Marking Time 333Russia seem barbaric at first sight', he wrote, 'but on closer inspection turn
out to be necessary and even philanthropic: such is the case here.' He conceded
that the education received by boys in 'this little army of 25 battalions, 20
squadrons, and 5 batteries' deprived them of a natural family environment.55
Or, as a compatriot put it less squeamishly, 'a barracks serves them as cradle
and the regimental banner as their country. '^56
The number of soldiers' children was swollen by the expansion of the
military settlements. It reached 196,000 in 1830, 223,000 in 1842, 295,000 in
1850, and 378,000 in 1856.^57 Of these 23,000 ( 1831 ), 36,000 (1842), and 41,000
(1850) were unofficially reported to be in school-not counting those who
received a simple general education in the first two grades.^58 On completing
their schooling a few more gifted pupils became military topographers, but the
majority were posted straight to a regiment, where they could expect to be pro-
moted fairly swiftly to NCO rank; others became craftsmen, bandsmen, or
medical orderlies.
An impression of what life was like for a cantonist can be gleaned from the
memoirs of D. V. Fedorov, son of a soldier in the Bug Ulans stationed at
Voznesensk in the 1840s. At the age of eight he was seized by two soldiers and
dragged screaming from his home. Taken to another province, he first joined a
gang of boys who ran about in rags and begged or stole their food. Later he
received tuition for several hours each day, the rest of the time (except for two
hours' leisure in the evening) being taken up with drill or physical training. The
curriculum included Russian, religion, history, geography, and arithmetic as
well as specialized military subjects. All except the last were taught
mechanically, with plentiful application of the cane and other familiar aids to
classroom discipline. Notwithstanding this experience the author was one of
the few who managed to rise to officer rank.^59 Soldiers' children did at least
obtain some instruction, unlike those of the great mass of peasants, but it can
scarcely be deemed adequate preparation for command responsibilities.
From the viewpoint of men in the ranks the change that mattered most was
undoubtedly the reduction in their term of service. The first harbinger of this
came in 1827, when those with 22 years to their credit (20 in the guards) were
allowed to apply for discharge; if they chose to stay on they received the
equivalent of six months' pay as a bonus and double pay for the rest of theirterm; and if they served for five more years they qualified for a pension. (^61) l
There was an important qualification: such individuals had to have served
'without fault' (besporochno); and as matters stood a good-conduct badge
" • Rappon ', IT. 369•-71.
'^6 Hail101, Srarisrique miliraire, p. 361.
'^7 Kimerling, 'Soldiers' Children', p. t 14.
'H Haillot, Srarisrique 111i/11aire, p. 32K; Ta11,ki, Tabll!au, p. 318; •on Ha\Ihau,cn, l\rtt'gmwchr
R11sslands, pp. 58-60.
'^9 FeJorov, 'lgrushedrnaya armiya', pp. 160-.1; ano1h.:r pcr,onal a,·,,llllll j, .:11.:J by l'uni"·
R11.1sia11 Army, pp. 240-1.
t.<• II PSL ii. 1315 (22 Aug. 18271; d. i. l09 (.10 Jan. 1826).