The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-15
OFFICIAL REVIEW Of
WAR AS SEEN BY RUSSIA
Russia's Wonderful Recovery From
Days of Retreat Told by
st. Petersburg.

Petrograd Oct. 14.-On September
sued an official review of the events
on the Russian front from the same
date year before, when the Car
assumed supreme command of all
the armed forces on land and sea-
appointing General Alexieff as chief
Of staff.
Russia's wonderful recovery from
those days OF retreat. In the fact of
superior forces. to the Dvina, has
/ been IN no small measure due to the
sagaCtty and organizing abilities OF
| General Aiexieff.
/ AS a matter Of fact. his appoint
mcnt was signalized by a reversion
: from the defensive to the offensive
! in the direction Of Tarnopo. when
/ the Austro Germans were thrown
( back with loss OF 10000 prisoners
and valuable military booty.
! Then began the reorganization Of
Russias army and the collecting Of
necessary war material until all was
ready for the grand advance of June,
1916.
General Michel vasstlievitch Alex
! Jeff. the actual COMMUNICATIVE chief,
of the Russian armies In the west, Is
all efficient Born poor man. he
has risen to the top through the
force OF his intellect alone.
Is OF Peasant Stock.
The general 10 now fifty years old,
and is OF peasant stock. His face
show his plebeian origin. It is not a
Enthusiastically Russian face. It Is
rather Finnish. having several dis
tinctly Monaghan features. as. for In
stance, the high cheek bones, the
narrow deep set eyes, which are dis
tinctly Asiatic. But he has also a high
forehead. which marks him a man of
intellect There are those who say he
is all intellect and nothing else. 1t
Is certain he lacks social graces. He
is personally shy and dislikes So
ciety
When ne was proposed for the post
of chief-of- staff to the emperor, which
meant that he would be the real COM
mander. he asked to be excused from
eating at the same table as the en-
peror, as that would mean he would
have to entertain prominent guests
at the meals.
The Car is himself n shy man. and
so, understanding the feelings Of his
lieutenant, he granted the request.
General Alexiefr eats his meals alone
Simply served. he eats them hurried
ly and in any form, The sooner ne
is through, the sooner he Is a. BILE to get
back TO work.
Work is his one appetite. When
he entered the army he had but one
qualification, an exceptional brain.
Before the Turkish. 1878. war he had
managed to get some education at
the military academy at Moscow,
where he left at the age OF seventeen.
In the war he was wounded three
times, and was also promoted. For
a number Of years prior to the Jap
anese war he was professor OF mill
itary history at the various military
schools In Russia.
Has Passion for Detail.
His passion for detail Ia inanite.
He never leaves anything TO his sub
ordinates. All the strings he wants
to keep In his own hand, which may
or may not bc III advantage.
During the great retreat of last
year he directed every stage Of the
march himself He had been in COM
mand on that front before and knew
the ground. At certain points he
formed fresh units and delivered
&C unter-attacks against the pursuing
Germany cavalry. while ne was pre-
Taring the positions in the rear on
which the Russian armies have held
their own ever since.
In the early days OF the war his
command became famous for the
number OF officers that were dropped
from them When he came to a new
post he would go through the rolls
like whirlwind, dismissing the in
efficient without pity, and picking
men that he knew to be efficient to
I'LL their places.
Tho consequence was that II was
soon remarked that wherever Alexieff
was III command there was efficiency.
the work was done promptly and done !
well. There was no shirking. no ex-
cus,ng and in time II became evident
that this man was the logical head
for the whole army. There was no
nkhAx sakx.t