These corps are far from being
| organized, and their commanding. officers are
still at their villas on the Bosphorus
sgd. An army to be levied in Bosnia and North
ern Albania, as in these provinces an insurrecon
caused by the recruiting system haaonly just been
put down, the greater part of those capable oil
bearing arms have persisted, and the rest fled, lit
| tie be expected from this force. Sd. 40 900
men which Serva has undertaken to bring into
the field 4th. The army of Egypt, $4,000 men
5th. The marine corps, 81 900 men, 9th. The
police force, which has military organization and
armament
"Of the six orders only the three fret are com.
pletely organized; not more than half the cavalry
| is mounted The fourth and fifth orders are very
deficient, the reserve being without arms, and to-
gether they hardly amount to 10000 men. The
9th, the army of Bagdad, has neither cavalry, ar.
tllery, nor reserve, and amounts altogether te
about 6 900 men,
"This order may be looked upon as quite cut of
from the rest by its great distance, defective
muncations, and more particularly by the A rat
tribes of the desert, always more or less in oper
rebellion; entire battaions 60 to the Persia nj
from time to time, with bag and baggage.
Exclusive Of the contingents from Bosnia, Ser
via, and Egypt, the disposable force OF Turkey
when this reformed plan has been carried ou
would amount to about $40 800 men; at the pres
ent moment it would be difficult to get together
$50, 900 to ITO 900.
"According to the Koran. infidels cannot be ad
mitted into the army; recruits, therefore, can be
found only in the Moslem population; anybng the
Is 500 900 of inhabitants of Turkey in Europe only
$500 900 are Moslem; in Asia and Africa, out Of
16O00,000, 100000 Musselmans; for the re.
cruitng of the army of $40 900 men, there is there
fore population Of $4,000 900, which would be
quite sufficientf the system of recruiting not
so Ineffective.
"a recruiting commission, consisting of several
staff and other officers, moilahs, DOCTORS and sub.
alterns, provided with an imperial frman, proceeds
to the appointed district, where lots are to be
drawn The period of service is five years. Those
who escape in the lot drawing one year must draw
again every year Tor 1our more; and II they es-
cape till the end of five years they enter the redi
or reserve, which is thus composed Of raw militia,
which is only exercised one month in year.
"The appointment o. the recruits to the differ.
ent arms Of the force is made with regard to the
personal fitness of individuals, but at random or
by caprice; thus the AIbanians, who arc good ri
1emen, are taken for the artillery; fishermen,
sailors, and peasants, VINO never eat on horse,
are drawn off to the cavalry
"The drilling and exercising is partly Prussian
grated on the remains of the former French sys
| tenn The wretched state of the uniforms and &C
coutrements, the bayonets kept loose in the mus
kets that they may ring we'll on grounding arms
the nonchaance of the men when in rank and
file, the impossibility of getting them to stand
still or silent, TO dress or to march in straight
line, or do any thing in soldierlike manner, are
set forth at great length.