The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-21
TURKISH SOLDIERS I'm ASIA.

The correspondent of the Republjque
Francaise, writing from Trebizonde,
gives an interesting sketch of the Turk
ish soldiers In Asia. He says:
81 cannot too highly express the sur
prise and admiration with which the
brave Turkish troops have filled me.
Men without any knowledge of the
handling of modern arms, called away
suddenly from their agricultural or pas
toral pursuits, have been turned in a
few weeks into obedient, patient, hard
ened soldiers, with sufficient military
education to make the Russians turn
back. Such result Is, indeed, to the
gloiy of the instructors, who, on the
whole, are almost as ignorant Ia army
matters as their men. Military at
taches are astounded that Turk
ish army can exist without any OF
the special services which are indis-
pensable to Western armies. There is
no head commissariat and no paymas-
tiers it is true that the latter would be q
Binecure, seeing that the pay Is regu-
Iarly wanting. The head staff is COM
posed of chief and two attaches,
fresh from the schools Of Constantine.
pie, and one secretary. The generals of
division have only one aide-de-camp
the generals OF brigade have none at
all. There is not staff officer capable
OF drawing up typographical view.
The staff was for long time without
maps, and now they have copies OF the
Russian maps. For two years the SOL
diers have not received farthing; they
are dressed In rags, and have hardly
any shoes to their feet the mess is in
sufficient and bad, and when the dinner
is wanting several times running, the
soldier, instead of grumbling, thanks
the Sultan and prays for him and his
glory. The imperial guard is not better
off-at least, to judge from the battalions
1 have seen their uniforms look 10 years
old, and ars of all cuts and colors, as
ii they belonged to the remnants Of the
of the century. On the other hand
their arms are in admirable condition
well cleansed and polished-and when
the battalions pass by the sight Of their
well-kept weapons makes one forget all
about the ultra fantastic uniforms Of
the men. You should see how they
drill with precision and rapidity. When
they go through the bayonet exercise,
which Is according to the French
theory, 1t is q pleasure to watch their
neat, quick, regular movements, and
the amour prOpre which every man dis
plays to execute with perfection the
maneuver the word of command is
given by bugles, which they understand
marvelously we'll. Besides gun and
bayonet, they have also a sabre. You
may reply that these soldiers are old
troops long drilled at CONSTANT
nople, that they are the pick of
the Turkish forces. Nothing of
the sort; many of them have
been only six months in the ranks, but
the aptitude of the Turk to military ex.
ercises Is such that that amount Of time
Is enough to make a very presentable
soldier. He loves his arms, he takes
care Of them, studies them, and exerts
all his intelligence to understand their
mechanism. The maneuvers he is put
through interest him, and consequently
he soon understands them. His great
defect is marching badly in file; he
likes long halts but he must go accord
ing to his humor. When they disem-
barked here, studied the physiognomy
of all these soldiers, and 1 was struck
with their simple, honest and mild bear
ing. They are incapable of committing
the denominations with which the Turks
are reproached, and which are the work
of the savage irregular Kurds and Cir
cassians, whom it is mistake to en-
ploy, for the majority of them are fit
for nothing as soldiers"