The status of Jews in the army needs to be clarified.  The Cantonist
system was officially ended in 1871.  Afterward Jews were subjected to
the same military service as others.  Although many Jews in the service
had to hear efforts to convert them, a remarkable percent, including
those who remained in Finland as Jews, managed to resist.  My own
relative appears as a Jew living in Viipuri--now Vyborg.  These were
specifically Jewish veterans. My ancestor was listed as sgt.   Many
Cantonists thrived in the army and remained loyal Jews, including the
highest ranking Jew, a Sargent Major--the highest ranking non-com
position.  In the Jewish cemetery of Tsarskoe Selo is the grave of a
Jew, a Cantonist, awarded the Cross of St. George for heroism in battle.
The Jewish language press in Russia--Hebrew, Yiddish, or Russian, often
published the reminiscences of Jewish veterans.  Joseph Trumpeldor, a
hero of the first Yeshuv, had lost an arm in Russian service, and said
he would gladly give another arm for the tsar.    Alexander I had
excused the Jews from the draft, because he considered them weak and
untrainable.  Nicholas I was a martinet who thought that everyone, even
the Jews, could be made into soldiers.  In the US, UK, or France the
view of Alexander I would be abhorrent to Jews.  The problem was that
the rabbinate resisted the draft because dietary and other religious
laws would not be observed.  They facilitated draft evasion and the
community failed to meet its quota.  [while this was going on, keep in
mind that 60% of Russians were serfs, whose owners easily met the quota
by sending their property to the army like it or not.]  As a result,
Russia instituted the Kahal method, and it was the Kahal--the Jewish
community leaders, who were responsible for meeting the quota.

I realize that many Jewishgenners will be horrified by this contrarian
view, but remember that views are shaped by the opinions of ancestors
who left Russia.   Тhe 6 million Jews who were still in Russia in 1900
were proud of their sons' service, as shown by the many family photos of
young men in uniform.

Jules Levin