Oh these men of iron! Hardy and brave as the men of iron who served under old iron-handed Charlemagne! These are the Austrian heavy cavalry—these the cuirassiers with their breast-plates of black polished iron, but no back-plates. They wear low leathern helmets and a brass crest; they have white tunics, and grey trousers covered with leather to the knee. Powerful horses carry these powerful men, but we doubt whether the grey-clad riflemen could not bring them down, notwithstanding their iron breast-plates. Amid a cloud of dust the Cuirassiers and Dragoons ride on, and close in their rear come the Lancers with their short dark green tunics, with red collars and facings, richly decorated with yellow epaulettes, aiguillettes and cords, green trousers with red stripe, white cloaks and low-crowned chapkas of various colours with a tuft. Each man carries a long lance decorated with a black and yellow pennon. These Lancers are followed by the Hussars, wearing tightly fitting tunics and trousers; and after that, thundering over the ground, the Artillery—an Artillery equal to that of any in Europe. The gun carriages and limbers are painted yellow with black wheels, and the men are riding on long jaunting cars, their uniform consisting of brown tunics with red cuffs and facings, light blue trousers, long grey cloaks, and felt hats with one brim turned up and fastened by a black and yellow tuft. Their belts are white, and they carry a short infantry sword.
A small company in dark brown tunics with blue facings, and small low shakos, follow next. These form the Land Transport Corps. After them come the Engineers, with a special corps for Pontoons, and another Special Corps for Flotilla purposes; and, lastly, 19,000 strong, march the Gendarmerie, as fine a body of men—to look at—as ever trod the ground.
The oldest standing army in Europe is that of Austria. Its history is indissolubly connected with that of the Empire; but, while there is no army in Europe which displays stronger traces of the Middle Ages, no pains have been spared to make it the most efficient by a ready adoption—since 1850—of all modern improvements.
The army, like the Empire, is a strange compound of nationalities. Germans, Sclavons, Hungarians, Wallachs—all are included, the army being made up by conscription through all the provinces of the Empire, and all classes, with some few very exceptions, being subjected to it. The army belongs to the Emperor and not to the Empire, and hence an officer may serve in it for years without having any claim to the protection of the State. Foreigners, ever since the period of the Thirty Years’ War, have held high rank in the Emperor’s army, and it is asserted that one-half of the officers now holding commissions in the Austrian army are not Austrians by birth.
By the latest returns it appears that a considerable reduction is taking place in the numerical strength of the Austrian army. The expenses, which in 1863 were estimated at a sum equivalent to 10,000,000l., were reduced in 1865 to 9,000,000l., and the estimates for 1866 are no more than 8,000,000l.
You notice that the men are marked by strange contrasts of physiognomy; they are marked also by strong animosity to each other, not as individuals, but as nations. The troops raised in one dependency of Austria hate with a thorough hatred troops raised in another, and it is very difficult sometimes to keep peace between them. It is a rule also that troops raised in any particular district should never be permitted to garrison that district; and, in fact, that no troops should remain long in any one place. By this means all familiarity with civilians is cut off; the men must associate together—the officers must associate together. As to the men, they are tolerably well paid—always enough to secure them a good breakfast, dinner, and supper, with twopence or threepence over for a dram. The officers—especially those holding high rank—are nothing like so well paid as officers similarly commissioned in England. They do not meet at mess, but each officer dines where he pleases, and thus—
But here come the soldiers of Prussia, the soldiers of the Great Army, which bears something of the impress of Frederick the Great.
Here are the Prussian Rifles, in dark green tunics, with red collars and facings, grey infantry trousers, and a shako with a peak before and behind, and a horsehair brush. Their belts are of black leather, and the couteau de chasse, which can be used as a bayonet, is worn on the same belt as the cartouche-box. They are all capital marksmen, and rapidity of firing is regarded as a sine quâ non.
The Rifles are closely followed by the whole body of Prussian infantry, on a war footing, 360,436 strong. They wear short tunics of blue cloth, the collars red in the front and blue behind. Why blue behind? Because the helmet would soon wear the other colour dirty. The head covering—pickelhaube—is a round helmet with projecting pike, the line wearing the regimental number in front, while the Guard is distinguished by a star. The Guard is also distinguished by horsehair plumes. Who are those who wear a cross in front of their helmets? These are the Landwehr Infantry. There is, if you will look closely, something in the uniform to distinguish the corps: the regiments of Prussia Proper and Pomerania have white shoulder straps; those of Saxony and Brandenburg, red; those of Posen and Silesia, yellow; those of Westphalia and the Rhine, light blue. The trousers of the men are of dark grey cloth with a red piping down the side; they all wear boots, but on march put gaiters over them; their cloaks are of dark grey cloth, and their belts are of black leather.
This strong body of cavaliers—every horse a model—forms the Prussian Cavalry. Here are the Garde du Corps and Grand Cuirassiers. They have back and breast-plates of polished steel, and wear short white tunics with red, blue, green, yellow, black, or orange colour cuffs and collars, according to their regiments; their trousers are of dark grey cloth; their helmets of polished steel; their principal weapon, the long cut-and-thrust sword, worn in a white buffalo belt.