Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-05-09
RUSSIAN ARMY DUTY.
Tho Varied Accomplishments the
Soldiers Must Possess.
A Practice Maneuver Which Illustrates
the Severe Tasks They Are Some
times Required to Per-
form.

In the German army every soldier
Is taught to act intelligently on out
post service and in scouting opera
tions, and this is not too much to re-
quire in a country where every soldier
reads and writes, and can readily I'M
derstand map and compass. In Rus
STA, however, where nine-tenths Of the
people cannot read or write, and have
lost the faculty of thinking consecu-
lively, the army cannot teach the sol
der much more than to move as with a
machine. In order to have a force of
good men for picket-work and ad-
vance-skirmishing, writes Poultney
Bigelow in Harper's Magazine, they
have adopted this plan:
Each company sends four of its most
intelligent men to select body called
the scouting-corps, and as the Russian
regiment has four battalions, with
four companies each, that gives a regi-
mental scout force of sixty-four. This
service is very popular, for it is full of
variety, and, though the hardship is
great, the food is good, for hunting
and fishing are in the programme.
The men are practiced in every kind of
woodcraft, and are expected to de-
velop as much ingenuity and self-reli-
ance as an Indian scout in our service.
They must sail, row, climb, find their
way by map and compass, slip through
the enemy's lines, procure every va
riety of information, and escape cap
ture at all hazards.
"They are splendid fellows" said
Schutzenberg, in answer to question
of mine. Here Is what they did last
winter when snow was on the ground
and floating ice in the streams:
"You must know that we attach
very great Importance to creeping ur
close to the enemy and watching his
movements. Well, for little practice
in this respect called my sixty-fou1
men together one morning in the bar
backyard, and divided them into two
sides, each commanded by non-com
missioned officers. I pointed out OF
the map position which one side wa.
/ to watch, and indicated the direction
/ from which an attack was to be antici
| pated. Another position selected fol
/ the other side. Neither side knew VIVA
/ the other side was to attempt, but eac1
/ had orders to slip behind the lines O
| the other, and steal three flags tina
! had been posted about mile and
( half in the rear of the line that was {,
u be protected. The difficult part of tn
| problem was that neither side knev
/ anything of the positions beyond wha
4 was shown them on the map in tn
/ barrack-yard, and the non-commis
I stoned officers had to transmit thi
/ knowledge to their men.
Each party found the right position
and, after posting sentry, detached
/ party to steal the flags Of the enemy
Six men of the one party went of
each on his own account. Two of then
| were captured, one OF them failed t
find the flags because he could not re
member the topography of the maj
/ and one succeeded in finding the flag
and bringing them back to the nor
commissioned officer. The remaining
two found the spot after the flags wer
gone, and described the spot, SO tina
there was no doubt that they had bee
there. The six men detailed on tn
other side remained together, an
/ were discovered when close to tn
| picket line. They were fired upon
two were captured, and the remaining
four pursued to a stream forty fee
wide near here. In spite of the float
ing ice, they sprang in and struggle
to the other side. The pursuers hes
tated moment at the sight of tn
ice blocks, then they followed. On
was captured in the water because h
was hampered by the ice. The res
escaped; but one of the follower
managed, in spite of his ice bath, t
envy"