24 Days of Martin – Day 13: Sleighs

Martin was listening to Christmas carols on the radio.  Two of his many favorites were “Jingle Bells” and “Sleigh Ride” because they were fun to sing along with and had neat sound effects.  Martin hummed along with “Go Tell It on the Mountain” while he played army with the Nutcrackers.  He found the potted tree made the perfect army base, and the branches were excellent look-out spots.  While humming and playing, Martin’s mind wandered to the songs he had just finished singing: “Jingle Bells” and “Sleigh Ride”. He knew from his research on Christmas Carols that “Jingle Bells” had been written in the Victorian Era in 1857, and “Sleigh Ride” was from 1950, the golden age of Christmas carols.  What he didn’t know much about were sleighs.  He knew from the song “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town that sleighs carried Santa.   He had also read about Santa and his sleigh in “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.  He wondered if sleighs would be good to move soldiers.   The song on the radio ended and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” began.  As Martin began singing along, he forgot all about the sleigh for his soldiers.

That night at dinner, while setting the table, Martin removed the Christmas candy dish to make more room for plates and drinks.  As he was setting it on the counter, he noticed it was a sleigh.  He remembered his thoughts about sleighs earlier in the day.

“Dad”, Martin asked while setting plates on the table.  “Do you think a sleigh would be a good carrier for soldiers?”.

“Well they are open topped and have no sides.  As a personnel carrier, they would work fine.  Safety on the other hand is going to be an issue.”, replied Dad.  “Why are you asking?”.

“I was playing with the nutcracker soldiers this afternoon and wondered if it would work.  You know like the songs:  ‘Sleigh bells ring are you listening…’ and ‘Dashing thru the snow, in a one horse open sleigh’.  Those songs got me thinking; if sleighs could carry people they would make good solider carriers.  And since sleighs carry Santa and all those presents, they must be safe!”, explained Martin.

Dad turned to walk out of the kitchen.  “Well, we still have a few minutes before dinner.  Let’s go into the library and see what the books say.”

“I’ll be there in a minute”, said Martin.  “I still have to put the silverware out on the table.”

“Great! I’ll see you in there.”, and Dad continued to the library.

FIVE MINUTES LATER

Martin walked into the library and Dad had already pulled some books along with the “S” encyclopedia, flipped open to “sleigh”.  He had a few books flipped  open and was using his finger to speed read down the pages.

“Guess what!?” Dad was very excited about whatever he had found.

“What?”, Martin wondered.

“There is a famous military campaign that took place in Prussia in 1678 & 1679.  It was only three months long – but guess what it was called!”

Martin shook his head and shrugged his shoulders to show he didn’t know while murmuring “I don’t know.  What?”.

“‘THE GREAT SLEIGH DRIVE’!” Dad was so giddy from finding this he was yelling.

“OH WOW!”, Martin chimed in.  “Wait a minute… did you say Prussia???”

“Yes, Prussia.  Why?  Wait – is this Germany  – again?!?!  You know Prussia wasn’t exactly Germany.”

“I know”, argued Martin, “but Prussia was the largest German state and unified Germany in 1871.  Why does Germany have to be in EVERYTHING related to Christmas??”, Martin whined.

“What is it with you and Germany and Christmas traditions?”, mused Dad.  “On one hand it’s hilarious and on the other hand it’s, well, weird.”

“At least it’s the kind of weird that matches everything else in this house.” snorted Martin.  “And I don’t know – it just bugs me that the German culture dominates so much of Christmas.  No other countries really get a chance to share their traditions.” he grumped.

“Fair enough.”, laughed Dad.  “Now – lets see what else we can find out about sleighs and see if they will work for your soldiers.”

He picked up the military book he was skimming.  “Let’s see.  Sleighs and sleds, which are a smaller version of sleighs, were used by the Soviet Army in WWII as transportation, evacuations, and even combat raids!”  Dad ran his finger further down the page, “And in WWI, the French Army used sled dogs in the Vosges mountains.  The book doesn’t explicitly say what the French used the sleds for, but I’m sure transportation and evacuations would be safe to assume.”  Turning the page and continuing to skim, “While not sleighs or sleds, skis have been used for over 800 years in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Poland as transportation, for recon excursions and for combat missions.”  As Dad reached the end of the chapter he continued summarizing what he was reading.  “Seems sleighs and sleds have been essential as military transport in winter conditions forever.  They were easy to load with supplies, ammunition, and other equipment when roads were too bad for normal vehicles.  It also seems the modern US military still uses “Ahkio sleds” in Alaska today for similar reasons.”

Martin had sat down in the big comfy chair and was listening attentively, “I bet they just used their own soldiers as armed patrol and watchmen while using the sleighs and sleds.”

“I’m sure they did.” agreed Dad.  “Remember, sleighs, very elaborate sleighs, were used by the Royalty.  Kings and Queens needs protection and safeguards just as much, if not more, than supplies.”.  Dad picked up a different book on the table.  Martin could see it had something to do with Russian Royalty.

“Let me skim this chapter about Catherine the Great’s coronation sleigh….  Her coronation was in Sept of 1762.  Here are some highlights from this passage on the sleigh’s comforts and build:

Catherine the Great’s coronation sleigh: A “palace on runners!” with:

• Vozok Sleigh: Closed winter sled used by royalty, bishops, and nobles
• Salon, library, AND bedroom
• Heated by porcelain stoves (warm!)
• Six windows
• Wide enough for 8 people to walk abreast
• Her procession included 19,000 horses, 14 large sleighs, and 184 smaller ones
• Made the journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (for coronation) in just 13 days”

Dad stopped reading for a moment; he seemed to be thinking about something.  “Martin, that trip takes 7 hours TODAY by CAR!”  To do that by sleigh in 13 days- that’s unbelievable!  Here – let me read you the next part:

“Safety Features:

• Enclosed bodies (like carriages) protected from wind and cold
• Small windows to reduce heat loss
• Furnaces/stoves inside to keep warm
• Heavy construction for stability
• Multiple horses for power and control
• Luxurious padding and cushions for comfort
• Covered in furs for warmth

Well, that must have been a most excellent way to travel!!”, exclaimed Dad.  Picking up the encyclopedia, he continued:

“There were military escorts and person guards.  Often there were bodyguards seated inside along with an attendant for protection with footmen seated on the rear step outside of the sleigh.   Only used well-known paths were used and isolated areas or paths they were unsure of were avoided.  Messengers and Signal Men would be ahead and behind on the paths communicating anything suspicious.  Some sleighs were reinforced to protect against attacks.”

“OOOO – like bullet proof glass the President  uses!”, cried Martin.

“Exactly like that!” said Dad.  He continued on about sleighs: Disguises and decoys were used to misled attackers; friends, family, allied nobles, and local lords would provide additional protection and security as the sleighs passed through their lands.  The processions also had designated safe houses, safe routes, and plans of escape in case of attack.  It wasn’t just the escorts and guards and planning.  The horses used were selected for strength, speed, ice handling, and ability to work under pressure.   Speed was essential as the horses could outrun wolves, highwaymen, rivals, and the curious.  And finally, they rode in large processions with many guards and escorts.  Their large numbers would make them a difficult target for bandits or small parties trying to attack them.”

Martin, nodding his head in approval to the safety precautions taken, “Those are great safety factors.  This means my soldiers could definitely use sleighs as transport vehicles.  Now I know why Santa rides in one!”.

Martin’s tummy grumbled loudly.  “Whoa!”, Martin grinned.  “I guess it’s time to get to dinner.”

“I agree.” smiled Dad as he placed the books neatly back on their shelves. “I’m hungry too!”.

As they walked back to the kitchen, they continued talking military strategies and best uses for sleigh soldier transports.

They sat down as Mom put their drinks on the table.  “You two sure sounded exited in there.  What were you researching?”

Martin pulled his chair up to the table and placed his napkin in his lap as he told his Mom.  “Strategic military uses of sleighs for soldier transport.”

Mom looked at Dad.  He was nodding enthusiastically.

Mom sighed, rolled her eyes, and grinned.  “Well, at least you two had fun.”

“We sure did.”, they both exclaimed at the same time.
“And,” Martin smirked, “Santa is 100% in his sleigh!  No need to worry about ambushes or take-over plots.”

“That’s great sweetie,” said Mom nodding slowly.  “Time to eat!”

Since they were all hungry, dinner was quiet while everyone ate.