Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-09-23

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his escape:
"Ihe Russian officers had seen Scha-
myl, surrounded by his Inurids. in the
thickes. Of the fight, and knew he mus,
be there. After while, intelligence was
received that he and two or three of his |
murids were concealed in a cave excavat-
ed in face of the cliff overlooking The |
koissa, permitting of access only by
ladder, which they had drawn after them.
A considerable body Of men, horse and
foot. Vas Immediately sci to watch the
mouth Of the cave, whence, on the first
dark night, ihs guard observed small
raft OF pIanks being very carefully low
cred by rope into the Koissa a murid
followed, who, after appearing 10 look
carefully in all directions, made signal:
then followed another, and at last came
third in the white garb of Schamyl. The
raft was cut adrirt, and the whole party
dashed down tho stream of the kois'a.
in an instant the Russians, who had care
fully wa ched the whole proceedings,
rushed upon them. The infantry fired
from the bank, and the Cossack cavalry
waded aud swan their horses into the
Koissa. The Ii. le crew of the raft, u(,er
defending itself with tenacity was soon
cut and shot down, but VIII the Russians
examined the corpSes. Schamyl was not
there. While every ones attention had
been drawn from the cave, he rad low
cred himself by the rope. and swimming
the Kossa, had plunged into The forests
Of tie opposite hank. The devotion of
his murids had saved the life and cause of
the prophet"
1900 dead lay in the ruins Of AkhuIgo,
and 600 prisoners, mostly wounded, were
taken by the Russians. Schamyl's great
heart was oppressed, and from his retreat
in the forests he offered submission 10 the
Russians. But the Muscnvi,e general
debating terms which Schamyl refu.ed to
concede, the negotiations were broken of,
and price of 200 ducats was offered by
the invaders for his head. But the defeat
of Akhulgo, instead of proving the ami.
hlulion of Schamyl's power, only served
to consolidate il. The blood-rela,ons of
every one Of the 1900 men who had been
slain there, pledged themselves to wage
undying war upon their des,royers. For
law resembling the Corsican Vendetta
prevails in Circassa, and the deah of n
blood relation by violence Immediately
rouses the vegenco of the entire tribe,
who will be satisfied with nothing shor,
Of the life Of his destroyer. Thus the
war OF the Caucasus, besides being q war
for native land, became war for revenge.
and blood-feu1 sprang up between ev-
cry tribe of the Caucasus who had lost a
relative, and the Russian foe.
Schamyl found he could not bea' the
Russians in battle. in the open field, nol
even behind fortified walls, so he changed
his tactics for time, and began the long
guerrilla war which has proved so fatal tc
the Russians. By sudden and unexpect
ed attacks in unlooked-ior places, by ter
rble razzieas and murderous dropping
fie from the unerling Circassian rifles
tho invaders were harassed and slain.-
Scarcely valley among the Circassar
hills but was iattened by the Russian
corses. To pursue The agile mountain
eers wus impossible, they climbed the
hill sides like goats but often their mos
destructive assaults were unseen, from
behind rocks and trees, and from the
mouths of caverns overhanging the marct
of the foe. Schamyl never resisted the
entrance of the Russians into the Cir
cassian passes. They went on amid si
lence-not sign of liIe, days passed, the
gorges became narrower and darker; ther
droppiug shots from invisible enemies pick
off the Russian officers. The fire grows
hotter, in the rear, in the van, and along
the entire line of march. TO charge the
mountains up the hills is impossible. -
But at some inviting point body of Cir
cassians, led by a murid, dashes wildly
down against the advancing Russian col
umn. There is heavy fire, brief anl
blsody struggle, in which Muscovites ane
mountaineers bite the dus, in numbers
the skirmish is over then, but is again ant
again repeated at other points on the line
of march; and if the Russians emcrg,
from the gorge, it is discouraged and har
raised, with large proportion of thei
force left dead along the defile to feed tn,
wolves which have hovered along thei
path.
Thus dsciplning his forces, Schamy
was at length able to meet The Russian
armies in the open field, and in 1912, h,
inflicted a terrible defeat on Gen. Grabbe
at Dargo, in which 1000 Russians and
thirty>slx officers where slain, thus terri
bly, avenging Schamyl's defeat at Akhul
go. After Grabbe, who .was recalled
came Prince Woronzow with ano,her.grea
Russian force but Schamyl fell upon then
amid tho dense beach.forset of Ichkeria
and moved down their columns. Wher
the Russian army came in sight of Dargo
which was the object of the march, 10
it was in Aamss-Shamyl had fred it,
| The Russian proyisions ran short, ant
they sent out q strong forgaing force
Schamyl allowed them to 60, out on theil
return hs fell upon the Russians with
tremendous fury their columns were utter