The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-06-02
The Seat of WAR,

The Seat of WAR.
There is much Interesting Information respect
ing some OF the principal towns in the region OF
the present war in the following extract from an
article which we take from the New York Fri.
buue:
"Sstra is the weakest OF all the great Turkish
lortrcsses, commanded within comfortable dis
mounting and preaching range by heights which
have not, that aware, been fortified since
the last war But this same Sstria, which fell
1910 after four days attack sustained in 1928
20 two bockades of ten months duration, and held
out thirty five days after the opening of regular
siege, and nine days after the completion of
practical e breach in the main wall. A fortress
which has undergone such varying iares, may we'll
be said to be beyond any reasoning to lis
strength and deicnsibilty.
But supposng Sstra 10 be carried by storm
by an overwhelming superiority Of force, it by no
means follows that the road TO ConstanilnoPle Is
clear for them. In order TO advance on Shumla
and Narna, they must leave at least 6,OOO men
behind at Siistra, which would then have to serve
them as brJgc-head for another and more conve-
nienlly situated bridge. Shumla they could hardly
attack; Tor even II they took this famous mlrencned
camP, they would s!mply deprive the enemy OF
it good position without cunning one for themselves.
ShumIa shuts against the Russians the passage of
The Balkan, but if taken it does hot open that
passage 10 them.
The Importance OF Shum!a CONSISTS in tue fact
That Narnu Is the key To the Lower Balkan, and
Shumla is the key VarGa. Whatever may be
The defects of the Notifications OF Farna-and they
are muny-If fully garrisoned it requires siege
corps OF 20 900 10 80, 600 men and unless there
remain troops enough, after deducting tLese, 10
cover The siege against any saIlies from The IN
trCnched camp OF ShumIa, where the Turks Can
concentrate ali their forces, the siege cannot be
| % nod IN successfully btlid omit n 800
three weeks after TWO practicable breaches had
been made IN its ramparts, and that at time
when The Russian feet commanded the Black Sea,
and the Turks had hardly the shadow of an army
! TO attempt an attack upon the bcsIeSers. Now,
! supposing SlIistria taken, the various and very
difficult river lines before Varna and Shumla
forced and Varna bockaded, is there chance
that enough Russian troops would remain to neu-
tralize Shumla For the Turks at Shumla could
act not only against the besegers OF Varna, but
in the direction CT the Danube, and at least OF
the lines Of Communication of the Russians, SO as
10 force them to detach more and more troops from
their main body, which ultimately might be weaG-
cned To dangerous extent.
And if Varna should fall, what would Paskie-
witch do if Omer Pdsha suIIenIy remained in his
stronghold of Shumla, ready to profit by the very
first mistake the Russians made. Would he dare
TO push toward CnnstantiuopIe with but single
would be hemmcd in and mcnaced by the Shumla
army side, and by the allied fleets in the
Black sea on the other? Not he, indeed, IC we are
to Judge from his exploits in Asia and Poland
lie is an almost ovcrcautious general. sort OF
military sIow-coach, with nothing of the Radetzky
in him. And il he had he would find that manopn-
vre extremely hazardous for he knows very we'll
what plight his predecessor Diebitch in
when he arrived, in 1929, at AdrianoplP. Thus
even without taking into account The AngI French
troops landing in Thracc, and making no more Of
the allied fees than what they have justified US
H. namely, supposng they will do n3Xt to nothing,
we find that 1t is not such easy thing for the
Russians 10 march straight ahead to ConstannO-
pie with banners displayed and bands playing
That against Turkey unaded they were uIti-
mately To get there enc ever denied except
those new-inn gled military writer's who form their
judgment not from facts, bat from a conviction
that fright against might" is necessarily victorious,
and that in i good cause" no blunders can posi-
bly, be committed.
We may add thar the British forces III the Baltic
have done even less far than those in the Black
Sea.