The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-09-29
Russian Account of the Eastern war
From the Journal de St. Petersburgh.

nSnes malicious and erroneous summing up oil The
operations of our armies since the commencement
of the war.
1t may suit the purpose of the Western press to
endeavor 10 seek satisfaction for their selEloVe
by representing the actual position Of our troops
as the manifestation of a check 10 the policy OF
Russia well to the prestige OF its militia ry
power. This is one mode ofeffecting an alteration
in the opinion Of the public the ridiculously
small results obtained by the display Of such
gigantic and expensive forces by the two Powers
in alliance with Turkey, and above all, Of lessening
the disgrace which attaches TO them Of exploits al
present confined to attacks against deenceless
towns and inOftnsive merchant vessels. They
forget, however, that the Government OF France
and England Pompously announced their intention
10 conquer and dismen,ber Russia, whilst Russia
herself neither wishes for The unjust which is
at present being waged against her nor had made
pTepa ra!ions for it.
Furthermore, these who from the beginning have
devoted themselves TO misrepresentipg the inten-
tlOns of the Imperial Government, TO describing it
animated with ambitious views and aggressive
tendencies, would naturally seek to reconcile at the
present moment the facts with their malicious
fabrications. But Russia cannot be prevailed upon
TO consider as check the non success of intentions
which are falsely ascribed to her, and which she
has never entertained.
Had they exercised little good faith in
their decisions the organs Of the Western press
mi ght have been easily convinced that if the I'm
peral Government occupied the principaities it
was simply for the end of seizing momentarily on
a material pledge for the indemnfcations which 1t
had right to exact from the Sultan and which it
had in vain sought to obtain by the means Of
friendly negotiations. II is quite certain that the
conquest of Turkey could not be effected by the
sixty thousand men composing our army Of occu-
patton and, il il possible to hope for any
mpartiaity from the press, the insufficlency of the
military means displayed by Russia in such grave
conjucture ought 10 have demonstrated better than
any assertion the moderation and the sincerity of
the Imperial Government
The inferiority which it is the fashion to impute
to the Danube is another proof OF what we
assert for, if our troops have remained for the
period Of eight months in defensive position; a
real disadvantage to them, inasmuch they were
scarcely sufficient to cover line of one hundred
leagues the reason is that the Imperial Govern.
mPnt ahXiOusly desired 20 fulfil faithfully the en-
gagPments into which it has entered with Europe.
In the respective position Of the two beligerens,
the Turks, by Of their numerical superiority
and The support of their many fo-tresses must
necessarily have found themselves superior in
numbers on many points over this space; but,
without refusing enernies the justice which is
their due, we think that every impartial military
man will acknowledge that they have shown verv
little ability in making of their advantages and
that, if the results (for the most part negative) Of
their pretended victories prove ANYTHING, it is
precisely the intrepiditv and heroic constancy
displayed by our soldiers, which have, from time
immemorial, been the glory OF the Russian armies
We shall not discuss here the different plans for
the campaign which have been so kindly attrbu
ted to US, in order that those who have done so
may have the pleasure of pointing out the want OF
success of these plans. One Of these is the pro-
iect of exciting TO insurrPction the population Of
IL IT,.
key; and the Journal des Debats cannot explain
how it is that Russia has not put in operation ali
the means that might have been employed for this
purpose. This naiCe 0stonishment on the part Of
the Western writer cannot surprise Political
revolutions With them familiar weapons and
they have felt particle OF shame in according
their patronage TO the bloody rcprisals taken by
MussuIman fanaticlsm on the Christian sub jects
Of the Sultan. We cannot think that the Imperial
Government need any justification for not having
let loose upon these wretched countries the horrors
OF a war OF determination.
With respect 10 the last operations Of our troops,
the Journal deS Debats and lis Western brethern
anxious to persuade their creduous readers,
we'll their Mussuman allies, that these opera.
tions the result only of the energetic attI.
tude of the Turks, but lso and more particularly,
of the presence of the Anglo French troops upon
the theatre of war. We cannot permit them to in
dulgc iD this Illusion.
The Imperial Government had right to hope
that the moderation of Its acts, well the 10y
atty OF its intentions, would be appreciated by the
Cabinet of Vienna. On this persuasion it las reg.
ulated its conduct since the commencement: of the
present crisis. The final attitude chosen by Aus
tra, by rendering untenable strategetcnl position
taken by our armies in full confidence, has rem
deTed necessary a movement of concentration
which they have just completed and now that
they have returned TO our territory, the Austrian
Government, freed from all anxiety, feels itself
without doubt in position to make the allies Of
the Sultan respect those principles of the ndePen.
dence OF Turkey and the integrity of the Ottoman
Empire established by the Congress OF Vienna.
Nevertheless, when performing this movement, the
Commander in Chief Prince Gorschakoff, took
to deprive it OF the character with which il is
sought 10 be invested in the present dav, by ac-
comPlishing it under the very eyes of The enemy
with the requisite leisure and dignity. He even re.
mained long time before Bucharest, in front OF
the Turkish army with the hope that Omer Pasha
would offer battle, and only after this hope was
disappointed did he decide upon continuing his
march. IL is rot his fault, therefore, that, spite
of their warlIke impatlPnce, the Turks renamed
on the other side OF The Danube.
We shall not enter into ary further examination
Of the assertions contained in the article alluded to-
Our readers will be able to appreciate them. They
have their origin in The sentiments of blind
hatred and -wi 10 which we have already direc- |
ted attention, from the very being of the actual
crisis, in celebrated spr, che< delivered at Paris