~, El #3}; ‘ 11 B er; ‘umf ‘Ef'stéf', ‘ 25:55:" \_ . #3334: _- :2‘35 : .‘ 'f‘é 2" 5;» 2'“ 112:3 . : ' kgfim - ". 3.23.1393}. ‘ ' Tho “ DEMOCRATIC BANNER’: is published weekly. ms 2 per nnnum—or $1 50 if paid 1n ud vnnce. No paper can be discontinued (unlesa n: the op lion ofthe editors) until all nrreumgea are paid. WAdvcrusomems. &c.. in tho usual mics. ned ' lire » til. ‘edly I C"- Oun. fthler' From Iho Umlcd'Sorvuce Mngnzine, The Russian “far in the Caucasus. - '_ en. and it us Europe 0%“ great deal to the Kabylcs ot Algeria and the mountaineers ot the Caucasus. It is to theirldetermined spir it of independence that‘ is due the prol lound peace which has, of late years. pre vailed among all, the greater powers ol Christendom. The two most warlike and aggressive nations of the continent have toundmmple employment tor their arms in the vain attempt to reducera lew myri ads of semi-barbarians to ‘the condition of submissive subjects. Ilow truly this has been the case with France is sutiiciently notorious. But it is not generally known the assertion _is' even more applicable to the contest which Russia is now waging with the tribes ot the Caucasian mount ains. How many are aware that 30.000 Matcsvitc soldier» perish. every Imin. this ingrown. strife-4eitlier‘slain 'ln _sctu ..al ,confllct._ot. carried. oil .by disease P Most persons in this Countrywill proba bly be surprised to learn that the Russian army at present'engaged tn the prosecu-i tion of thts war amounts to the enormous total of more than 150,000 men. A work recently published in Germany (Travels in-Georgialalong the Caspian Sea. and in _the Caucasus. by Pratersor- Koch) give u. a detailed statement of all the divisions & corps employed in that quarter during the last year (1847.) The list comprises. at regular troops, fourteen regiments nt in lantry. three brigarlesxol artillery; titty tour battallions ol Georgians. Caucasians, add Cossacks. one regiment of dragoons. and several battalions and companies at sappers and ”miners, sharpshooters, &c.; of irregulars. nineteen regiments ot Cos sacks ot‘the line. with three brigades, ot the horse artillery, forty-three regiments ot Tchernomorsky. Don, and Ural Cos sacks. With a numerous milrtia raised in the provinces contiguous to the theatre ol war. This immense force is under the sole diréction of the governer-general‘ol the Caucasus. Prince Wornozoif. who has received, from his Imperial master. pow ers little short ot dictatorial tor the con duct ol the war. ’ a M. Homtnaire‘de Hell. in his valuable \vork.. The Steppes of the Caspian Sea, gives the R‘ussianstatement. for 1843, at 160,000 men; but'sh‘fihbsethat the official number is considerably share the truth. This. however, is not the opinion of Pro fessor Koch and other late authorities— and, indeed, does not seem very probable in itself; for considering the continual losses and defeats endured by the Russian troops. it would be manilestly for the in terest ol'the commanders to rate thctr own forces at the lowestamaunt, sort to exalt those of the enemy as much as possible.— Accordingly ’they do not'scruple in their i'bulletins. to assign to their most formida his opponent. Shamil, a torce of 40.000 warriors. being about the total nurrrber at man, capable of bearing arms. within the territories subject to his way. With regard to the chieljust named. a very general misapprehenlsrion prevails itr this country. He is com hnly supposed to be a Circ'assian. and the present Rus sian contest in the Causasus is almost sry. led the war in Circassia. The proper Cir cassians, however.” who inhabit the. wes tern part of the Caucasian range,border ing on the Black Sea. are quite distinct from the ‘Lesghians and 'l'chetchens. the followers of Shamit, who live in the eas tern mountains nearthe Caspian. Twelve years ago. it was true, the Circassians were engaged in a desprrate struggle with the Russians, for their o'wnindependence. They came ofl triumphant; but, at the same time, their losses had been severe e nough to make a strong impression upon them. Thus they have welcomed with pleasure the respite from strite which the insurrection of the eastern tribes has al t’orded them; and all Shamil’s endeavors . to cogs? them to take part in the present ‘contest Me as yet proved fruitless. To this result. the'presents prolusely distrib-‘ .' uted by the Russian commanders amon ’the Circassian chicttains have no doubt e?- fectually contributed ;- andstill more the 'license now adcorded to their slavetrade with Constantinople. particularly the trade in- female slaves.wlt. is curious enough that one of the-liberties tor whtch‘tlre Cir. cassians contend so desperately was the liberty of selling-their own daughters to the Turks; and I!‘ is said that the maid. '~ens themselves were' particularly Indig nant “the interference of the Russians} with this time-honored‘dus'tom. The state ment is not at all improbable. Consider-' Vicg'tha't in-Crrcassia.-as 3inother eastern icountries', wives. are always boUght,‘ and are treatedv'as‘the' property at their hus ‘bartdsythere is. intact. no material difler~ "ence. in point of sctual-treedomi between the position til -'a Ctrcsssian' woman) asra stsvejin at hs'rer‘ni of Constantinople and that ' which shoztidiild hold- as thetwile at ong 01-‘harlown: countrymen; while; as re gards those pleasures to which oriental to males are most.-'addicted-«‘nam'el_v, idle :fi'l- . s39th $155 75‘3"}? . -,-.( 5 V 2115, fit; , ting wtho w ‘ cry .‘.l'm. '3‘: it 13:. ‘E ‘ $5513. ' c‘ ”3‘: . a. *1;- h”: . . ‘1 ck Pf“ , n! 29 W : f; the --- ..,•,... .-_ ,-..- _' 7 '.7.Cl:tift-_-(i..i.t-it.....,-tii._,-'''.-:.:,43:ti,..i4tittt.---.7.-.:-:-._ ISM BY MOORE &, HEMPIIILLH lIII'InNiINIONNANNICaniti IMMO 933153313553 neu. gossiping. nay adornment, nml £994 living—the advantages are nllnn the side (11-slavery. At present. as hashesn rO - the Russians. to prevent lhe;Clr caesium from jmning with Shamil have given up their opposition to this singular commerce; and the lreeborn sons of lhe mountains now go on selling their olf spring in peace and conlentmenl. 'f‘he Tchetchcns and Lesghians. who lform the main' body of Schamil’s adheu lrents. share with the Circasslans the palm lof supeiior personal beauty among all the races of the world. There ts .howeVer. some difference between them. The Cu cassians, by their graceful forms, dark blue eyes, chestnut hair, and oval laces, ‘recall the lineaments ol' the ancient Greeks. to whom they bear perhaps great er resemblance than any other people ol the present day. The Lesghians, on, the contrary, may be compared with the mori ero Italians, they are more strongly made than the Circassians, with full black eyes, dark brown hair, and bold features. They have a proud and martial expression. of countenance, with something of the wild ness natural to men who lead the free & reckless life of mountain lreebooters; it" such, it must he confessed. was the call ing-of the present» followers of Shamil, be fore they adopted that ol patriots. lhe united members of the two tribes, are es timated at about 500,000 souls. All at ”185?, ‘however, .do not acknowledge the supremacy of the warlike chieltaiu. Ma ny of the lowland clans have submitted to the Russian domination. it is probable that the total of, Shamil’s adherents and subjects. of all classes & conditions. do“ not exceed 300.000. With this petty fol lowing. he has maintained. for ten _vearl'. tan equal contest with the absolute ruler of lsixty millions of human beings. Such an enormous disparity of three was probably never seen since the days when " baffled Persia-'8 despot fled” before the united contingents of half a dozen little Greek republics. Even in that case, the circum stances were by no means similar. The semi-barbarous host of Xerxes was inferi or in all respects, but number. to the well equipped and Well-disciplined army at Russia; while the Greeks had every ad vantage over the Caucasian mountaineers; except in the natural strength of their; country. ' This, alter all.' is Shamil’s main reli ’ancc for'success. as it was of Montrose & ,Zumalacarregui, and as it has been of the ‘Swrss in all ages. The Chucasian moun tains are even better adapted for purpo ses of refuge and defence than the Alps or the Pyrenees. orthe Scottish High-e lands. In all those regions, the dwellings of the inhabitants are in the valleys which divide the heights; and an enemy Who can penetrate to those glens and ravage the hamlets ands-cultivated grounds, “I” inflict a severe’andperhaps irreparable in jury upon the mountaineers. In the Cau casus, on the contrary, it is only the high table-lands on the slopes of the mountain ridges. which are habitable. The valleys are deep and narrow ravines, often the beds of torrents, extremely ' difficult to cross. and presenting a serious obstacle to the advance of an invading force. The mountain-sides, moreover, are covered by dense forests. through which a single wan derer olten finds great difficulty in for ciog his way. It may well be supposed that an army, encumbered by artillery 81 baggage; can make but slow progress thro’ the country. Cannon, however. are in dispensable in this'contest, since they are the only arms of which the mountaineers really stand in dread. The terrible el lects of artillery upon their breastworks of timber have often compelled them to retreat from the positions which would otherwise have been impregnablc. i A Russian incursion‘into the mountains is usually conducted pretty nearly in the following manner; A column ofseveral thousand men advances from one oftheir military stations towards a stronghold of the enemy. It experiences, at first, but slight resistance. The mountaineers, lar king along its flanks, in the\encompassing forest, watch its progress from a distance. Each bears in one hand his long and hear vy gun, in the other a forked stick. At length one of then) calcheslhe glimpse of an epaulet within the range ol his piece. Planting the sharp end of the stick in the ground. he lays his. gun in the fork. and. with this rest, takes long‘and steady aim at the shining marlr. Powder and lead are too precious to the mountaineer to be throWo away. Presently the report rings through the hills, the officer falls, and his company is thrown into confusion. Rus-‘ siaa soldiers, excellent in a war of tactics. are of all troops, the least sdaptedflto mountain ' warfare, which ' requires espe':‘ ctally individual 'energy, s'agacity. and p'romptne'ss’of resource. Of these a Ru‘s ."s" private hasnothing whatever. He is ainere _rnachin'e, and oflittle more use wtthout'a leader than a steam engine with-, out an engineer. 'This fact is' perfectly understood by Shamil and“ his followers, {‘9 '5 W'Dfld‘by’the' disproportionate loss ofoflic‘ers during the present War. _ ' . . M lfngt-hrlh'e advancing'c'olu‘mn reach. s 5 1* "eerrpwl‘ipsss, which is rouse closed by a burner! e 1; 'Ashurn 'conflicft ensues. ; :lfhe",fl_rlll'l¢l‘fll ordered ,ttp; lhe loga'flji in splintersa‘v'an'd ‘_the' enemy, tilflnppedpg. lbstslum" then proceeds; ...')!!! ,tt‘strongi ARFI'E'L‘D,“ PA.; MARCH 26.1848. CLE' detachment is left to- guard the page; In this ditty the,advaoee Continues. thebarri~ cadea‘ becaming more frequent, and the resistance more etubborn. as the invading lorce approaches the stronghold. At length weakened by manylouee‘and by the sep aration of‘oumero‘ue detachments, it ar rives at theintended goal. Here ’on M . Vv’ . . cendtng a lofty height. Is found a small platenti, upon which are the smoking I'lllflß ”of a score 'or two of mountain hute. Some timee, Indeed. a strongly fortified hold oc cupies the summit, and in defended by the natives with desperate valor. But more olten. it in. no belore laid, a small moun— tnin ltnml‘et. which Shamil has selected as it place of deposit lor his stores and am Inunitton. . _ Having thus attained the object of their useless search. the Russians prepare .to descend. But their case pro‘v‘eeut‘o be the converse of that of the Trojan hero in his Stygian expedition. To ascend is comparatively easy; but to retrace their steps and return to the regions Itic labor, Itac opus est. Now, around them. on ev ery side. swarm the fierce mountaineers, seemingly in countless numbers. From every quarter are heard the yells ol exe cratioo. the report of the unerring‘ musket, and thonwhietlinahof,thetataLlead. ~One. laallant officer falls after another. Front. .flank. and rear are driven in upon the ? Cefllté. and the column becomes a confu' l setl mass of useless and hopeless soldiers. 1 Sometimes the cnmlnnnder-itl‘chief. OW3" kening to his danger, pushes desperately onward. and reaches his station with the loss of hall his lorce. Sometime-t he waits, in a lavorablc position, until he is releas ed by the advance of reinforcements. In either case. as soon as he regains hi~' lnr» tress. he writes a long and grantluloquent despatch, detoilinghis snccesslut opera tiond. which have ended in destroying the chtel sfflnghold ol the-rebels, and inflict - ing iipon them a blow from which they will not readily recover. He has hardly sent 01l his despatch to St. Petersburg be fore he hear: that Shamil, at the head ul 1: strong force, in in' the plain». ranging the country almost up to the very gates of the Russian lorts. . A brief account of the origin and early history ol'this chieftain may not be uninc teresting. in all Mohammedan countries there are men called Moors/dds, whode vote themselves expressly to the explica tion of the Koran and the Sunna. (or body ol Moslern tradition) and are consequent ly held in high estimation by the people. Each of them generally has about. trim a number-oi youths who attend him as schol ars and irre called his Illurt'rlea. or new lytes. iSuch a Moorshid was Kasi Mol lah, whoabout the year 1830. aroused the first great insurrection ol the eastern tribes against the Russians. lie was regarded not merely as a teacher. but as a prophet, and displayed also some capacity as a mil itary leader. He was, however, two years alterwards. besieged by General Rosco, in his stronghold called Cimri. and fell. pierced with many _bay’onet 'wounds. ' with his hand on his beard.’ says the traveller .Eichwald, “ and a last prayer murmuring from his lips." llls name is still a spell at power in the Caucasus. One of his disciples was Shamil. a 'l‘ch etchcn by birth. and whose early residence 'was in the large village or town of 'l‘chir kei. a place of some 3000 inhabitants. on the Koissno river. Although he was more than thirty years olage at the death of Kasi Mullah. he was still considered too young, according to the established'usage, to become a leader. In Lesghistan. as in Circassia. none but men who have passed the middle term of life. and whose years afforded a warrant both of experience and discretion, are considered worthy to occu py a post oi tsuchresponsihility. It was not belore the year 1888 that Shamil’s name was first made known to the Rus lsiansas that at an eminent Moorahid. and l the leader of a considerable body ol'l‘che -3 tchens & Leaghians. He was. at the time. about forty years at age. He is described as a man of moderate stature and slender trame. His physiognomy seems to indi cate some infusion of Torts? blood. He has. however. unlike most 'l‘artars. an am ple heard. on which. ornament he. as a Mnslem teacher. sets a peculiar value. ' The title which Shamil assumes in his proclamations; and by which he is best ltao‘wn in the mountains. its-that ol‘"lma;m ot the Caucasus.” Professor Koch says that. according to the Koran, there can be but one [mom and successor of the Pro phet. and that the Sultan of Constantino ple is now, regarded as such; but as he has ceased to extend ' protection to the Mohammedan ofthe north. they have transferred the title, and the'reverence connected ,with it. to Shimel. This is not exactly correct.» The titleuflmamr or "preacher.” was odopted'by Moham med to sign of homility.and Was retained; for the same .reason.‘ by the Khali/‘a, or “successors.” ‘But it wasaot. like the latter term, peruliarly appropriated to thatline ol monarchs. 0n the contrary, every priest ot a mosque‘ is called its Int-r ‘ am ,' randlthe title is.:moreover.> lr_eq'ucnt.f ly assumed by princes" who desirotouniuj a religious priestage to their secular pow ] BF" For thisreason‘f it'nas ‘beeirl“'artoptert' 1 by the ruler ._ofMuscat, in preference ;to ‘ that 'otSrtltan or Malrk; to either otgwhich hefwould be. fairly entitled (bythe‘e’xtent of his tloroininnSMVg ‘ .v . Shamil to said to ,rule the districts un . tter his command with great strictness and . equity. Life and property are perfectly sale. his armed lollowers not being allow ed the slightest license in thieryown coun try. Every crime. by whomsoever com mttted. meets with prompt and just pun ishment. He is not accused of cruelty. except in the case of certain offences con nected with the contest which he is we ging. Woe to the individual ortribe that deserts or betrays the common cause ! Instanees are known of entire villages, whose inhabitants had been guilty of this olience. having been destroyed by Shamil and hishost aasuddenly and completely as though they had been swept away by a' flood,‘or buried underan avalanche. Nor is it merely for treason that he inflicts such dire punishments. . On one occasion. when he was besieging : Russian detach meni in a small tort and had nearly com; pelted it-to surrender. the commander ot the force, expecting soon to be relieved. sent a messenger to Shamtl, avowetlly lor ‘ the purpose ot negotiating a surrender, but i with secret orders to protraet the parley as long as possible, in order to give time for the assistance to arrive. He lollowed his Instructions, and succeeded in the ob ject _ot,,his ”mission, .__:lv‘he , relieving force came up befr'ire the terms were‘set'tled,’ and Shamtl then became aware ol the de ception that had been practised upon him. When Napoleon Wes similarly tricked by Alexander. alter the battle 0! Au'sterlitz, his resentment exhaled in the bitter speech -—“Grallcz Ie Russo. e! vous trouvcrcz Ic' Torture.” Shamil, it appears. is not one whose vengeance can be satisfied with ‘ a pungent apothegm; and besides. his att uation was somewhat diflerent lrom that ol the Victorious emperor. It is said that the unfortunate messenger was literally cut in pieces. This was called cruelty. and violation of the laws of war; but it is not recorded that any other officer has'ev er since attempted so to deceive the moun tain chief. -- The first- attempt which the Russians made to crush the growing power ol Sha mil was in the year 1839. In the spring of that year. the commander-in~chiel oi the Caucassian army—who bore the unhe roic designation of General Grabbe—as enabled a considerable body of troops on the north side ofthe mountains. and pro } ceeded to ascend them, with the intention 1 ol capturing 'the lortress of Achullto. which was then Shamil’s stronghold. It is situ ated at the summit ol a steep mountain. which rose near the swift Kuissao, the chiefriver nl' Lesghistan. As the Rus sians advanced’up the river. they encoun: tered some slight opposition, which was easily overcome. They soon arrived at the populous village of Tchirkei. rich in orchards ol many species 0! fruit. ’ The inhabitants, though strongly disposed in lavor of their wartike fellow-citizen. were dismayed at the prospect of seeingtheir fields and gardens ravaged by the enemy; they submitted to the favorable conditions oflered by'the Russian generdl. and the latter pressed on towards the interior .‘.}! the mountains. At length he reached a spot which Shamil had apparently select ed for the first serious resistance; for a battle ensued. which is represented as the most bloody and fircely contested that had been fought for many years in the Cauca sus. The conflict lasted two days. The mountaineers disputed every {ootof ground ‘with desperate lury. and yielded at last only when the artillery was brought to bear upon their position. Again the Rus sian columns moved lorward. Another fierce encounter awaited them before they attained the term of their expedition. It ended to a similar manner; and at length the divisionlound itsell at the base ol the height on which stood the fortress ol Ach ul 0. " 'l‘he siegc’begnn on the 12th_ol' July. and lautetlto the, 23d of Auguat. During that time every attempt to take the tort by storm was repulaed with heavy loss to the assailants. But the delenders began at length to suffer for want of provisions.— Shamil once tried to make terms. oflcring his son as uhostage ; but the Rumiun com mander would accept nothing but uncon ditional surrender, to which the chiel would not submit. Three days ulterwards a lurioua assault was made. and the relis tance. though finally successful, showed that the besxeged were too weak to hold out much longer. Shortly after this afluir. the Russian general up ,inlormed by his spice of Shamil"; inteltion to have himselt lowered dotvna‘t the ateepest‘pntt ol the precipitous rock on which Achulco'stood. and thus to elode'the grasp of‘his enea mien. His desertion to his followers,‘nt euch ujun'ctore'might perhaps be'justified in his eyes by the certainty that they would not. il taken. meet'the , fate which Would assuredlyalivluit'himve‘nnole/ij, thn‘t'n’f bee mg sent mv‘a'y“intn "the interior nf'Ruasia. never, toretum' inghis..rintive [with on learning this design, the general ordered a close. watch to belcepl aroundjthe whole mountain. but particularly at thcltpol de' signaled.‘ Suddenlv t 1 “ÜBPICIWS mover, ment mg observe-«l. , The...watch crept cnqtiougly; (upward. andmsncgived a. new suspeptlgtlvby B [OO%, deacgntlma "10, "ll? 10f [héfprgciijQ- On reoohlog the ground} "I! mountaineer {reed himself .lrom .the rope; which was then. drawn up,,upd twt‘. more men :w‘ere‘geucceasively lowered down. All then'c'rouchgd'on the gtooud“ NEW SERIES-VOL. I, No..‘iTii-iWitomgqum, In the present case, his singular escape added not a little to the peculiar reverence with which he was regardedby the moun t taineers ; for it was the general belief among them that the angel Gabriel himself had borne off the prophet chief from the midst of hie enemies. His fame and influ ence spread through the ivhole of the Eas tern Caucasus. During the next two yam-s he was busily employed in organizing hie adherents. extending the circle of his ope. rations. and winning over the numerous in dependent tribes of the mountains to his standard. The Russians vainly attempt ed. by frequent razziss, to intimidate the natives, who grew every month more can fident and daring in theirenterprises, pene trating fat into the lowlands. and laying siege to the posts along the frontier. The emperor became at last so-disquieted by the intelligence which arrived from the Caucasus. that he despalched the minister of war, Count Tchernitchefl. to ésetnine personally into the state of affairs in that quarter. and report concerning the most advisable method of carrying on the con test. Tchernitchefl' arrived just in time to wit ness the return of the Russian command er in-chief from a disastrous attempt to' penetrate to Shamil'vnew asylum; the gil lage of Dargo,’ situated near the source of the river Yaksai, some distance westof Achulco. It is worthy of remark that. in all his changes of residence. ‘Shamil has been gradually advancing towards the cen tre of the Caucasian isthmus. as if. in furth~ eflnce‘of his expressed design of uniting the whole mountain region between the Black Sea and Caspian into a singletcom pact government. The Russian general. anxious to distinguish himself before the minister’s arrival by some shining enter prise. similar te the capture of Achulko; had set out. with a body or 8600 men, up the course of the Yaksai. The mountain. eere. according to theircustom‘. made at first only a faint show of resistance.‘— When. hawever, he had reached aspot which they considered favorable for their purpose, they suddenly closed around him with such overwhelming fury. that he was compelled to retreat; and it’ was with‘the greatest difficulty that he reached the fort from which he started, basing left all his baggage and most of his artillery In the hands of the enemy. Out of 60 officer's Only 24 returned; and 2000 soldier‘s re~ msjned dead on the‘lield o'r ' along the lids of march. ' Such was the intelligence which greeted Count Tchernitcheff onhis arrival. ltis not surprising. therefore. that he should, after a careful examination of all the pecu tiar difficulties of the contest,.have come to the conclusion that the wisest plan would be to confine all future operations strictly to defensive measures. This counsel was adopted. A cordon of posts was establish ed around the mountains. to preventnthe incursions of the enemy into the plains; thus. as was said. leaving the fire of fenab iciern to burn itself out. It .was, however. too late for the success of such onion.— 'l‘he mountaineers were new congeiqua of their strength. andexaeperated by the in juries which they had suffered. theyjndg ed the forbearance of the Russians tube on evndence of weakness-rsndznot altogether without realsonr, Accordingly, their-ina rnnding descents, into thelowlends become more frequent and daring than met-before- The imperial government 'was compelled again to chance inpatient Garters! Nom “3"". 1"! 05¢," of. the. able. ,8?! Anatolian for both eiv'il'end'niilitgi"ia‘l’efitsfheb 55m as [governor'r’genereh‘ “£3l3;er "iv‘ir‘e‘ at the same time increased t'pjthe [force-P; pt which it now stands; of“-'16QQOQQ-Lt_ttep7—Ta .'tteater messflof troorisf‘thsnha'd ‘beenga. uembled. between the Block and ,Ceqpisn Slea_.s_inc‘_ethetimiioffietiguKhan:i " ' ,r Neidhan. however. wa9,frtéfl;io.he' In the morning the'deceptton was dis covered. and the general. rendered furtoue by his disappointment, ordered ve'laot aa eault. Fifteen hundred men ascended the height, and when 'the action terminated. and the Russian flag waved over the ruins of the fort, only a hundred and fifty of the storming party remained unhurt. 0f the eeveh hundred defenders of the fortress. very few escaped alive. Such waa'the ap ture of Achulko. the first of many signer emernriaea undertaken huh? Reggie"! 8- geinet Shamil. and which. however‘v’a‘tt one in their circumstances, have all been attended with only one efl'ect—th'at'of ex .alting the reputation of thebuld and astute chieftein. ‘ . 12 II i' I U '1 . . t