Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1859-07-06
Mist&llan&ons.
The Russian General Suvarof-H His
Peculiarities.

fecullaTlIleS.
L The most active and terrible Of all the
Figures OF the Court of the Empress Cathe-
rine of Russia, was old Suvarof, the con-
lqueror of Bessarabia and Poland. This
lold man, whose instinct for blood was
Ithat of the tiger, exhibited in public and
private the manners of butioon. No
one who saw the weather-beaten and
shriyelled figure tracing the streets of ST.
Petersburg, hopping on one foot, and
gambling with train of boys at his heels
to whom he threw apples to make them
scramble and fight while he cried out, 81
am Suyarof," would have imagined it was
the same man, the successful general, the
| ferocious despot who conducted in person
the massacre of Warsaw, twenty thousand
Of whose Inhabitants he cut to pieces !;
and seated on q heap of bodies, in the
market-place, granted pardon to the rest.
Since Attila, perhaps the world had not
witnessed so barbarousa warrior; indeed,
his savage conduct in the field, his eccen-
trio manner and course OF life, seemed to
indicate the presence ofinsanity. A sketch
of his mode OF life may no. be uninter>
esting.
Suvarof rose from the ranks and advan-
ced step by step to the rank of command
erin. chief and, whether with the army
or at court, his life was that of an ancient
Scythian. On such occasions as he came
to st. Petersburg, he refused the cham-
bers in the palace, and slept in the car
riage in which he travelled Every even>
ing at six he retired to rest, and rose at
two o'clock every morning. After bath,
administered 10y half q dozen soldiers,
armed with pals of cold water, he break
tasted aid reviewed his troops.
His dinner was in readiness at eight
every morning, and this, like his first
meal, consisted of OK flesh, brandy, and
coarse rye bread. All who were Invited
to such repasts--and he was passionately
fond of company -trembled at the pros
pect of such savage fare. His appetite
was enormous; and often, in the middle
of an entertainment one of his aids de
camp was seen to approach him, and bid
him in an authoritative manner, not to
eat any more. "By whose orders am
forbidden?" the General would then de-
mand. "By order of Marshal Suvarof
himself" was the reply. Upon which the
General rising would say, "lIe must be
obeyed :" and, in like manner, he caused
himself to be commanded in his own
name, to walk, drink, sleep, or perform
any other business of the day.
Sometimes he visited the hospitals in
the character of a physician. Such as
seemed extremely i'll he ordered to swal-
low quantities of rhubarb and salts, but
those who were slightly indisposed he
treated with few dozen lashes. He was
frequently known to drive all the sick out
of the hospital saying, sit is not permitted
the soldiers of Suvarof to be sick" He
was accustomed to drill his men himself,
and at the siege of lsmail was seen mount
ed on bareback Cossack hsrse, in his
shirt, putting his soldiers through their
exercise, and cutting at them with his
cane, in the midst of the snow, and of the
shells fired from the Turkish batteries.
When in camp his soldiers were never
awakened by the drums beating rercitEe,
but instead, the General marched out of
his tent, and crew three times like cock
and this was always the signal used,
whether his army were to rise, to march
or rush to battle. His hatred Of the
French was extreme, and his feeling
toward the European powers generally
was eyinced by the different ways in
which he made his soldiers charge with
the hayonet When he said, "Maroh
against the Poles p' the soldier plunged
his hayonet once, "March against the
Prusssansp and the soldier struck twice
"but when he said, March against thel
excrable French p the soldier made two