The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-25
ROMANOFFS AS SOLDIERS
BEHA VTOR or THE LATE CAR ALIEN
ANDER IN TIE TURKISH WAR.
Personsl Rem sIscences of His Conmnn
of the Amy of the LoD-Hfs Objection
toa Golden Key.

| recent writer has permitted him
self to assert that personal courage -
! not a striking characteristic OF the ~ ~
manoffs. He makes al, an eHceP wbn he H.,
admits was absolutely lSnOrht VI
fear and could face band OF His re a
| gents with the calm self-possessioL Vi :,
| Shepherd surveying his bleating shee p;
The monarch who, at the moment OF MS
| accession Illustrated the dominant IoISe
! Of his character by confronting anu Nc nc
| bullet fire the ferocious mutlhy ol H a.,
| an army corps, and who crushed tne
| blood-thirsty emute with dauntIess IeSo
! luton and iron hand; the man, VII, mn0'
! facing the populace OF 81. feteI9ou,Sdi
| crazed with terror OF me fn toroJ nv
| red with the blood of Slaughtered phy-
| sicians, cowed its panic Iury by Conif
! manding it, in the sternest tones -,
| his sOnOrous voice, to kneel III .ne - 60
and prOpitlate by prayers the "Idlh VI
the Almighty-such a man Is INADEQUATE
| " characterized by the expression en-.
! ployed by the writer In question: bu ,
| Nicholas was merely one among ma"y
| brave Romanoffs. At AusterltZ' Ale@ ,a.
| der /. was close up TO the nghtlHs my
! In the Pratzen section OF thal bIeat
| battle, and so recklessly did he EXPOSE
| himself that the report spread rearWd!l
that he had fallen. He was riding Win
| Aioreau in the heart of the bloody tuF-
MOL of Dresden. when a French cannon
| ball mortaly wounded the renegade
the latter's blood. Moreau had insisted
| on riding on the outside, else the ball
that killed him would certainly have
H gd n nie Gan% when on the Goth Of
March 1874, Alexander rode TO the MI
| Of Belleyille. and looked down. through
| the smoke Of battle, on the Frehch capl-
| tai.
Alexander IT, was certainly a man OF
real although quiet and undemonstra-
tive, personal courage. But for his as
| regard Of the precautions by Whlcn N
police sought to surround him, ne might
have been alive to-day. The Thlrd sec
ton was wholly unrepresented In Bul-
| gdria, and his Najesty's protection on the
campaign consisted merely Oh nan ,lioa
Of COssaCks. No Gordon or sehtrles
| surrounded his simpie camp; his tent at
Pavlo and the dilapidated Turkish house
| which for months was his residence az
| Gorni Studen, were alike destitute OF
any guards. When he drove out, OF
visited the hospitals his escort was
! cOurle Of Cossacks. In the woods about
Biela, in the early days of the war there
| stll remained some forlorn bivouacs oil
| Turkish families. Alexander wou aHght
| and visit them, his sole companion the
aide de camp on duty; and he would
tearlessly venture among the sulleh
Iurks-all of whom were armed 10 the
tecth-try TO persuade them TO return
to their homes, and promise 10 sehd
them food and medicine. during the
September attack on PleYna ne was CON
y
ed, looking out on the slaughter from an
emnence within range OF the turkish
cannon fire, and manifeSty enduring Keen
! anguish at he spectacle of the losses OF
his troops. Alexander If. literally threw
| his life away in his sef-regardless con
Germ for the suffering. After the nrsI
bomb had burst on the Alexandra CanaI
Road striking down civilians ana COS
sacks of the escort, but leaving the En-
peroT unhurt the Coachman begged 10
be allowed to dash forward and carry
his Majesty clear Of danger. But Alex
ander forbade him, with the words, NO,
no: | must alight and see to the wound
ed" and. as he was carrying out ms
heroic and benign intention, the second
bomb exploded and wrought his death.
As did the men OF the house Of Hohen-
zolleru in 1870. so in 1871 the adult male
Romanoffs went to the war with scarce
Is an exception. The Grand Duke Memo
mander in Chief of the Russian armies
I'm Europe was neither great general
nor an honest man; but there couId De
no question as 10 his personal courage.
That attribute ne eVinced with utter
recklessness. When arriving, as was his
wont, too late for a deliberate and care
full survey, he gallopcd round the Turkish
positions on the morning on which be-
gan the September fighting around Plevna
in proximity 50 dangerous that his stan
demonstrated, and that even the sedate
American historian OF the war wrote OF
him as having exposed himself impFu-
IDENTIFY 10 the Turkish fire" His son, the
Grand Duke Nicholas. Jr., In 1871, only
Just Of age, was already keen practical
soldier imbued with the wisdom OF get
ting TO close quarters and staying there.
He was among the first TO cross the
Danube at SistOva under the turkish
fire. and n fought with great gallantry
in the Sehipk3 Pass me bronze
Nicholas and Eugene Of Lcuchtenberg'
members of the imperial house, com
manded each cavalry brigade IN
GOuTkO's raid across the balkans, ana
1911 or Nnili4Tg
and personal galldntry in the desperate
lighting in the Tundja Valley. The Grand
Duke Vladimir. he next brother OF the
late Gar. served with marked distinction
in command of one Of the corps in the
Army Of the LON younger brother
Alexis. the nautical member of the i'm
peral family. had the technical superin-
tendencc Of the torpedo and sUbaqucouS
mining operations on the DANUBE. Young
Prince Serge, Of Leuchtenberg, cousin
of the car "A soldier of great promise,
who had frequently DISTINGUISHED him
self, was killed in reconnaissance
against the Turkish position in lovan-
Tchnik in october of the war.
The writer already referred TO has
stated that Alexander III nerves were
undoubtedly shaken by the terrible events
i'm which he had been "A spectator or
actor" 1t may have been 50; yet there
was no sign of nervous tremor in the
quiet high-eouied composure with which
he confronted and endured a lingering
and painful death. ! can testify that
when the bullets were flying on the
LON in the Autumn Of 1871 Alexander
did not know what nerves meant. lie
was then a man Of strong, II slow, men
tai force, stolid, peremptory, reacuOnary,
the possessor Of duh bat nrm resolution.
He had a strong though clumsy seat on
horseback, and was no infrequent rider.
He had two ruling dislikes-One was war,
the other was officers OF German eX-
traction. The latter he simply got rid OF.
The former he regarded as n necessary
evil of the hour. He did not profess 10
understand enthusiasm for battle and
blOOdShed; but he held il 10 be his duty.
while the unpalatable business of war
lasted, to do his sturdy and loyal best to
wage il TO the advantage Of the Russian
arms; and in this he succeeded. with Il
good deal Of hard fighting, in which
ne was by no means uniformly Vi ~ rious,
but never dcfaultinG from the particular
duty laid upon him-that of protecting
the Russian left flank from the Danube
10 the foothills Of the Balkans. He had
good, though always too few, troops
He never had more than 5000 infantry
the subordinate commands were fairly
well filled, and his headquarter staff was
tolera bly, efficient. General Dochtourot
its sous chef, was certainly the abest
staff officer on the Russian staff. But
Alexander was no mere pupIet Of his
staff; he understood his business as the
commander of the Army Of the LON
performed his functions in a firm. quiet
fashion, and withal was the trusty and
successful warden of the eastern march
cs.
According 10 my recollection, it was
on the goth of July, in a skirmish in the
course OF n reconnaissance toward kadi-
koi. some ten miles south of Rustchuk.
that the CZarovitch, as he then was,
received his baptism of fire. As we rode
along men had been remarking that II