Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-03-14
NUMBER 25.
COssack ManeuYers.
St. Petersburg Letter to the London Times.

st. Petersburg Letter to the London Times.
After the review yesterday, the prin
cess drove Off to the Michael nldnegc
where the emperor's Circassisn anc
! 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, they
galloped by the princess, shouting fierce
warwhoops and firing their long pistols
and flint-locks at imaginary foes. They
seemed to discharge their weapons in
every position but from the saddle.
Hanging on one side of the horse till
the head almost grazed the ground, and
taking leisurely aim under the ami.
mails belly, seemed the favorite atti,
tude. One cavalier went by at speed
standing on his head in his saddle
others leaped on and off their horses
with the ease of circus-riders. The
manege soon SO filled with smoke that
it might well, for all we could see, have
been some mountain defle, and the
body-guard a band of robber knights
swoOping down on some village or cara
van, or on the party Of peaceable tray
elers represented by the Grand-Duke
Nicholas, the Prince of Wales, the
Duke of Edinburgh aud 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 Popotf
told me it was a fine sight to see 1,j00
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
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 ont of the cur.
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 maueuvers. Ev-
cry one must have been killed. specta.
tators included, before the bands olsen
tangled themselves from each other and
retired again to posite ends of the
manegc to take breath and measure
power for another onslaught. 1t was
a picturesque and inspiring sight, as
utterly opposed to the precision aud
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 ntanege.
2, ,obably, 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 Circassians, a burly
man upon white horse, was son of
the great Schamyl. 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.