The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-06
THE RUSSIAN ARMY.
Nearly Five Million Men Armed
for Battle.
European Nations Watching Their MIL
ttary Maneuvers Fresh Data Concern
Ing tho Tactics and Armament OF
tho Great Army.

tho Great Army.
Tho recent gigantic maneuvers of the
Russian army on the western boundary
have directed anew the attention Of all
Europe to tho great Eastern colossus.
The endurance, Willingness and iron
discipline of the one hundred and fifty
thousand soldiers who met Mt Rowno,
the capacity of the officers to handle
great bodies of troops easily, and espe-
ciany the morale Of both officers and
men were SO conspicuously displayed
that all Austria and Germany have been
doing good deal Of hard thinking and
exhaustive writing concerning the Rus
sian army ever since.
The exact size Of the Russian army In
Europe on war footing, says the Chi
cago Times, is rather problematical.
The active army is estimated by the
best German authorities to contain one
hundred and ninety-two infantry and
ffty-eight cavalry regiments, fifty-one
brigades of field artillery, and ono hun
dred and forty-fve Cossacle regiments;
the reserve troops, ono hundred and
i've infantry regiments; the mill
tia, two hundred and one infantry regi-
ments. Tho garrisons include twenty
four infantry regiments and ffty-one
and q half artillery batJalions. All
these, together with the batteries,
sharpshooters, sappers, miners, etc.,
swell the grand. total to four million
five hundred thousand men. The Eu-
ropean Russian army has five hun
drcd thousand horses and about
four thousand guns. Tho cost Of
this establishment last year was,
reckoned in Russian paper currency,
S1SG,000,000. That meant tax of about
$2.GO on every man, woman and child
in European Russia. Since 1874 Russia
has had the universal obligation to
service. Tho time Of service in the
standing army is five years; in the
reserves, which arc in camp twelve
weeks every year, thirteen years; in the
militia, till the soldiers forty-third
year. The buying Of substitutes or
exemption is not allowed
Tho infantry is armed with breech-
leaders, Berdan II. model 10, with a
calibcr of 1907 centimeters, and a ball
weighing about an ounce. The field
artillery has guns of 1857 ccntimeters
calibcr for heavy work and others of
81 centimeters calibcr for light and
mounted artillery. These latter throw
grenades and shrapnels. The maxi
mum range of the 1907 caliber is $500
meters, and of the 81 caliber Q, 300 meters
for grenndes- The range of the shrap-
mel is between $500 and $3.50 meters.
What kind of men stand behind these
arms3 The opinions of all who have
seen any of the more recent Russian
maneuvers are uniform. The Russian
soldier, they say, is the most willing,
obedient and robust In the world. He
can live contentedly from what a
Frenchman or German would starye ON.
lie can march tremendous distances
without losing his pluck and under the
most trying hardships needs only q
word from his superior to make him
forget all his troubles and rally to any
effort. A German officer, who after his
recent return from Russia published his
observations in tho Cologne Gazette.
says:
1.-The maneuvers showed that the
Russian army is made up of men and
horses that are equal to all exertions
and all demands OF the modern battle
field. Heavily built, thoroughly disci.
plincd, content with little food, and
loyal above all others, the Russian SOL
der is ready and willing in every
emergency"
The strenuousness and the aim OF
Russia's exertions to bring her army to
its present state of efficiency and avail
ability at a moments notice are best
illustrated by her railway policy of late
years.
1.-The energy of the Russian Govern
ment in the construction of military
railways during the last decade has
been truly wonderful" says Max Liman
in the Illustrirte Zeitung. "Still, the
distances to be overcome were so ire
mendous that the meshes of her iron
net are at least twice as great as those
in Germany and France. The railway
construction in Russia in the last few
years has been pushed most rapidly on
the western boundary, SO that a quick
attacl1'in Germany and Austria might
be rendered possible. The Government
was forced to do this by the Panslavs.
This party has it's advocates in high
military places, and through them has
spread it's ideas throughout the army.
'It deserves mention, too, that the
Russian forces arc being steadily shifted
to the western boundary. Sixty per
cent. of all the troops and even three
quarters of the whole cavalry are at
present in the military departments,
Warsaw, wilma, Kew md Odessa, and
almost the entire army is garrisoned
along the lines of tho stategical rail-
ways. During the last year sixty-two
battalions, fifty-eight squadrons, and
sixteen batteries have been transferred
to the western departments. Thereby
the standing Russian army has been in
creased by fifteen thousand men on the
German hardox. az,a l,zz III Gu, Ill.,