Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-04-14
An Inter esting Letter from the Scat Of War
What Ia going on at Kalafat

KALArAT, March ID.
After long interval Of quiet, the Russians on
| the morning Of the 9th ult. came down on the
village Of Tschapertsn with two squadrons OF
cavalry and two guns. | have aiready alluded 10
| the exposed position Of the Turkish troops quar-
tered here, aud expressed my belief that th'y
will ono day or other be cut off aud destroyed
| The men themselves seem 10 share IN this opin-
ion for they no sooner find ia yidettes driven IN
than they retreat on Kalafat, aud hardly consid-
themselves safe till they are under the cover OF
the guns. On this OCCASION also four sqnndrons
evacuated the place before half their own number
of the enemy, they being in Ignorance a TO the
amount of support the latter might have had IN
their rear They were even fired upon IN their
retreai and one or two wounded, and three bashl
buzuks belonging To troop which brought up
the rear. were made prisoners. Tn the hrst a.
larm towards the detached fort ! rode outside IN
the direction of Tsehnpertsln, aud found the en-
trenchmcnt, which extends north westward from
the battery manned by body Of Arnauts, their
eolors flying, kettle drums beating, and Their
long guns glittering in the sun, which, combined
with their picturesque costume-huge white pet
tieoats and embroidered stockings-forned We
ry gay scene. They serve as irregular infantry
and behind entertainments capital soldiers,
and are generally well armed, much better than
the bashi buzuk cavalry. In the glen in the rear
of the fort lay few companies OF regular infant
ter behind the hilloeks and bitches from the BIZ
ting north oast wind. From the parapot OF the
fort ON the hill top, there wide view OF the
plnin, Tschnpertsn and Poana in the distance,
and the Russian cavalry returning towards the
latter at n trot. 1t clear nothing further was
about to be attempted, aud accordingly, "A quarter
Of an hour later he troops returned to their quar-
tiers.
The affair seems to have caused the nhabi-
mt uaGfI ..Io i'm IN 10 mi IN
quit their homes, and seek refuge on the other
side of the Danube. For some time past they
have been subjected to frequent and harassing
alarms, have had their houses occupied by the
! arks, and now by the Rassians, and knew not
the hour when bloody conflict might take place
at their doors. During the last two days nearly
two hundred families have passed through Kala-
fat, across the bridge of boats and into the Is
land, to wait there for boats to transport them to
Widdin. They carry with them all their house
hold goods, packed in bullock carts-pots, pans,
bedding, Indian eorn gourds, in one huge he
terogcnoous mass. They have formed an en-
campmcnt close to the bank of the river, and are
waiting patiently for passage, which am sor-
~ to add, fear they will not get in haste, as all
the boats available IN this quarter are in constant
requisition, for the carriage Of wood and forage
and tho conveyance Of the sick to tho hospit-
ais
paid n vsitto the spot on my why to Wddin
both yesterday and the day before, and must say
II would be hard To witness more ptlable eXen-
plifieation of the horrors of this wal; brought
upon peaceful Europe by the accursed ambition
of the Muscovite despot. Exposed without cloak,
covering, or any other means of warmth, beyond
scraps of shcopskin, and in the majority of cases
not even thnt-to the biting blasts of IA wind, to
which we dare hurdly present our noses above
muiilers-wcre groups of women, many of them
with infants at their breasts and young children,
erouching on the bare ground, To the leeward of
the bullock wagons, shlyering at every joint, and
gazing with n vacant air of despairng suffering
at the rude but vigorous efforts of the men to
erect some temporary means OF shelter.
Many of the young girls and nearly all tho
children are extremely handsome. Some of the
former would excite "a sensation in many "A
London drawing room, if only their hnir had come
more frequently in contact with the comb, and
their iaCes with soap and water. Their regular
features, and glowing dark eyes, betray their
Roman origin, even if the evidence were unsup-
ported by the harmonious flow of their language.
Their pctucoats, not very long even when attir-
ed IN grdHdc teHue, arc, when in their everyday
dress, as short Ms the most enthusiastic admirer
of fine limbs could desire in many instances not
rcnehing below the knee, the remainder of the
leg being cased i'll long WOODEN stockings, which
not being remarkably well gnrtered, hardly ever
iail 10 fall down about the ankle and to reveal it
in state of unadomed nature, bronzed or REDEEM
cd by sun and wind Tho remainder of the cos
tnme consists of short gown of cotton, or
some similarly light fabric, surmounted by n
sheepskin jacket the couture, a handkerchief
wrapped carlessy or gracefully, according to
the temperament of the wcarer, round the head
Like all the women of the east and south, how
ever, their beauty, like the roses, blooms early
and dies quickly. They are marriageable at
titeen--withcred and wrinkled at thirty.
Towards evening ON the first day of their ar
rival in the island they had managed to screen
themselves from the wind by forming tents of
their bod-clothes, or erecting barriers of reeds or
cred side When passed that way yesterday
each family had settled itself down with a great
er or less degree of mitigation in their misery,
and space measuring, perhaps 200 or 300 yards
square, presonteda very fair picture of a gipsey
camp on large seale-children screaming, dogs
barking, the women scolding and shouting with
shrlll sharp voices, and the men cutting bush
wood or thrashing the bullocks into ocomotion
and over all II cloud of smoke floating away on the
wind towards the rude homes on the further shore
which, III all probability they will never more
| behold. To-day the snow is falling rapidly, and
| the wind was high ever, and believe they are
still IN the same state, as the necessities of the
army at ka'afat prevent the Paeha, let him be
| ever SO well disposed from sending boats to
| transport them 10 the Turkish side, inasmuch as
the occupation of all the villages by the Rus
SLAMS oblges the Turks to draw all their forage
and provisions from Widdn
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