The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-09-01
A TESTING MARSHAL.
STORIES OF suyoReFF, THE RUSSIAN GENE

|
The stories told of the CELEBRATED Russian
Marshal Suvoroff, display better than whole
pages of description, the wonderful way in
which he contriyed to adapt himself to the
rude spirits with whom he had to deal without
losing one jot of his authority.
What Napoleon was to the French, Suvoroff
was to the Russian army-now testing with d
soldier, and now rebuking a general one day
sharing a ration Of black bread beside a
biyouac fire, and :he next speaking as an
equal to princes and potentates In fact the
two great sponsors Of Russian wit form most
picturesque contrast Balkairetf was very
much the character of a spaniel in lion 5
cage admiring even while mocking his formi-
dable patron behaving toward him with a half
wag ish. half affectionate familiarity perpetu-
ally forgiven. Suvoroff comes before us an
uncrowned king, one whose authority needed
no outward SYMBOL an autocrat Of nature s
making, full of rough, hearty familiarity that
was in no danger OF breeding contempt, and
surrounded by men who enjoyed the bon
homie while they dreaded the disploasures of
the little pug-nosed, grimy man, who was, in
their eyes, the incarnation OF earthly power
and grandeur
! 1t mast be owned, however, that in his own
peculiar vein Of pleasantly, the Marshal more
than once met his match. One of his ia
vorite Jokes was to confuse a man by asking
him, Unexpectedly:
How many stars are there in the sky"
On one occasion he put this question to one
| Of his sentries on bitter January night, such
| as only Russia can produce. The soldier not
IA whit disturbed, answered coolly:
''Wait little and I'll tel! you, and he de-
liberately commenced to count, zone, two,
three" etc
In this way he went gravely on to hundred,
at which point Suvorotf, who was already half
frozen. thought it high time to drive off, not,
however, without inquiring the name of the
ready reckoner.
The next day the latter found himself pro-
noted, and the story (Which Suvoroff told
with great glee to his staff, speedily made its
way throughout the army.
On another occasion one of his generals of
a division sent him sergeant with dispatches,
at the same time recommending the bearer to
Suvoroff S notice The Marshal, as usual,
proceeded to test him by series of whimsical
questions; but the catechumen was equal to
the occasion.
Chow far is it to the moon?" asked Su-
vuroff
1.-Two Of your excelencys forced march
es, answered the sergeant.
Surprising you were blockaded and had
no provisions left, how would YOU supply
yourself 2"
"From the enemy"
Chow many fish are there in the sea 2"
As many as have not been caught"
And SO the examination went on, till Suvu-
rolf, finding his new acquaintance armed at
all points, at length asked him, as final
poser:
'sWhat is the difference between your
colonel and MYSELF
1.-The difference is this replied the soldier
coolly: ''my colonel cannot make captain,
but your Excellency has only to say the ord"
Suvo1otf, struck by his shrewdness, kept
his eyes upon the man, al d in no long time
after actually gave him the specified promo
ton.
The anecdotes of the great Marshals eccen-
tricities- his habits of wandering about the
camps in disguise, his within of giving the
signal for assault by growing like a cock, his
savage disregard of personal comfort and
neatness, are beyond calculations but perhaps
the most characteristic of them all was his ap-
pearance, in 1893, at the Austrian Court, then
one of the most brilliant in Europe.
On being shown to room prepared for him
"a splendid apartment, filled with costly mir
rors and rich t'lrniture), this modern Diogenes
said, simply:
''Turn out the rubbish, and shake me down
some straw"
An Austrian grandee who came to visit him
was startled at these preparations, and still
more SO at the first sight of the Marshals
baggage" which consisted of two coarse
shirts and tattered cloak tied up in
bundle
as that enough for winter" asked the
astonished visitor
''The winters the father of us Russians,
answered Suvoroff, with grin; "besides,
yon don't feel the cold when you re riding full
gallop.'
But when you're tired of riding what do
you do?'
walk
''But when you're tired of walking ?"
Run"
and do you never sleep, then ?" asked
the petlifed questioner.
Sometimes, when I've nothing better to
do" replied Suvorotf, carelessly ''and when
| want to have very luxurious nap, take off
one OF my spurs.
The thunderstruck Austrian bowed and re-
tired, doubtless considerably enlightened in
his ideas of Russian general.