The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-09-26
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER %, ls7
The Russians I'm Turkey.

1t has been matter of great Surprise to many
that the Russians with their vast superiority IN
resources Of all kinds, numerical territorial and
financial should have been again and again so
disastrously, not to say disgracefully, beaten
during the present campaign. The following eX-
tract from letter of the very intelligent cores
pondent of the New York Times, dated Simuitza
July GOTH 1877, as interesting to throwing light
on this subject
The intrepidity aud steadiness of the Russian
soldiers the chlvalrous gallantry Of his officers,
is beyond all praise, bur as an army Russia 5 le-
ci0ns have not made one step forward since 1884.
RIfed muskels were in their infantry then, ritied
cannon were unknown, breechloaders were uG-
dreamed Of and vet see all the old mistakes
and errors even of lS2S-had enough Ia IN, but
Infinitely worse now that modern Ingenuity has
extended the range of hre-arms-repvsted in
every detail. Their successful operations against
the Therkiss and the Turkoman. which. like
those of the French against kabyles and Be
duuin were supposed to be a good training
school for the Young generation of officers, have
| been the ruin of their army, for il has taught
/ them, as the French were taught, 10 despise and
| undervaue their enemy. Since the CrimeAn
war the Russians have never been pitted against
1 any civilized foe, where great masses were
! brought IN presence, and now that their old fogy
I chiefs find themselves with those masses in their
hands they are utterly at loss how 10 Use them.
/ As early as 1870 Marshal won Motke. to whom
the extraordinary successes of the German
Armo have given kind of infa!hbility 10 mill
iary matters, signalled the difficulties attendant
/ upon campaign against the Turks. He show
/ ed where they erred in 1928 and iS29, and
] alsr lie alrpnS hat
/ never be completely and rapidly successful IN
less their operations were commenced upon u
much greater scale than had hitherto been their
/ custom. Bat, as a little learning is always 3
most dangerous thing, these people pro6ted by
the letter of advice, but had not the intellI-
gence TO understand its spirit. General Nepo-
koiichSky had read Molike's books aud had
seen how he had been successful IN his enter
prise against Paris, although he had yentured on
its siege with Metz still untaken in bis rear snd
he thought that he could 20 aud do likewise,
aud, simply masking the qnadrilateral. could
march on yictOriOusiy to Ad:ianope, forgetting
that the Germans had already had an appreu-
tieeship to their new tactics 10 the campaigns
against Denmark and Austria; that Russis's
| legons eau no more be compared with those OF
Germany than can The greasy warriors of King
John Of Abyssinia, and that the ineapacity OF
the French Generals, even more than his owe
lranscendent abilities, secured the success of q
series OF operations which against other enc.
my than the dIsorganized. badly commanded
( French, would have had q very different issue
and that, with the enterprise and Initiative Of
American troops, the leaguers Of Paris would
hsve never left the country except as exchanged
prisoners.
StrategIcally aud taeticslly. every conception
has been faulty and every execution defective
Three hundred thousand men crossed the Pruth
240 600, according 10 their own accounts. are OF
Turkish territory, and with what results? Theii
splendid army has been broken up into fragments
they have moved along eccentric, divergent out
er lines, whers eseh step forward removed eacl
fraction further from It's base aud fro,a al. posi-
billty of mutual support. They have fought
their troops IN 6riblels. and now after nearly sil
weeks occupation of the outskirts Of the enemy:
country, they can only register IN their favor tht
passage of an undefended river, The capture Of
petty fortress by force double the numbers o
lis garrison, and successful raid 10 q position
10 the Balkans which one more defeat vii
render uutenable. They have no organizeC
commissariat, they are without money. and
what is worse than all, notwithstanding tbei
courage, perseverance,. and daring, they ar
without oue single General who is capable o
successfully commanding a brigade. | Away
supposed that there would be great and seriou
obstacles 10 overcome before their trump va
assured, but | never anticipated so utter q col
lapse. propbeSied at the begBning of th
war that If not more than 10000 Russian
reached the second iiue of the Turkish defense
not many Of them would ever ge, back to lh
Danube. aud the occurrences Of the past Il
days fully justify my calculations. which xer
based, not upon Partially or prejudice. but upor
knowledge Of the country and of the qaali,ie