Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-03-03

were allowed to plumber and kill for
three days after the assault.
This is the single great blot on Gen
eral Kouropatkin's record. 1t is true
that he was not in supreme command,
but his Turkestan troops played the
leading part in the slaughter.
He is a great leader of men. The
march Of his Turkestan contingent
across the almost unknown deserts of
central Asia, in order to join Skobelef
for the siege of Cock Tepe, was as
fine an achievement as Lord Roberts
famous march to Candahar,
"Kourapatkin, said General An.
nenkoff, who met him at the end of
the march, had been for twenty-siX
days marching over sandy and
waterless desert yet his force march
ed in clean trim, and as fresh as
daisy"
An English newspaper correspond,
ent, who attended the funeral OF
Skobeleff at Spasskoe, Selc, was there
thrown into company with many OF
the dead generals favorite officers.
More than once" he said, Il heard
controversy among them as to
whether Kourcpatkin was not almost
| as good a leader as their lost general.
"kouropatkin, said General Amen
/ koff. to me- during one of these dis
/ cussions, possesses all the character
istics of Skobeleff cast in a cooler
mold. They worked admirably to-
gether. Kouropatkin imparting cool
ness and calculation to Skoheleff, aud
! Skobeleff fire and enthusiasm To Kour-
opatkin We are desolate now that
/ Skobelef is gone but 1t is a consola-
ticn that we have still got Kouro-
/ patkin. He is now the Skobeleff Of
Russia.
During the first few days succeed
ing Skobelefs death strong and
angry feeling prevailed in Russia
! against the government. 1t was felt
! that the dead hero's merits had never
/ been properly appreciated by the
state, and | encountered various Off
/ GERS at Moscow who We're persuaded
he had been poisoned.
ITO appease the army the emperor
| felt that he could not do better than
summon Kouropatkin from central
! Asia and give him a high appoint
ment at home Since then he has
been treated as a favorite at court,
and if he has secured little nCtoriety
abroad it is simply because he has al
ways devoted himself to his profess
sion and let politics alone.
"Skobeleff had in him all the elo-
menis Of great statesman, as well
as those of a great general His pCllt-
ical influence was becoming positively
embarrassing to the cars ministers
when he died,
"Kouropatkin has never sought to
form a party in Russia-he Is quite
content to be a great general, and
nothing more"
This Judgment was pronounced
away back in 1885 1t does not hold
good now General Kouropatllin is
now the unchalenged head of the
war party in Russia He believes in
pushing Russian troops to the utter
most ends cf Asia
In the movements toward tho In
dian frontiers, which have alarmed
England in recent years; in the alb
sorption Of Manchuria. and in the
threatened attacks ON Korea. his hand
is plainly to he seen by any one ia
mliar with Russian politics.
Before becoming minister cf war,
KouroPatkin commanded the Russian
army. He is the Idol of the army,
fer Skobeleff is name TO Coniure with
in the Russian service, and he was
Skobeleff before Cock Tepe General
AnnenkCff made a great reputation by
building strategic railways in Central
Asia, and his was the vast scheme for
a trans-Sberian line to the Pacific He
first outlined that plan in detail during
a visit to Paris in 1891.
he knew that they had recognized him.
laughed at him then, but his ideas
have since produced the greatest rail
road in the world. at an admitted cost
Of e550OO,OOO, and perhaps a great
't'al llibi -
Annenkof is one Of Skobeleff's men,
like Kouropatkin No general is
thought much of in the Russian army
unless he is able to say, Il was with
\ Skobeleff at Plevna," or Il fought IN
4 Turkestan under Skcbeleff." There IS
hardly a single prominent general in
the service who is not one Of Skobe-
leff's men.
That great commander showed I'M
erring judgment in picking his sub
ordinates. The unknown subalterns
whom he chose for his staff officers
and the captains and colonies to whom
he entrusted the command of small
armies have since become. almost
without exception, famous generals.
Michael Annenkoff was born in
1898. and received his first commission
in the Russian army in 1863. He is
an older veteran than Kouropatkin
for he served as STAFF captain during