332 Towards a Modem Army, 1825-1874
1ppropriate clothing. As a result of such measures, so War Ministry statistic-
ans maintained, the death rate among recruits went down, but these claims
·equire critical scrutiny.^49
Relatives had good reason to take leave of their sons and brothers with the
·ustomary weeping and wailing. Haxthauscn admits that each levy caused
mourning and horror' in the villages; he wa~ shown a milestone on a road
eading out of Moscow which marked the point at which recruits had to part
rom their kin.^50 Soldiers' wives as a rule lost all contact with their husbands: a
ield postal service did exist during the Crimean campaign, and at least some
rien in the ranks had access to it.^51 Their wives had the same status in the
1easant community as widows, who were generally made unwelcome by their
11-laws; unless they remarried, they might be forced into vagrancy or prostitu-
ion simply to keep alive.^52 Any children born to them within a certain length
,f time (two years, according to Haxthausen) after their husband's departure
1ere automatically classified as cantonists and were taken away from them on
eaching school age, so that the infants' mothers had no incentive to care for
hem. However, in 1838 single male children born to soldiers prior to their
ecruitment were declared exempt from the levy, and in the same spirit the
1ives of wounded soldiers, and soldiers' widows, were permitted to keep one
on at home.^53 With cold but impeccable logic the decree referred to such boys
s 'given' to their mothers by the state, whose property they indeed were
ccording to the law.
On the other hand, those soldiers' wives who were allowed to accompany
1eir husbands to their regiments might enjoy conditions that won the admira-
on of foreign observers. 'In barracks', a French officer reported, 'one often
nds a row of rooms occupied by married soldiers, who may stay for several
ears in the same room ... In St. Petersburg these establishments are almost
legant, the families' beds being separated by curtains, with a common space
eyond. This could happen only in Russia. '^54
The same writer was also enthusiastic about the benefits which autocratic
aternalism supposedly conferred on soldiers' children. 'Many things in
49 Expressed in percentage form, the-.~ f'igurc' were 0.21 per cent (1826-35) and 0.057 per cent
835-50): Cherny,hev, "1st. obozrcniye', p. 311. Curt h' an:epts these data (Russiun Army, pp.
38-9), but it i' clear that 1he true figure for rc.:rui1 rnor1ali1y was nol 2,324, as '1a1ed here, but
1uch closer to 146,894, the Figure given on p. 328. where (perhaps to disgui'e the tact) deceased
;cruits are lumped together \ith 1hose 'oldicrs who died while bein)! 'cnt 10 civilian agcndes. The
1te was therefore about 6 per ccnl.
5o Von Haxthauscn, l\riegmwcht Rm.1/wu/1, rp. 72. 76.
51 Neizvestnyy, 'Za mnogo let'. p. 52: N., '\'ydc·uhki it soldatskoy 1hilni'. VS 34 (1863),
. 158.
(^1) c 11 PSZ xii(i). 10425 (6 July IH.17). ~~ 2H-.10; C1111i", /<111111111 .·ln111', pp. 236-7; Bolo1t·nko,
\dministration', pp. 430-1. P. Ctap nolc' 111 I>. t. Ran,l"f (ed.), /he h1111111' in lmpl'nal Russia
. ., Urbana, 1978, p. 206 1ha1 many 'oldicr,· wive' a1:1cd a' fos1cr-11101hcr' 10 foundlings.
5.• 11 PSZ xi(i), 9761 (6 Dec. 1836); xii(1i), 10725 (21 Nov. IKJ7); xiii(ii), 117\14 (29 Nm. 1838);
v. 11947 (18 Jan. 1839).
(^1) • 'Rapport sur l'armee de tcrre de la Ru"ie' (Oc1. 1852(, MAE, M cl D, Russic. rnl. .n (1831-
~l. f. 370•. A k's euphori..: view of ..:ondi1ion' for fa1111lic' in harrad' i' given hy N. /. Mombclli
1 his diary: Delo petrushevtsev, i. 24.1-4.