The Shasta courier., 1859-08-13
Sketch of the TurcOs of the French
Army.

The Turcos, writes a correspondent of the
London Times, are a collection of Arabs ne
groes Spaniards and French. The same CO.'S
tune, the same flag and the same spirit belong
to them all. Their faces fierce looking; their
features strongly marked their manners are
rough and reckless; their language is jargon
of all the known and unknown tongues, and
finds expression in sharp, short, emphatic words,
adapted for military service. Their audacity is
astounding, all the more so because it is natural
to them, is not in any way put on, and is the
daily habit of their lives. Their reckessness
has in it something terrible, for they care no
more for their own lives than for the lives of
others. They have ardent love of adventure, of
danger of battle and of difficulty that is al 7ost
insurmountable. Fighting is to them pastime;
human life plaything; they sport with deadly
weapons as child with its toys. If instinct,
instead of reason, were not The motive power of
their acts they might be apty denomnated the
most ferocious boodthirsty, cut-throat rufians
heavens fair sunlight ever shone upon.
Such are the Turcos. leave you, therefore,
to imagine what their charges must be against
an enemy, when | add to the above details that
they are nimbe as squirrels, cunning as monkeys
and savage tigers. Grapeshot excites their
fury to the utmost a fussilade irritates them;
a charge of cavalry is the sole thing they do not
like. They fly against the enemy like an arrow
from its bow; they fall upon him as the knife of
the guillotine falls upon the condemned neck
The bayonet is the weapon they use though
their teeth are often enlisted into martial SER
vice, for some of the wretches love to suck the
blood of their foes. | speak la tettre in making
this disgusting announcement. With my
ears heard at Vercel, one of the barbarians
declare that he liked to taste Austrian blood
No troops march like the Turcos. They run,
they leap, they jump, they bound, they spring
like wild beasts the. drag themselves along on
their bellies they dart forward like snakes; and
wherever they tread they leave the footsteps OF
death in their track.
In costume they resemble the Zouaves. They
have large breeches of Holland, little Arab
jacket OF blue color, and red turban They
have thus the aspect Of sometning undiscovered
between Turks and devils
When fellows of this kidney fall upon troops
like the Anstrians, resistance, however brave is
utterly useless. Everything yields to them ev-
erything disappears, everything except stains of
blood and lifeless bodies Their officers in vain
cry out, Make prisoners" They want no both
er-can't be encumbered with luggage.
In one word, the Turco is the concentrated
essence of the Zouave
letter from Novara, of the Sd of June in the
Paris Constitutional, SAYS:
:" yesterday visited the camp of the Tnrcos
lneir manners are most strange Though thev
have tents, they sleep outside them. discipline
not actually requiring that they should deprive
themselves of air. When the hour of dinner
arrives an OK is slaughtered, and all the meat is
aistrionted while still warm but many Kable
ooes not wait until his portion is cooked. but
eats 1t raw You have great confidence in
these soldiers?' | said to an officer. q only
lear ciVairy on their account, he answered
tney rush up to the mouth of cannon-they
oeal uo"n entire ranks finfantry-but a soldier
on horseback inspires them with a certain fsar
On entering Novara, the Turcos had a s;nanIa.
idea. Every man went into the harber,s .hrr
anG had himself shaved Crowds collectad ~
see the operation done; but what can have
caused the Turcos thus to violate their custom I
am unable to tell"