476 



COSSACKS COS.^E. 



Don, consisting of about 7000 men , in oriler to escnpe 



the punishment of their offences, retired, in 1577, to 

 the liaimi an.l to Perm, and afterwards to the Oby. 

 (>ee Siberia iin>l Stnt^iniiiff'.) They drove out tl:e 

 U'oguls, the Osliacs and tartars, \viio were seltli d 

 tliere. 'J'iieir iinmlM-rs having In-en much reduced 

 l>y these contests with the inlmhiiams. and tiieir 

 ie:ider Inking no longer able to ni;iint::in his con- 

 q-ie-t, they placed themselves under t!ie protection of 

 tile Russian <j vcrnineiit.and ohiaincd assistance. This 

 branch of the ( O-;irks x;ix .viu;v spread over Siberia. 



'Hie strt lulh <if the Cossacks is variously estimat- 

 ed. Aivhciiholz nuikes tile number of warriors 

 7 I 'UNK>; but not half this number in in actual ser- 

 vice, and two-thirds of those are employed only in 

 mestic service, and never enter liurope, so that 

 no many more than 100,000 men are at the disposal 

 of the If nssiaii government, in case of a war in F.u- 

 rope. During tiie seven years' war, the Russian 

 army included but 10.000 Cossacks. According to 

 the regulations of 1 804, two out of three regiments do 

 duty at home, and the third on the frontiers. But 

 they are all liable to be called in!:> the i. eld, and they 

 then receive pay and rations from the emperor. 

 They form, in general (particularly those of the Don, 

 who are the most independent), the irregular fiying 

 cavalry of t!ie Russian army, being-divided into sepa- 

 rate troops. The Cossacks of Liule Russia are more 

 disciplined ; they may almost be called regular troops. 



The Cossacks have no nobility amon^ them. All 

 are equal, and all may, without degrading themselves, 

 alternately command and obey. '1 heir officers are 

 rhusen by them from among themselves, only the 

 commander-iii-chief must be approved by the govern- 

 menr. He cannot be displaced except by its consent. 

 The commanders are always in the pay of the crown, 

 but the common Cossacks receive pay only while 

 they are on duty. Their regiments (putfcs) are from 

 500 to 3'XX) strong, according to the sue of the circle, 

 and are commanded by a chief (hettman, q. v. ; in 

 thi ir language, ataman). The commander of the 

 whole corps is also called hftlman. The officers 

 under the colonel are without rank (with the excep- 

 tion of those of some particular regiments, who have 

 an equal rank with the officers in the army), and, in 

 case of necessity, may be commanded by the inferior 

 officers ot the regular army. Each Cossack is liable 

 to do duty from the age of eighteen to fifty, and is 

 obliged to furnish his own horse, and to be clothed 

 in the Polish or Oriental fashion, although the tex- 

 ture and quality of his garments are left to himself. 

 The annexed cut exhibits the costume of a Cossack 

 of the Black Sea. 



Their principal weapon is a lance from ten to twelve 

 feel in length: they have al-o a sabre, a gun. or 8 

 pair of pistols, as well as \\ bow and arrows. 'I he 

 l;:nces. in riding, are carried upright by means of a 

 strap fastened to the foot, the arm or the pon.mcl of 

 li.e s;:,j,|le. Tho-e who use Itows carry a quiver 

 over ih*' shoulder. The knnta.lni, also, which is :i 

 thick whip of twisted liathrr. serves them tor a 

 weapon against an unarmed enemy, as well as I'm 

 the management of their horses. Though little 

 adapted for regular movements, they are \ery M T- 

 vicesible in attacking baggage, magazines, and in the 

 pursuit of troops scattered in flight. Their Ir 

 are mostly small, and of poor appearance ; but they 

 are tough and well broken, and so swift, that. \ 

 they do not move in compact bodies, and can-) ln,!e 

 or no baggage, they can travel, without much ditL- 

 culty, from fifty to seventy miles a-day, for severa, 

 days in succession. K; ch jnttk has two or more 

 silken banners, usually adorned with images of the 

 saints. The Cossacks fight principally in small 

 bodies, with which they attack the enemy on all 

 sides, but principally on the flanks and in the 

 rear, rushing upon them at full speed, with a dread- 

 ful hurrah, and with levelled lances. If they suc- 

 ceed in breaking through the enemy by a bold at- 

 tack, they drop their lances, which are dragged along 

 by the strap, and, seizing on their sabres and pistols, 

 do great execution. It they meet with opposition, 

 and find it impossible to penetrate, they immediately 

 retreat, hastni to some appointed place, form ;<new, 

 and repeat the attack until the enemy is put to flight 

 when they bring destruction on the scattered forces. 

 In 1570, they built their principal stanitza Mid 

 rendezvous, called Tscherkask, seventy wersts above 

 Azoph, on some islands in the Don, 1283 miles from 

 Petersburg, now containing 2950 houses and 15,000 

 Inhabitants, the seat of the ataman. It may be call- 

 ed the Tartar /'enice, for the houses rest on high 

 wooden piles. ;:nd are connected with each other by 

 small bridges. When the river is high, which is 

 from April to June, the city appears to be floating on 

 the water. Their churches are richly adorned with 

 gold and precious stones. There is a regular theatre 

 here. There are also many private libraries, and a 

 school where French, German, geometry, history, 

 geography, natural philosophy, &c., are taught. A 

 great deal of business is done by the Greeks, Arme- 

 nians, Jews, &c. As the city is rendered unhealthy 

 by the overflowing of the island on which it stands, 

 they have lately built New Tsch rkusk, on an arm 

 of the Don, about four miles from tiie present city, to 

 which all the inhabitants of the old city will remove, 

 so that, perhaps, in 50 years, no vestige of the old 

 town will remain. 



COSSE, CHARLKS DE, more known by the title of 

 marshal de Brissac. was son of Rene Cosse, who was 

 lord of Brissac in Anjou. and chief falconer of France. 

 He served with success in the Neapolitan and Pie-1- 

 montese wars, and distinguished himself as colonel in 

 the battle of IVrpignan, in 1541. The first noble- 

 men of France, ana even the princes, received their 

 military education in his school, while he commanded 

 the French light cavalry. When the emperor Charles 

 V. attempted to besiege Landrecy, in 1543, Brissac 

 repulsed him three times, and united himself, in spite 

 of the superior numbers of the enemy, with Francis 

 I., who lay with his army, near Vitry. This mo- 

 narch folded him in his arms, allowed him to drink 

 out of his cup, and created him a knight of his order. 

 After other great actions, he ro>e to the rank of 

 grand master of artillery of France, and Henry II. 

 1 sent him as ambassador to the emperor, for the pur- 

 I pose of negotiating a peace. Here he proved him- 

 ; self a good diplomatist, and obtained fur his services 



