The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-12-04
OTTOMAN SOLDIERS.
Tho Different Races from Which the Turk.
ish Army Is Drawn.

In no army in the world, perhaps,
except our Indian army, is there to be
found greater variety of race and hue
than in that of the Sultan of Turkey.
In one essential only is uniformity re-
quired-that of religious belief. To
the follower of Mohammed alone is 1t
permitted to bear arms in defense of
the dominions of the Padishah, and, if
| fate DEGREES, to become a chihid, a
martyr for the faith. No Christian or
Hebrew subjects may enter the COM
Blatant service of the Sultan, but they
render tribute tor exemption in the
bedel askerieh. or military tax.
Foremost among the peoples which
furnish the best material to the Turk
ish army is the peasantry of Anatola.
Of hardy and industrious race, singu-
larly patient and long-suffering under
trial and privation, the Anatolian bat
talions have always been among the
most trustworthy soldiers of the Sultan.
The best troops with which Mehemet
Ali in the Bulgarian quadrilateral con-
fronted the Russians in 1877 were from
Anatola. Their disciplined bravery
was the admiration of all who wit
messed their conduct in action. Me-
| hemet Ali himself thought rather
better, perhaps, of his Bosnians and
Herzegovinians. Hardy and enduring
as the Anatolians, they often showed
] tai.yr HrO nhoI Nlxr To
| their Slavonic blood, and, in the hands
Of officers capable Of leading them,
would have proved irresistible. But,
thanks to the ignorant rashness of
Suleiman, their magnificent battalions
were decimated at the Shipka. 1t was
with the remnants of the Bosnian regi-
ments that Baker subsequently covered
the disastrous retreat of Suleiman
army by Ichtiman and Tatar Bazardjik.
With the occupation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina by Austria this element
Of military strength has been lost to
the Sultan. Almost on an equality
with these first two were the troops re-
cruited among the descendants of the
old Turks settled in the country north
and south of the Balkans-the troops
with which Osman held Widdin and
Plevna and the country to the west
ward of the Osma in 1877. Less i'm
petuous than the Bosnians, they did
not yield to them in the stubborness
with which thev would advance to or
repel attack. War largely diminished
their numbers, and some (not many)
have remained in Bulgaria and Rou-
melia. The majority of the survivors
have returned into Asia, from whence,
five centuries ago, their ancestors
crossed over to spread the terror
and power of the Ottoman name
in Europe. The Mussulman Bull
garian, the Pomak, lacked many of
the better qualities of the true Turk;
and there is evidence that some of the
worst crimes committed during the
atrocity time of 1876 were the work,
not of the descendants of the old Otto
man Turks. but of the Pomaks. Fol-
lowing these came the Albanian con-
tingents to the Turkish army. Here
three very diverse elements were found
under one designation, varying in cour-
age and submissiveness TO discipline.
The best of these men are the T0sks
(the race which gave some of its most
renowned and distinguished leaders to
the Greek instruction of 1926 of lower
Albania and Eprus, the country of the
Souliotes and Ali of Tepelen. After
them may be reckoned the Arnaouts of
northern Albania and the Ghegas of
the center. These last were held IN
little esteem by the Turkish command
ers, by reason of their want of disci-
plne and the difficulty of controlling
them in garrison or among the Chris
tian population. They are, besides,
much under the influence of the desire
for pLdtcfkG, or loot, and the prevalence
of vendetta between the members of
different families and tribes often rem
dered it difficult to preserve peace
among the northern Albanian regi-
ments. For this reason they have
always been among the first troops dis
banded after war.
Coming after these men, but at some
distance, are the Syrian Arabs. The
Syrian troops that formed portion of
Mehemet Ais army in 1877 showed
very little ardor in fight, and many of
them took advantage of any skirm sh
to inflict on themselves slight wounds
to escape service that was dis
tasteful to them. Among the most
worthless of the contingents sent
from Asia to reinforce the army in
Europe in 1877 was that composed of
Zebecs, drawn from the country be-
hind Smyrna. These picturesque but
cowardly and blood thirsty warriors
were utterly useless against the enemy
in the field; but woe to the prisoner
who fell into their hands. Long be-
fore the war had terminated they were
sent out of Bulgaria, to the great relief
of the Turks and the population gener-
ally. But the element which most COM
pIetely b LIED its reputation was the
Circassian. Vain-glorious and trucu-
lent, the conduct of the Tcherkess
throughout the war was a bitter dis
appointment to the Turks. A more
unfortunate hospitality was never exer-
cised by the Turkish Government than
when they gave refuge to those noun
taineers of the Carcasus after their
subjugation by Russia. Planted along
the banks of the Danube and in the
Dobrja in the hope that they would be
useful against Russian invasion, they
proved scourge to their neighbors,
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