The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-09-27

world into what II Is today, because
Il broke the power Of the Swedes. then
the dominant nation Of northern Eu.
rope, and really brought into being
the vast Russian structure OF the pres.
ent time. Byron sings Of 1t as:
Dread Pultowa's day
When fortune left the royal Swede
And Napoleon found In II the basis
for his prophecy at st. Helena that
Europe would become either all re-
publican or all Cossack.
1t has to be remembered that two
hundred years ago Russia was but n
pnltry, feeble world figure, just emery.
ing from standardization under Peter
the Great. Chancellories then reckoned
Russia little more than they now reck-
on Timbuctoo. On the other hand,
Sweden was n really great and power
full nation, with extensive holdings
now mostly in Russian possession.
Her people were Germanic, as the
Russians are Slavonic. Had Sweden
won ut Pultowa and continued her
course Of good fortune In the world,
the central European empires In the
war now raging would possess IN ally,
the and stamina Of which
might well be held to insure them vic.
tory.
Russia In 1909 possessed a popula-
ton Of less than 17,0OO.000. but the
genius of Peter was building It into
an empire. Charles XII Of Sweden
viewed the rise with concern. 1t was
his avowed purpose to smash the
growing state and reduce 1t to n con-
dition Of %subjugation such as II had
known under the Tartars and the
Poles. There would he no more Rus.
sia. No such commanding military
genius MS Gustavus Adolphus, Charles
was nevertheless n brave and resolute
general. holding at his command n
great army composed Of soldiers as
fine as any known to Europe. He
would, he declared, take Moscow, and
dictate terms Of peace to Peter In the
krcmlln.
Charles set out from Alstadt, not
far from Leipsic, in September, 17O7,
ut the head of $4,000 men. He marched
with 10000 more debarked at Riga.
A third army Of 1900 had station In
Finland. Charles was therefore In po-
sition to bring against the czar $4,000
Of the most formidable troops known
10 civilization. Napoleon. In his st.
Helena memoirs. bitterly condemns
Charles for his failure to keep his
forces consolidated, a failure which
Indeed seems to have been a grave
tactical error and for which Charles
paid n bitter price.
He left 10000 men Mt Warsaw, win
tered ut Grodno and In the following
June crossed the Minsk, fought and
defeated n force Of 10000 Russians on
the left bank Of the Beresina, beat
10000 more near Smolensko and was
within ten days march Of the capital
where the gar was already fo~mu-
lating proposals Of peace. when he
pquitted the high road to march toward
the Ukraine that he might form n
junction with Mazeppa, who had with
him 5000 men. Thus his line of COM
municatlon was left exposed for 400
leagues, protected only by Lewen-
haupt, who with a large force and
nm invaluable convoy Of supplies
marched n full twelve days march
behind his lord. Napoleon condemns
this disposition as i~nexcusable blum
derlne.
The ear meanwhile had collected
a force of 100000. In personnel II was
much inferior to the c%onquering
Swcdes, but IL seemed to learn stead
mess and generalship from It's defeats.
In September Peter with m ovcr-
whelming force Of 10000 fell upon the
laundering Lewenhaupt, who was
striving to Join : harles In the Ukraine.
For three days Lewcnhnupt struggled
against the impossible odds. finally
cutting himself loose, but abandoning
his cannon and ammunition, together
with his convoy OF provisions, and
reaching Charles with only 1000 OF his
original 10000. On very short ra-
lions the stout-hearted Swedes pulled
through the winter In the Ukraine, adj
vancing In the spring until they
brought up against the town Of Pull
town, which commanded the passes
to Moscow and which had been made
by the Russians n great depot of sup
plies. II wns heavily fortified, Its gar
rlson resisted sturdily and Peter, keen
ly alive TO the Importance Of the post,
advanced to It's relief In June with
nn army of 10000 men.
Possession of Pultowa would give
Charles the supplies he needed so
sorely, us well as n secure base for
his operations against Moscow. He
pressed the siege holly, his cannon
laundering night and day, but the
c,ar, maneuvering with no mean skin,
crossed the Vorskla and posted his
army on the same xde of the river
with the beslegers but n little higher
up. The vorskla falls into the
Borysthslcs fifteen leagues below
i'ultOwa. The Russian line stretched
from river to river. 1t was Peters
design to drive the Swedes back into
thu acuta ANGLIA fnrpnal nv tho tx.n