Decorative underline

Russia is situated, from a military point of view, quite differently to any other European country, for of the whole Russian Empire only about a quarter lies in Europe. This quarter, it is true, is larger than the rest of all Europe put together, but it contains only a third of the population. Although by far the greater part of her dominions lies in another continent, Russia has had a pretty large finger in the European pie, and will in the future, no doubt, often mix herself up in European politics. Her policy, if it can be called so, is to try to influence Western questions in such a manner as eventually to bring all Slav races under her rule.

Russia has therefore organised her Army on an European footing, and chiefly on the German model. In 1874 she brought in Universal Conscription, from which, however, the upper classes, i.e., the nobility, the clergy, and officials, are exempt. The actual Colour service lasts six years; after that the soldier is sent for nine years more to the Reserve, which can be called out to reinforce the Standing Army. During the rest of his time, i.e., up to his twentieth year of service he belongs to the Opoltschenie—a body of men similar to the German Landsturm.

The number of able-bodied young men who annually attain the requisite age, 21 years, comes to about 800,000. Of these only 225,000 are conscribed, and the requisite number for the Army are selected from these by lot; the remainder are sent to the Opoltschenie. The latter body, therefore, consists of a huge mass of men, but mostly untrained. There is no middle body of men, like the German Landwehr, in the Russian Army.

The Regular Army is divided into four bodies, according to the respective duties required from them. They are the Field Forces, Reserve Forces, Ersatz Forces, and Local Forces.

The Field Forces are intended to be the first to take the field in case of war.

Their Infantry consists of 192 regiments of 4 battalions each, and 58½ Rifle battalions, as follows:—

12	Regiments of the Guard.
16	Regiments of Grenadiers.
164	Regiments of Infantry of the Line.
4	Rifle Battalions of the Guard.
54½	Rifle Battalions of the Line.

The Guard Regiments enjoy many privileges denied to the rest, and their officers rank one step higher in the Army.

Many alterations in the uniform have been made by the present Czar. The dark green colour has been preserved, but the cut of the tunic has been altered from that of the Prussian tunic to a loose double-breasted jacket fastened with hook and eye, and with no buttons. The head-gear is a round fur-cap, white in the case of Generals and Staff-officers, and black in all others. The soldier has little to do in the way of metal-polishing, it is true, but still the eye misses the accustomed glint which one usually associates with a military uniform. The Regiments of the Guard and Grenadiers have special distinguishing marks on their uniform.

The Infantry rifle is a useful breech-loader with bayonet, on the system of the American General Berdan. Regarding the question of magazine-rifles, the Government has not yet made up its mind; so that, for the present at all events, Russia is rather behindhand in the matter.

The Cavalry of the Field Forces consists of:—

Guard Cavalry:—

4	Regiments	of	Cuirassiers,
2	”	”	Dragoons,
2	”	”	Hussars,
2	”	”	Lancers,

and 46 regiments of Dragoons of the Line.

The Cuirassier regiments have 4, the remainder 6 squadrons each. Besides the above, there is a Division (2squadrons) of Crimean Tartar Cavalry, which would be expanded in case of war to a regiment.

The uniform of the Guard Cavalry, as can be seen by our plates, is very brilliant compared with that of the Dragoons of the Line. The whole Cavalry is armed with a light and slightly-curved sabre, called a “Shashka,” which is worn on a narrow band over the right shoulder. The front-ranks of the Cuirassiers and Lancers carry lances on garrison-duty and on full-dress occasions, but these would not be taken on service. The Dragoons carry a rifle, somewhat shorter than that of the Infantry, the bayonet of which is worn on the “Shashka”-scabbard; other Cavalry regiments carry the Berdan carbine.

The Field Artillery consists of:—

3	Brigades of Guard Field Artillery,
4	Brigades of Grenadier Field Artillery,
44	Brigades of Field Artillery of the Line.

Each brigade numbering 6 batteries.

The Horse Artillery consists of 1 Brigade of Guard Artillery, and 23 batteries of Horse Artillery of the Line; besides the above, there are two Mounted Mountain Batteries.

The Field Batteries have 8 guns, only 4 of which are horsed in peace-time. A Horse Artillery Battery always has 6 fully-horsed guns.

The matÉriel consists of excellent steel-guns, mostly from Krupp works in Essen, the bore of the heavy field-guns being 4·16 inches, and that of the light ones 3·39 inches.

The Engineers consist of 17 battalions of Sappers (including 1 Guard and 1 Grenadier Battalion), and a few independent companies, 8 battalions of Pontonniers, 9 Railway battalions, 6 Field-parks, 16 Military Telegraph-parks, and 2 Siege-parks.

There is no Train; it is formed in war-time by taking men from the Cavalry Reserves. Hence it would appear that the mobility and manoeuvring power of the Army in the field would not be very great.

During peace-time the Reserve forces, which would have to complete the Army to war strength on its taking the field, and the Ersatz forces, whose duty it would be to fill up gaps caused by death, wounds, disease, etc., during the war, are only represented by depÔt-cadres.

To the Local forces belong 50½ battalions of Garrison Artillery, distributed amongst the fortresses of the country, besides 32 Line battalions, quartered in Asiatic Russia for garrison duties; they may, however, if necessary, be employed on Active Service. To these forces also belong the “Instruction troops,” which practise new regulations, tactical and otherwise, as they are brought out, and experimentalise with new arms and equipment when necessary. The Corps of Gendarmes and the Frontier Guards may also be said to form part of the Local forces.

The Field Forces are in peace-time divided into 19 Army Corps (including the Guard Corps and the Grenadier Corps); 2 to 3 Infantry Divisions, and 1 Cavalry Division, with their Artillery, form an Army Corps. The Infantry Division numbers 2 Infantry Brigades, each of 2 regiments and 1 brigade of Field Artillery. A Cavalry Division numbers in the same way 2 brigades of 2 regiments each; besides 2 batteries of Horse Artillery.

The peace-strength of the Regular Army comes to something like 700,000 men and 1,538 field-guns, and the war-strength to 1,800,000 men and 3,260 guns.

In addition to this enormous number there are the Irregular troops—a force quite peculiar to Russia—namely, the Cossacks.[20]

The Cossacks are tribes of mixed Russian, Turkish, and Tatar blood. They are descended from tribes of horsemen, who after the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century settled on the Don and Dnieper and established their own forms of government. Every three years they used to elect a “Hetman” as chief, with a council of elders, “Narschines,” to assist him. The Don Cossacks of Great Russia have their head-quarters north of the Sea of Azov and in the mountainous districts of that region. Branches of these Cossacks have settled on the Volga, on the shores of the Sea of Azov, along the Ural, in the Kuban North-Western Caucasus and in Siberia. Ever since they became subject to Russia they have assisted in carrying the Russian dominion further into Asia. The history of the settlement of these tribes in Siberia, led by the Cossack chief Jermac, is exceedingly interesting. This bold leader crossed the Ural mountains in 1758 with a following of only 840 Cossacks. His conquering progress equalled that of the Spaniards under Cortez in Mexico for adventure and for the great results that flowed from his successes.

Although attached to Russia, the Cossacks are Russian in neither their language, religion, nor customs. Gifted with extraordinarily sharp senses, good-humoured, and hospitable, born warriors, excellent horsemen, and good shots, they are yet difficult to govern, and inclined somewhat to insubordination. Now that they have been bound down to stay in settled districts, instead of wandering all over the country, their wildness has been somewhat toned down, and they are of inestimable value to Russia in her service on the Chinese frontier, in the Ural, in the Kuban, in Siberia, in the Crimea, and on the Seas of Azov or of Aral. In return for lands granted by the government on the different frontiers, every Cossack is bound to serve as a soldier. They have a military organisation and are divided into Cavalry regiments, or “polks.”

They are gradually being more and more definitely organised, disciplined, and trained. Each man has to provide himself with clothing and equipment according to regulation, and with a horse, and keep them up during his time of service. The uniform consists in a short coat, “kasakin,” or a long one, “tcherkesska,” with a woollen shirt, “beshmet,” loose trousers, long boots, no spurs, and a fur-cap, “papasha.” Their chief weapon is a long pennonless lance, with sabre (“shashka”), pistol, or in the case of Cossacks of the Caucasus, long knives, “kinzhal,” and finally, a rifle of some sort.

Their small insignificant-looking horses are not to be beaten for speed and endurance. A day journey of twenty hours is not too much for them; their hardiness is extraordinary, and the worst forage possible does not come amiss to them.

A Cossack rides in the Oriental manner, i.e. with a loose rein, high saddle, short stirrup, and toes down; he is very fond of his horse and treats him kindly.

Their extraordinary mobility, endurance, and cleverness in getting over all obstacles of ground, particularly fit the Cossack troops for outpost and reconnaissance duty, for rapid raids and bold surprises, as well as for the pursuit of the enemy. What is also by no means their least advantage is that this mode of employing them in war would leave the regular Russian Cavalry free for actual combat in the field.

The Cossack Army which best shows the Cossack peculiarities of character and organisation is that of the Don Cossacks, which numbers in peace-time, besides the Bodyguard Regiment of Cossacks, 15 regiments of Cavalry, 1 battery of Guard-Cossacks, and 7 batteries of the Line. In war-time these numbers can be considerably increased, and the whole Cossack Army would amount to 14 battalions Infantry, 136 regiments Cavalry, and 40 Horse Batteries (236 guns).

This gipsy-like nation of horsemen, who eat, drink, sleep, live and die in their saddles, and, eager for plunder, either precede the Regular Army or attach themselves to it, is well known in Germany, where it appeared during the Wars of the Liberation (1806–1815). One might say with Schiller: “The rider and his swift horse are fearsome guests.” On the whole, it seems to be the fate of the Cossacks to be regarded with feelings of greater respect as enemies than as friends.

Still less amenable to discipline than the Cossacks are some of the other foreign tribes found amongst the Russian Irregulars, such as the Tatars of the Crimea, the inhabitants of the Caucasus, the Tcherkesses, the Bashkirs and the Tunguses. Although these people render Russia most valuable service in her Asiatic possessions, still she can hardly count on their services in an European war, so that an invasion by these Asiatic races, like what happened in the times of Tamerlane or Jengiz-Khan, need not be taken into account by the Europe of to-day.

Laying aside the question of these Irregular troops, we cannot deny that Russia possesses a well-disciplined Army, and one which is prepared for war. It is a mistaken idea to imagine the Russian soldier to be half a barbarian and a foe to higher culture. Frederick the Great learnt to respect Russia as a powerful adversary, and in the beginning of this century she brought a heavy weight to bear in favour of Austria and Prussia, and fought valiantly as their ally against the power of Napoleon I. Since that period Russia has made important progress, not only in her culture, but in the organisation and arming of her Army; universal conscription has also acted as a powerful assistant to universal education. Whether Russia will fight Germany in the near or in the distant future is a matter that does not concern us here; we will leave the discussion of the probabilities pro and con to the newspapers. The time may come, but all we need know about the matter is that Germany is fully prepared and, though respecting her possible adversary, is not afraid of her.

ADDENDUM TO RUSSIA.

P. 53. The Russian Infantry now numbers—

10	Regiments of the Guard,
18	Regiments of Grenadiers,
164	Regiments of the Line,
20	Regiments of Rifles (2 battalions each),
4	Rifle Battalions of the Guard,
38	Rifle Battalions of the Line.

Pp. 56–58. The Cossacks form altogether—

32	Regiments Regular Cavalry,
136	Squadrons Irregular Cavalry,
7	Battalions of Infantry,
12	Batteries of Artillery.

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