River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-11-23
How War Correspondent Dodgea She'll


A CORRESPONDENT of the London
Daily Telegraph writes from the Turk
ish headquarters on the Moravia, Oct.
10: What long, tedious war it was
up there on the edge of the wood while
we watched with all our eyes for some
sign of Graf Keller sapprOach from out
the hill country on the other side of the
valley to cooperate in the attack which
our column had delivered. and the fate
of which still hung in the balance
DOchtOuroff and Salisbury rode off to
have q look at the battery of HerZberg
on the right, which was maintaining
itself wonderfully. An orderly pro-
duced a handkerchief full of bread
and cheese ard a medicine bottle full
of raki, and this lunch was partaken of
with binoculars still at eyes. But no
Keller came, and the inevitable result
was every minute becoming more appa-
rent. The Turks riSked nothing, but
simply stood still, or lay still and
pounded the Servians had failure and
loss before them if they went forward,
if they went back, if they stood still.
With n stanchness which | confess
surprised me, they stood still, holding
the ground they had taken with q
stubborn reluctance to retire while q
hope remained that supports would
come up. Dochtouroff had some re-
serves at hand but, with no certainty
as to Keller, he dared not commit them,
for they could not enable him to sue
coed, and, if he spent them and the
Turks should take the counter Often
sive wherewith should he cover his
retreat Indeed, the Servian troops
which were committed remained long,
er without falling back than he
thought advisable, and in especial he
regarded the artillery on the bare
brown slopes as displaying a rashness
of self-composure for which no COM
pensatiOn was being gained. | heard
him tell Salisbury to accompany him,
and not knowing whittier he was bound,
| asked permission to go also. 1t turn
ed out that the general was really 60
ing across the shell-swept slopes to
order the guns out to action, fact
which | only discovered when it was
too late to retire from the companion
ship with decency. | do not care to
speak of the shell-fire through which
we rode, and under which we sat on
horseback, while the general COM
manded the retreat of the guns and
then took leisurely view of the stu
alton. But two circumstances occur
red on this side which | must venture
to detail. AS we were riding forward
shell struck and burst about fifty
yards in front of us, and splinter,
pursuing the initial direction of the
parent shell, whiZZed over our heads.
describing parabola, and struck be-
hind us. When shell explodes the
splinters fly centrifugally upward, and
do not extend over a wide area, and
never before knew an instance of q
piece of shell retaining the impulse
and continuing the direction of the
projectile of which it formed part.
called the attention of Gen. Dochtour-
off to the circumstance, and his ex-
perience that it was unique conceded
with mine. The other occurrence is
this. After we had ridden back some
distance, but while still shells were
falling beyond us, diverged from the
road to ascend a sharp little knoll close
by, that | might take a final look at
the aspect of affairs. As | sat on
horseback on the summit, | saw the
white puff of smoke from one of the
guns of the Turkish battery that was
firing the shells which had fallen about.
Some instinct-not quite soldierly
one.I admit,-stirck me that this shell
would fall near, and that might just
as well get into safety by descending
the reverse side of the hillock. The
mental process was q quick one, and
the physical act following thereon was
promptly carried out. | spurred the
little horse down the steep reverse
slope, and just / had descended so
far as | could not see over the summit,
the shell struck and burst, covering
me with fragments of turf. / reas-
cended, to find it had exploded on the
very spot on which my horse had been
standing, and that the explosion had
obliterated his footprints. | have
known men save themselves by throw
sng themselves quickly down when in
the vicinity of an exploding shell. but
/ l never knew an instance of man saw
ing himself by moving his position into
shelter after the actual discharge of
the projectile. | should add that the
range was long one.
-
Suicides.