Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-04
A FAMOUS SOLDIER DEAD.
GENERAL FRANZ ToDLEBEN.
The Greatest OF RussIa's Gsnsssis-IfIs
ksriv Lie and Brilliant military Achieve

| b'cas hussian soldier ana engineer, whose
death was announced by cable yester
day:
The year 1918. which gave 10 Russia her
"Liberator Gar" Alexander H., and her
great master OF fiction, Ivan Sergieyiteh
Turgenief, care her also another man who
was IN some respects greater than either.
On the 10th OF May Of that year was born,
IN the quiet old Courland town OF Mitau, a
child destined to add one more iIlustrious
name to the brilliant record OF the little
Baltic province which had already pro.
duced an Empress, o Chancellor, aad a
Commsnder-ln-Chief. Sprung from an or
shoot Of the Todlebcn family which had
figured In the wars Of Elizabeth Petrovna
and Catharine H., be seemed consecrated
TO military life from bis very cradle.
The child grew into sturdy boy,
and the hoy became tall, broad.
shouldered, powerful young man, with a
heavy brown moustacbe and an eye which,
with all its gov Of kindiness, seemed 10
look right through every one who came
within Its range. Many OF his FELLOWSHIP.
dents In the Engineer School mt 81. Peters
burg-now gray-haired old gentlemen, full
OF years and honors and intermiuable
stories about the Crimea or the Danube
stu speak affectionately OF the universal
popularity Justly earned by his hearty, un-
failing good humor and the commends-
tons that he won from the authorities by
that characteristic mixture OF prompt en-
ergy aud pains-taking mastery OF detail
which was one day to make him the great
est name In Russian military science.
For considerable time. however, his
genius found no adequate field for its exer-
else. The only war which Russia then had
on hsnd was her seemingly endless struggle
with the Circassians Of Daghestan, in the
| Eastern Caucasus, whose chief, Schamyl.
had baffled the ablest generals OF Russia by
his skill In the same guerilla warfare which
| his great counterpart, Add ell Kader, was
then waging against France In the AIge-
rian deserts. Taught by the sanyuinary
failure OF their efforts to crush the noun
taineers by sheer force, the Russian
leaders now adopted the system o.
attack so successfully employed by Gen
eral Obrucheff against the semi-bar-
barous tribes OF Central Asia-viz., hem
ming in the enemy with chain OF fortified
posts placed so as to command all the prin-
cipal routes and water-courses. This plan,
whether due TO TOdleben himself or TO the
Russian mmander-in- Chief, Prince b.
riatinski. (by whom the defeat and capture
OF Schamyl were finally achieved in 1881
was exactly suited to the genius OF the
young engineer, whose three years. service
in the Caucasus QSiS-'51) gave unmistaks-
BILE tokens, though on "a small scale. Of
What he was thereafter to accomplish. In
1851 he was sent northward to superin-
tend the Notifications OF Cronstadt, whence
he was subsequently transferred TO the
Black sea port OF Nikelaieff.
With all this, however, Todleben was
still only colonel when the outbreak OF
the Crimean war, in 1854, brought him the
grand opportunity OF which he alone was
worthy. Even before the landing OF the
Anglo-French army, Colonel Todlcben,
while visiting Sebastopol on a short leave
OF absence, had repeatedly endeayOred to
impress upon Prince Mcnschlkof, who was
then in command, the necessity Of prOvi-
ding the great fortress with a more elii-
cient system OF defence. But all his
esrnestness fell in vain upon tie logged
stupidity OF his dull and pompous SUI
perior. who at length attempted to Sc
cure himself against further mOiestation
from this troublesome officer, who would
insist on doing his duty by "recOm-
mending" the latter 10 return to his
post al Kikolaif. Happily for Russia,
Todleben contrived to eyade this dismissal
and 10 remain till the Prince marched
off toward the Alma. Then assuming, by
tacit but universal consent, the chief COM
mand in Sebastopol, the great engineer,
assisted by Admiral Kornioff, threw up in
40 incredibly short space OF time series OF
works capable of replying with effect to the |
bombardment which the allies opened upon
the place by land and sea on the morning |
OF the 18th October, 1854. The cOnverging |
fire OF TOdleben's skiliully-panted bat
teries blew up twenty tons OF powder in |
the French lines on Mount Rodolph. caus- |
ing panic, which checkmated i'll advance |
the projected assault which the lombard |
ment was intended to preface. 1t was |
Characteristic OF the man that during this |
crisis he put aside unopened every letter |
that reached him, giving himself wholly to |
the work in hand.
Following up his first success the inde- |
iaugable Colonel fept Strengthening and |
charging his deiences and DELAYED for |
eleven months, although he could not alb |
solutely avert, the fall OF SebasiopOl. His |
tall figure and black horse, fitting cels- |
lcSsly to and fro, and bringing wher- |
ever he turned encouragement to the be- |
sieged and discontinue to the besiegers, |
made him constant mlrk for the latter'S |
fire. from which he more than once escaped |
as If by miracle. At one time his horses |
ear was graZed by o shot; at another June |
30. 1861. he himself received a wound a. |
he was making the customary tour Of the |
Russian lines. Tradition tells OF an Eng |
lsh officer OF artillery who. on being in
troduced TO Todeben when the latter |
visited London after the war, remarked !
with laugh, as they shook hands: "The |
last time had the pleasure OF seeing You, |
General, / was ordering my gunnerS be- |
fore ScbastOpol to take good aim at you.
and be sure not to miss; for had noticed |
that wherever you were seen some mishap |
was sure to beiall us soon after"
The years OF peace which followed the |
signing OF the treaty OF Paris in March.
1856, were no years OF idlenesS to the great
military engineer. Among his numerous
occupations was the compilation OF de- |
tailed account Of the mighty struggle whose |
master.spirit he bad been. His ''Hlstory |
OF the Defence OF Sebastopol," which has \
been widely translated and universally ad-
mired, is still the basis OF all works on the |
Crimean war. His splendid services were
repaid with the rank OF General, and an
appointment AS Chief OF the Engineering
Department in the Russian War Office.
But neither these honOrs nor bis now world
wide reputation could detract in the least
from that frank and manly simplicity which
was the great charm Of his character;
nor did the genial, kindly temper, which
bad distinguished him in youth, fersike
him with advancing years. To man OF
trapscedent genius, whose fame had filled
every corner OF the civilized world, few
positions could have been more gallinYly |
incongriiOus than that OF chaperon 10
shy, awkward, iliterate peasant lad ike
Oisip Komisaroff, who foiled the Nihiiisl
Karakozoff's attempt upon the life OF Alex
ander H., in April, 1866. But ANY one who
saw the two meu together at st. Peters
burg in the summer Of that year must have
been struck with the patient and unvary.
ing kindness OF the great soldier toward
bis poor little frightened prosege, whose
hsli-accidental rescue OF the Car made
him for few months, sorely against MS
will, the most famous and most wretched
man in all Russia.
such renown as Todleben's needed no
added laurels and the friends who gath
cred round the veteran In May, 1876, TO
celebrate his fiity-eighth birthday, might
reasonably expect that the hero OF so many
exploits wonid now be left 10 enjoy the
repose which be had so nobly earned. But
Heaven had decreed otherwise. The COZ
lapse OF Servi.'s rash and unequal struggle |
with Turkey in the fall OF 1876 brought
Russia into the field in the ensuing spring. !
For time the invaders carried all before
- %. ANH.sNNf