The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-03-13
NUMBER 80.
Cossack Maneuyers.


st. Petersburg Letter to the London Times.
After the review Yesterday. the prin
cess drove off to the Michael s7laneoe
where the emperor's Circassian AM
Cossack body-guard went through thei
feats. These wild hOrsemen gave u
some scenes of their predatory warfare
exhibiting a skill and activity perfectly
marvellous. One after another. the
galleped by the princess, shouting fiercl
warwhoops and firing their long pistol.
and fint-locks at imaginary foes. They
seemed to discharge their weapons il
every position but from The saddle
! Hanging on one side of the horse til
/ the head almost grazed the ground, and
| taking leisurely aim under the ami.
malls belly, seemed the favorite atti-
tude. One cavalier Sent by at speed
standing on his head IN his saddle
others leaped on and off their horses
with the ease of circus-riders. The
Dlanege soon so filed with smoke that
it might well, for all we could see, have
been some mountain defile, and the
body-guard band of robber knights
swooping down on some village or cara
van, or on the party of peaceable trav-
elers represented by the Grand Duke
Nicholas, the Prince of Wales. the
Duke Of Edinburgh and Prince Arthur.
The Czarevna and Princess of Wales
were there also, and altogether the
wild riders would have made a good
days work if they had been brigands of
the steppe instead of the faithful body
guard of the emperor. Admiral Popoff
told me it was a fine sight to see I, 800
of these hOrsemen playing their war
like pranks for miles and miles about
the imperial cavalcade when the Grand
Duke Constantine was travelling In the
Caucasus. They always turn out In
honor of member of the imperial fam
lily, going through the whole drama of
their war along the road. Once or
twice yesterday they ivided and fought
a battle among themselves. Half of
them made their horses lie down, and
crouched behind the animals, the long
barrels of the flint guns pointing in the
direction of the enemy. Presently the
assailants came riding out of the eur
tain of smoke with fierce cries, opening
a glorious fire in all directions, which
rather reminded one of some of the
melees of our autumn maneuvers. Ev-
cry one must have been killed, specta-
tators included, before the bands disen-
tangled themselves from each other and
retired again to o posite ends of the
nlGnege to take breath and measure
power for another onslaught. It was
picturesque and inspiring sight, as
utterly opposed to the precision and
science of modern warfare as anything
we'll could be. The costumes, the
arms, the men, and the horses who
carried them-all were wild nd
strange, telling us of a nation of war
riors who knew not barrack-yards and
schools of musketry, but who knew
right we'll how to fight in their own wild
way. In real fighting these fine fellows,
one may suppose, are not quite so
gamesome, as in the Michael naanege.
Probably, for instance, the trooper who
rode with his head in his saddle and his
feet In the air would reserve that attitude
till the day was over, and till he might
safely indulge in the transports of vic
tory. One of the CiTcassians, a burly
man upon a white horse, was a son of
the great Sehamyl. He was presented
to the Prince of Wales at the conclusion
of the spectacle. More than one of the
Russian officers present wore decora-
tions earned in frontier warfare with
such cavalry as those before US.