Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-17
III RUSSIAN SOLDIER.
BoMo Of tho Qualities Which Mako Him
So Reliable in Time of Battle.

BONO OF ehC Uuallttcs WnlOn MAKO Him
So Reliable in Time of Battle.
The Russian soldier in the field 10 q
man of many virtues. At home in
peace, indeed, he has but one vice to
speak of. He will get drunk when he
can, and keep drunk as long as he
can. Drink does not make him danger
Gus, hut simply adds to his child-lik
amiability. He tumbles about badly,
but quietly picks himself up, and stag
gers on till the next tumble sets in.
He is eager to hug every n he meets,
and his enthusiasm for kissing andcall-
ing all the world brother. when he is in
his cups, would be gr%otesquc were it
not degrading.
The Russian soldier needs no iron.
handed discipline to keep him in Or
obeys his officer, whom, indeed. he
were a child. He is contcnted in hard
ship: heat takes no effect on him, and
he has become we'll Injured to cold. His
weakest point i'll Campaigning IS his
susceptibility to homcsickness.
When the Russian armies were lying
in front of Constantinople, in that
long, weary inaction betweenthe treaty
Of San Stephano and the treaty of Ber-
lin, thousands of soldiers actually died
of nostalgia. or h~onlesickness. De-
srondcncy 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 q 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 Servlans and Bulgarians insanely
regard as vocal harmony.
The Russian comic songs are full of
s'snap" and uerue: and they always
have a rafting chorus, in which every
one within hearing Joins; while the
singer accompanies the strains of his
chorus with a ludicrously fantastic
breakdown, in which he seems
to dislocate every joint in his
body. The plaintive melodies vi
brate with a strange pathos.
that swells the heart of the listener,
even although he may understand
nothing of the words. And the grand
chant with which the massive columns
move forward into the battle glows
with the true fervor Of fighting ardor.
There is a legend of q battle-song so
heart-stirring, 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 a still smaller percentage have any
knowledge of writing. Their religion,
which is f~ervent, is mixed with super
st.t:on. But their external devoutness
is unremitting. They live chiefly on
soup, thickened with a little meat, and
anyth ng that fortune may offer on tho
march in the way of vegetables. This
soup is made in large complexities, one
OF which cooks for each company; and
when the soup is ready. each company
marches up to its w particular kettle,
every man with his pannikin in hand,
into which the cook bales a ladleful.
When all are supplied, the company
reforms, and there is sun = long
grace before meat, which L mover knew
omitted OF 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 foreigners, 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 Car.
The expression constantly in his mouth
rs regards the future, just as clergy
men are wont to say, 'God willing"
is, sIf God and the Gar VIII" They
are to him the arbiters of his destiny.
''lf~God and the Car WILL" L have
heard a Russian soldier say, "that l
return home, oh, how happy L should
be; but if they decree that l must de
here in a foreign land, their will he
done!''
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 initiative OF OF acting for
himself on a pinch; but he may be re-
led Oh to go forward while an officer
stands up to lead him, and he Withhold
his ground till he falls.
He may be relied on against falling a
"iCuilA W pduiS. IC IS tOO SUUlFu anu I'LL
impressiblc for that. Ii one-half of a
Russian army We're slaughtered in the
morning, the other half would sullenly
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, "God and the Car has
willed the misfortune. and they endure
it passively till the mannuvre sweeps
away all who have not fallen.
Unless there are officers to order
him, the Russian soldier has no more
idea OF helping to form u 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
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