The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1878-04-18
Turkish Soldiers in Asia.

The correspondent Of the Republique
Franchise, writing from Trebizonde,
gives an interesting sketch Of the TuF
kish soldiers in ASIA. He says:
81 cannot too highly express the sur
prise and admiration with which the
brave Turkish troops have filed me-
Men without any knowledge Of the
handling Of modern arms, called away
suddenly from their agricultural OF 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 a result is, indeed, to the
glCiy of the instructors, who, on the
whole, are almost as ignorant in army
matters as their men. Military attaches
are astOunded that a Turkish army can
exist without any of the special services
which are indispensable to western ar
mics. There is no head cOmmissariat
and no paymasters; it is true that the
latter would be a sinecure, seeing that
the pay is regularly wanting. The head
staff is composed Of a chief and two at
taches, fresh from the schools Of Con
stantinople, and one secretary. The
generals of division have only one aid
de-camp; the generals of brigade have
none at all. There is not a staff officer
capable of drawing up a Typographical
view. The staff was for long time
without maps, and now they have CO.
pies Of the Russian maPsl For two
years the soldiers have not received
farthing; they are dressed in rags, and
have hardly any shoes to their feet; the
mess is insufficient and bad, and when
the dinner is wanting several times
running, the soldier, instead Of grumb-
ling, thanks the sultan and prays for
him and his glory. The imperial guard
is not better Of-at Least to judge from
the battaiOns I have seen; their uni
forms look ten years old, and are Of all
cuts and colOrs, as If they belonged to
the remnants Of the armies Of Europe
since the beginning Of the century. On
the other hand their arms are in admi-
rable condItion-weu cleaned and pol
is ed-and when the battaliOns pass by
The sight of their weI-kept weapons
makes one forget all about the Ultra-fa-
natic uniforms of the men. You should
see how they drill with precision and
rapidity. When they go through the
tayOnet exercise, which is according to
The French theory, it is a pleasure to
watch their neat, quick, regular move
ments, and the amour prOpre which
every man displays to execute with per-
lection the commands of the chief
When they manRuver the word Of COM
mand is given by bugles, which they
understand maryelously well. Besides
gun and bayOnet, they have also a sabre,
You may reply that these soldiers are
Old troops long drilled at Constantine
pie, that they are the pick Of the Tur.
kish forces. Nothing of the sort; many
Of them have been Onsy six months in
the ranks, but the aptitude of the Turk
10 military eXerc. .ses is such that that
amount of time is enough to make a
very presentable soldier. lie loves his
arms, he takes care of them, studies
them, and exerts all his intelligence to
understand their mechanism. The ma
u8uvers he is put through interest him,
and consequently he soon understands
them. Ills great defect is marching
Dad Y in file; he likes long halts; but he
must go according to his humOr. When
they d 'sembarked here, L studied the
physiognOmy of all these soldiers, and l
was struck with their simple, honest,
and mild bearing. They are incapable
of committing the denominations with
which the Turks are reproached, and
which are The work Of the savage i'm e9-
uliu Kurds and Circassians, whom it is
mistake TO employ. for Il majority Of
thell ere iii for nothing as soldiers