Washington sentinel., 1854-01-10
WHAT WILL BE THE ISSUE OF THE
RUSSO-TURKISH WARE


that Russia should receive the censure and
Turkey the sympathy of all the nations of chris
tendon, in the war now going on between them.
| The curious circumstance about it, is that this
should bethe case, when the ostensib!e ground
of Russia is-regard for religion. This of
course, is pretext, miserable pretext, TO
extend her sway and increase her territory
The time was, however when such pretext
would have banded together all Christian ma
tons against the Turks. The Russian has
mistaken the present enlightened age, for that
dark period of history, when ignorance com
bined with religious tanaticism to originate
those protracted, absurd, and diretul wars,
known as the Crusades. Men are too well in
formed, nowadays, to be deceived by such
false preteuses. The Emperor Nicholas may
kindle among his barbarous subjects the old
| religious zeal that led to the Crusades, but
| other nations have seen that this war; which he
is now waging, is purely war of ambition.
| Russia has made another mistake. She
| thought that her hostile ornaments would
strike terror into the heart of the Turk, and
that she would get what she coveted, without
trouble The whole world has been astonished
at the spirit exhibited BY the Turkish soldiery
and, indeed, by the whole nation. True, they
have everything to inspire them--a just cause
and the defence Of their rightful Inheritance /;
but then they were regarded as weak, enervated,
and slothful. The fear that Turkey would grant,
without an effective blow, all that should be
exacted, has given place to the hope that she
will resist the Russian right manfully, and be
enabled to keep what she claims.
Russia is but playing over the same game
that she has so often played before. She has
by encroachment and by force, extended her
possessions at the expense of all her neighbors.
She has despoiled Sweden, Poland, Persia,
Turkey, and she now seeks to heap fresh wrongs
upon this latter power.
Her gallant defence against her formidable
invader, Napoleon, when patriotic ardor con,
spired with her rigorous climate to give success
to her arms, and to drive that great conqueror
from her borders-that gallant defence, sur
rounded her with halo of glory, gave to the
nations Of the earth the highest opinion Of her
prowess, and contributed to the extension of
her territory. When the territorial divisions Of
Europe, which were disarrangcd and nearly
broken up by Napoleon, were rearranged and
re-distributed by the congress of Vienna, she
was allowed still further to extend her empire.
Not content with her colossal empire, she now
IN ohppr r;o,b IL sc
Turkey. But the causes of this war, as well as
its occurrences thus far, are SO well known and
understood, that it is almost needless to say
more in regard to them. =
But there is one interesting question in rela.
ton to which We have a few words to say. 1t
is. what viii be the probable result of this war !?
VIII the Russians or the Turks succeed? ~
This question, or rather the answer to it, in
wolves many Considerations. In hasty article
for the daily press il cannot be expected that
we can be either very learned or very minute.
| We shall have to content ourselves with few
general remarks.
First. The character of the Russian army
1t is officered by men, who, though able. are
yet, not the first soldiers of that gigantic en-
| pire; and it is said that the present officers
will be replaced, should emergencies demand
it. The Russian soldier, like all soldiers, and
to greater degree than other soldiers, is not
in war of invasion, what he is in war of de-
fence. When Buonaparte invaded Russia, the
soldiers and the people endured every hardship
and encountered every peril, necessary to bring
about his expulsion. The Kremin was burnt.
| Private residences were burnt. Everything
was done, every sacrifice cheerfullv made, that
could in any wise conduce to success. But
now they are engaged in an aggressive war.
They are away from home, and not at home.
They have not the same domestic and patriotic
impulses. Not having the same temper, dis
| positions, and incentives, they cannot be ex-
| pected to make the same efforts. We may we'll
doubt the willingness, or at least the zeal, with
which the Russian encounters the Turk. The
army Of Prince Gortschakofr is badly fed-it
is badly quartered, and has suffered severely
from the ravages of fever. ~
How is it with the Turkish army? That
thCy hiC hSliuS Ou tuc ucicISiEt--tHdJ tDeV are
defending their own territory, their homes and
their hearthstones, carries strong presump-
tion in their favor. That their cause is just,
emphasizes and strengthens that presumption.
Moreover, the doctrine Of fatalisn that prevails
universally among them, tends TO man them
tor desperate enterprises. They are rs robust,
healthy and able-boded az the men of any
other nation. Indeed, it is said, that Turkish
porters can carry loads under which most Eu-
ropean laborers would sink and fail. In mar.
tiai skill and courage, and in the powers Of EN-.
durance, Turkish soldiers were once uneaualled.
Slow to make innovation and chanee-untir
recently, they have not eonformed their militia.
ry tactics and their army organization to the
universally approved standards Of the age The