The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-30
WAR AND SOLDIERS.

VerestcbagiB. the Russian painter Of bat
tie pieces. a man Of Imagination, associ-
ated with Zolaesque realism, has pro-
duced a sensation in Russia by speaking
slghtDgly Of the bravery Of soldiers. He
cha rges. indeed. that very large proper
ton Of officers and men are afraid TO 20 into
action. and are, in shor., more or less cow
ards According TO his personal experience
personal courage is an exception on the
battlefield. His personal experience is con-
siderable, for he was all through the Russo
Turkish war and was the camp companion
and friend Of General Skobelef, whom the
Russians regard as a hero and noble leader
Of The stamp that inspires men with eathp-
siasm. Nerestehagin declares that Sko be-
left himself confessed 10 him that he never
went into battle OF kept In II without trem-
bling with fear that the next moment might
be his last This is certainly startling
statement, for SBObeleff is believed 10 have
been nc courageous as a lion ana as dogged
as bear. But Verestcbagin goes further.
He says that officers, when they show the
men the enemy, shout "hurrahP and tell
them to go on, not 'come OF" meanwhile
looking carefully after their own skins. Be-
ing massed IN numbers the men advance in a
rush. but often lag and stop.
No wonder there is chorus of repreba-
ton at these insinuations and charges.
But unquestioDsbly the artist knows what
fighting is. He has painted the CHASTITY
horrors Of the battlefield as no other painter
has done. Il is war-not the picturesque
aspect of il presented by Vernet, De Neu-
vile, Detaille. or Elizabeth Thompson. Yet
there must be gross exsggeration in the
charges. All through history. and not less
in cur own time, there are records of cool
bravery in the face Of fearful odds that
cannot be questioned. This applies both TO
services at sea and on land. 1t may be
said that much turns upon discipline, but
not everything. The Spartans who fought
at ThermopylB were disciplined. and
awaited humiliation with calmness. Of
6ceT5 and men who volunteer for forlorn
hopes cannot be towards. Tie Light
Brigade cavalry at Balaklava followed
Lord Cardigan up the valley Of death with
grim, unfalteTiDg courage, although not a
man could have had much hope that he
would return. Nor was il merely mechan-
ical obedience Ike parts OF a m achine. The
butcher Of one regiment Of dragons, seeing
that charge was in preparation, rode up
On q scratch horse, his shirt slew es rolled
up and covered with sbambies blood. He
was without uniform, but as he took posi-
ton at the end Of the line he laughingly
remarked that If there was to be any fight
ing he wanted to be in it. The butcher
was. however. ordered out Of the ranks, and
joined another cavalry line. How Lord
Cardigan behaved everybody knows. He
rode on at the regulation distance in front
Ike a centauT, looking, unmoyed. straight
ahead. Or take the discipline on board
the Brkenhead when she went down at
sea. There being no hope, the soldiers
formed line and went down with the ship
to a watery grave. The old veteran in
ETckmann- Chatrian's lie Blocus" is a
true type of the dauntless soldier produced
10 Napoeon's time.
Even discipline may not be essential to
call forth qualities of confidence and resolu-
ton in the soldier. a very large proportion
of the English soldiers who fought at
Waterloo were raw recruits who had not
seen service and had not been year under
the drill-sergeant. In our own war for the
preservation of The Union we had no veter-
ans in the European sense on either side.
Soldering had to be learned as fighting pro-
ceeded, and there was no lack of conspieu-
Gus courage. Every man who took part
bravery and dash that could not have been
enacted had the officers been poltroons and
the men feaT-stricken. The first engage
ment is regarded with apprehension by
most recruits. but in successive engage
ments this feeling gives way 70 Indifference
OF to positive taste for warmer work.
Many soldiers are known to profess de-
sire for death on the battlefield. Such is
the coveted fate of the Mohammedan
brandishing his sword for Islam, but he
expects immediate great reward in para
disc. The late Colonel Fred Burnaby, au-
thor OF the Ride TO KhYa," had this
pleasureable death in the Soudan. He went
there on his own account for the sheer love
OF lighting. The last of him seen in life
was when surrounded by half a dozen of
the wild stalwart men of the desert, prod
ding at him with their spears With
smile he kept parryiBg their thrusts with
his sword, but one spear got past his guard
opened the veins Of his neck and he dropped
dead. Honor, patriotism and natural
courage will always bring brave men to the
front.
1T T1UST 90.