The Osceola times., 1876-12-09
The Russian SOldiery.

The army which Russia can place in
the field in opposition to the forces of
Turkey numbers, in its land and water
strength, not less than 100000 of men.
This gigantic array of armed human
beings would constitute the most in
teresting martial force of the globe. The
Russian soldier, whether as an infantry
man, a Cossack or marine, is a study,
and how much more study would be
the contemplation Of 100000 of such
soldiers in one armed body!
Since the prospects threaten that the
army of Russia will soon be pushed into
a test ofits metal by conflict with the
semi-barbarous hordes of Turkey, it will
not be uninteresting to consider the char
acter OF the components which would go
to make up its columns. In the first
place, every able-bodied man in the Rus
sian empire is compelled to serve for
certain length of time in the czar's army.
Every Russian is, therefore, trained
soldier, who must stand ready for march
ing orders whenever national emergency
shall demand his service. IL is this
stringent military requirement of Russia
which caused the immigration of the
non-combatant Mennonites ofthat coun-
try to our own country within few
years. But besides the enforced tenn
porary service of citizens, the Russian
government sustains regular standing
army-probably the largest in the world
and it will be this aggregation of mill
tary strength which will be turned upon
Turkish soil, in case the pending war
cloud of eastern Europe develops into
an actual declaration of hostilities be-
tween the two powers.
The regular soldier of Russia is crea-
ture hardly meriting the honor of being
called human. He is a machine-a saw
age automaton which steps when told to
step eats WHEN told TO cat forms i'm line
when told so to do, and in the same
manner loads his gun, charges the enemy
and dies-all under orders, severally
given and mechanically obeyed. The
Russian infantryman or Cossack does all
things "to order;" but this will not hold
true in one or two respects, fer he swears
and drinks whisky at all convenient OPP
portuuities, with spontaneous fuency
which can only be checked by checking
his breath.
The Russian officers are more removed
fIom the common soldiers probably than
are the military officials of any other
nation. They are imperious and .ex-
acting even to brutality. The soldier is
taught to regard shoulder-straps as some
thing to bow down to, and wo be it to
the one who, seeing an officer coming,
even from afar bows not his head, and,
with military salute, stands not abjectly
until the glittering uniform has passed
byl The cause of this prohibition of
familiarity of army officers with the men
under them is readily expla ained when it
is known that the Russian officers are
selected from the nobility and are ex-
pected to hold the soldiers to point of
reverence which will preclude even the
possibility of disobedience TO an order on
the field of battle-a place where the
officers are empowered to push their
phalanxes into bloody contest even at
the point of the sword. Such is Russian
military discipline.
The Russian army has within year
been entirely reorganized. The old sys-
TEN of placing the men miscellaneously
together, regardless of the districts from
which they came, has been done away
with, and, as rule, those born in the
same localities are now placed in the
same companies and battalions. 1t is be-
lieved that this arrangement fosters
patriotism and makes better soldiers.
In the field forces Of Russia there are
found infantry, artillery and cavalry, as
in other armies, but the armament differs
in that some OF the divisions still use
long spears and shields, as in olden times.
In battle these ancient implements are
made most effective, since the men who
carry them become almost demoniacal in
their savage fury when pressed against
the foe by their heartless commanders
With an army of the character described
locked in desperate struggles with such
forces rs it will have to encounter in the
march against the followers of Moham-
med, what tales of bloody horror would
come up from the battle grounds =
Chicago Journal.