Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-06-25
THE RUSSIAN SOLDIER.
some of the Qualities Which Make Hi
So Reliable in Time of Rattle

''1oh So1oicT III the ue1u Is
man OF many virtues. At home in
peace, indeed. he has but one vice to
SPEAK Oh. He will get drunk when he
ean' and keep drunk as long as he
> can. Drink does not make him danger
Gus. but simply adds to his cnild-like
amiability. He tumbles about badly,
out quietly picks himself up. and stag
gers On till the next tumble sets in.
he Is eager to hug every one he meets.
and his enthusiasm for kissing and call
ing all the world brother, when he is in
his cups, would be grotesque were it
not degrading.
The Russian soldier needs no IRON
handed discipline to keep HIM in or
der. He is docile by nature; and he
ooeys his officer. whom, indeed. he
addresses as little father,'' as if he
were child. He is contented in hard
snip; heat takes no effect on him, and
he has become well Injured to cold His
weakest point in campa gning Is his
susceptible ty to homeslckness.
When the Russian armies were living
IN front of Constantinople, in that
long, weary inaction between the treaty
of San Stephano and the treaty of Ber-
lin, thousands of soldiers actually died
OF nostalgia, Or inconsistencies De-
spondencv of mind lowered the bodily
tone. and they seemed simply to fade
away.
The Russian soldier, when the home
sickness is not upon him. is a right
merry-hearted fellow. All day long
the camp re-echoes to the voice of
song. Russian vocal music is real
singing, not the horrible croak, alter
mated by ear-splitting falsetto, which
the Serv ans and Bal garians insanely
regard as vocal harmony.
The Russian comic songs are full of
snap and rerce; and they ALWAYS
have rafting chorus, in which every
one within hearing Joins; while the
singer accompanies the strains of his
chorus with ludicrously fantastic
breakdown. in which he seems
to dislocate every joint in his
body. The plaintive melodies vi
brate with strange pathoS.
that swells the heart of the listener.
even although he may understand
nothing OF the words. And the grand
chant w tn which the massive columns
move forward into the battle glows
with the true fervor of fighting ardor.
There is a legend of a battle song so
heart-stirrng. that it inspired Mem
nonites to violate their tenets, and
fight like men possessed.
The Russian soldiers are almost
wholly without book-learning. Not
above twenty-five per cent can read,
and still smaller percentage have am
knowledge of writing. Their religion.
which is fervent, is mixed with super
stit!on. But their external devoutness
&c 1.-Two oh. of
soup. tn ckened with little meat, and
anyth ng that fortune may offer on the
march III the way of vegetables. This
soup is made in large camp-kettles, one
of which cooks for each company; and
when the soup is ready, each company
marches up to its own particular kettle,
every man with his pannikin in hand,
into which the cook bales ladleful.
When all are supplied, the company
reforms, and there is sung a long
grace before meat, which | never knew
omitted or curtailed, even when, as on
the Shipka Pass. the enemy's bullets
would be whistling over the cooking
place, and occasionally rafting against
the kettles.
Throughout every regiment is a
sprinkling of forei gners, whose loyalty
is not to be relied on, but with this eX-
ception. the Russian sold er is a whole
souled. devoted adorer of the Gar.
The expression constantly in his mouth
as regards the future, just as clergy
men are wont to say, God willing"
is, If God and the Gar wllr' They
are to him the arbiters of his destiny.
.sIf God and the Gar WILL" | have
heard Russian soldier say, THAT l
return home, oh, how happy / should
be; but if they decree that l must die
here in a foreign land. their will be
donet'
The bravery of the Russian soldier
admits of no question. He is stupid,
poor fellow, and requires to be shown
what it is wished that he should do; he
has no idea of initial We or of acting for
himself on a pinch; but he may be re-
lied on to 90 forward while an officer
stands up to lead him, and he will hold
his ground till he falls
He may be relied on against falling
victim to panic; he Is too stolId and I'M
impressibie for that. Ii one-half of a
Russian army were slaughtered in the
morning, the other half would sullenlv
rally and be ready to confront the pros
pect of being slaughtered that same
afternoon. In the bloodiest battles of
the old world: Borodino, Eylau, Fried
land. and the Plevna combats of July
and September. 1877, Russian troops
have been combatants. But the spec
tator of a battle in which Russian sol
diers are participants always feels half
sorry for them, half angry with them
They have no fighting versatility or in
dividual ingenuity; if their flank is
turned, well. .sGod and the Gar has
willed the misfortune. and they endure
it passivelv till the man9uvre sweeps
awav all who have not fallen.
Unless there are officers to order
him. the Russian soldier has no more
idea of helping to form new front in
such an emergency than he has OF
usurping the crown of the Great White
Gar. He has not even that apprecia-
ton of the situation that would move
him to run away.
Russia is the most rank-abound ne
country in the world, and the United
States the most Democratic; yet it is
curious to note how, in so many
thinos. the two assimilate. An En-
clish or a German General has to be
approached automatically. through
the Medium of an atde-de-cdmp and by
a letter of introduction. The casual
stranger, like myself. could walk
straight into the tentof Russian corps
commander, and receive courteous
greeting. just as is accorded to him
Should he enter the bureau of General
Sherman at Washington. or OF General
Sheridan at Oh ca0o. - archibald