The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-09-02 00:00:00

A SKETCH FROM ALEXINATZ.

The following is an extract from the letter of the
Special Correspondent of the Daily News with the
Servian army :

" A LNXINATZ, August 24.

"About sundown yesterday things looked bad enough for
the Servian defence of this place. In five days' fighting the
&miens could not have lost from all causes fewer than
10,000 men. The high street of Alexinatz was one mass of
groaning wounded waiting their turn until the surgeons
could examine their wounds. The hospitals were so many
shamblel General discouragement prevailed. There had
been a stampede from a critical point on the Servian left
&ink above the town of Alextnatz, and more Turkish shells
than ever were coming into the plaoe. Is a symptom of
general evacuation, the field post had orders to withdraw at
a moment's notice, a most cminotui sign. The Servian for-
tunes seemed at their lowest ebb.

"Soon after seven o'clock I was summoned to accompany
the Servian night attack from Vill ayes 17rsal and Pricolvitza,
in the vallty of the left bank of the Morava, upon the
Turkish positions on the heights hounding the valley,
whence cannon had been firing all day, with two repaadrons
of cavalry and two fresh battalions of infantry. Tue enter-
prise was carried out with great spirit. I rode with the
cavalry, and my horse was wounded. The Turkish cannon
had been withdrawn, but the infantry made a strong resist-
ance After lose and heavy fighting we drove them back,
and carried and occupied the heights, where the Servlan
battalions bivouacked. Going back to;Alexinats after the
fight I found the slopes strewn with wounded, who had to
lie there all night untended, for no one was there to carry
them forward. The cries for water were heartrending.
"Daring the first part of the night the artillery fire from
our entrenchments was incessant, but towards morning it
died away. It was renewed later to gall the retreat of the
retiring Turks. They were sullenly and slowly falling back
from every point. One day of cannon tire from the entrench-
ments appeared to have sickened them of the attempt to carry
the lines of Ale !oats by a direct assault. General Tchernaieff,
who throughout has exposed himself recklessly, determined to
strike while the iron was hot. He called up the last reserves,
two fresh brigades from Deligrad. and threw one forward
from his left flank upon the Turks retreating from Pra•
govatz, the other from Ms centre up the right bank of the
Morava. These all day have been harassing the Turkish
retreat, but no longer can the people in Alexinatz hear the
cannon thunder, or start at the near rattle I the musketry
fire.

"It would be premature to believe absolutely that the
Turks have abandoned the enterprise in this direction, but
appearances certainly point towards this conclusion. The
Turks may never know how near they were to suttees; nor
as cue in the Berrien camp is it my place to explain by how
little more perseverance in the offensive, that success would
have been theirs. Rather let me compliment the Servian
artillery and plrt of the Servlan infantry on their valiant
and sustained resistance. It was a terrible strain for the
Servians, for their troops were lighting incessantly for four
days, white the Turks from their superior numbers had
always fresh troops to put in front.
"It is not yet time to speculate on the results of this long-
maintained battle. The Turks may renew the offensive, and
so invalidate any prognostications The Berrians, in the
best view, cannot assume the counter offensive on a large

scale for Some time. They have suffered too severely, ad
require reorganization; but this success has changed the
whole attitude and relations of Servia, and may have impor
tint Influence on her destinies. It is no small thing to have
fulled the main Tarkbh army, bent on success and flushed
with the previous advantages it had gained. I only hope the
S:rvians will be prudent, and not risk too much in over-
estimating their prowess.

" T,..-day there is no heavy flghtine anywhere, and the
absence of noire seems strange. In the meantime all my
friends and acquaintances seem either killed or wounded.
I shudder to ask after an absent man. I know too well the
probable reply. The wounded have nearly all been sent to
Deligrad, where there is no hospital but a great layer of
wounded men in the forest in the epen zdr miserably cared
for. What we now chiefly want hereabouts is nurses. We
hav here only four women nurses, Rd:Wan girls, devoted to
their work, teazles!, skilled, dexterous, and indefatigable. Bat
what are these amid this great multitude of wounded? For the
na,ment there are surgeons enough, but there is hardly any
nursing worthy of the name."