The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-08-03
LIFE.
AND sERVIANS IN BATTLE.

| Vienna Correspondence Of the London Timesl
Colonel Lescjanin, of the Servia J
army, had received, on the LIST of July,
orders to make diversion in the direc-
ton of Widdin, with the object of mask
ing the advance of Tchernayef. Os-
man Pasha had got information of this
| through his spies, and telegraphed for
reinforcements to Hastshuts, whence
about 5000 men were sent, increasing
thus the forces about Widden to 50, coo
men. Lescjanin, appraised of this, re-
presented the danger of his taking the
offensive against forces so much sd
periOr to his own He received the Or
der to advance, nevertheless.
AccordiI gly at noon on the Cd instant
the Serbs passed the frontier near the
village of Boicka The Turkish out
posts, firing their rifles, fled. The Ser
Wan cavalry pursued, but the horses,
not being accustomed to fire, SHE'D and
many ran away into the Turkish lines,
where they We're taken; the riders being
cut down. Then began the advance of
the Sarvian main force; a squadron of
the Fourth Cavalry Regiment TimoIz
WAS at the head of it; then came the
''Scared Legion composed of three
battalions of infantry and three COM
panies of riHemen, all volunteers from
Bulgaria, Hungary, etc; and after it the
Brigade Krania, while the other two
militia brigades, the whole artillery, and
three squadrons of cavalry remained as
reserves in the earthworks thrown up
about Saitschar.
Osman Pasha came on in two columns,
one by IAior and the other by Vasac.
When the Servians saw all Of a sudden
the Turks in such force before them
great confusion ensued. Lescjaniu gave
orders to form in line to receive the
Turks, but such was the confusion that
before they were ready the Roumelian
rifemen were at them with the bayonet
and broke through thc lines of the Sacr-
ed Legion, which ran in all directions,
the Turkish cavalry following them and
making fearful havoc among them and
giving no quarter until Osman Pa
sha came up and stayed the massacre,
giving orders to collect the prisoners.
The fugitive Sacred Legion found re-
fuge behind the Brigade Kraina, but the
latter could not resist the shock of the
Turkish cavalry, which rushed wildly in
to the infantry, and the whole brigade
would have been probably destroyed had
Ger in the Austrian army, succeeded iii
forming his battalion, the Seventy third,
in squares, and, favored by the ensuing
darkness, protected the retreat. The
SerYians lost 600 killed and wounded,
three colors, all the Sacred Legion, and
a mountain gun. At dawn next morn
ing Osman Ps.sha had passed the from
tier and formed his forces at 4, 900 PAGES
| from the Servian earthworks and 7 900
PAGES from the town of Saitschar. The
Rcumelian rifle battalions il front, Os-
| man Pasha advanced to attack.
At the same time the thirty six Krupp
guns opened fire. The Servian artil-
lery replied, but proved far inferior
both as regards the guns and the shoot
ing. In vain Lescianin made an at
tempt to take the Turkish guns. He
was repulsed with great loss. The Turk
ish artillery then advanced to within
600 yards, and the infantry, taking adj
vanced nearer and nearer. At 800 yards
distance they were sent on to storm the
earthworks, but decimated at that long
distance by the Servian rifles and eX-
hausted by the forced marches, they
could not carry them. In the meantime
O Turkish detachment, taking advantage
of the winding of the river, and protect
ed by the thick willowbushes came upon
the flank of the Servian position, so that
there was the danger of the Turks gett-
ing into the town behind, and thus cult
ing off the retreat Of the troops in the
earthworks The order was therefore
given to retreat. It was made in toler-
rabIe order, until the Roumelian rife
men, for The fourth time that day, came
on with fixed bay8nets.
The fanking columns OF the Turks
did great execution, aiming above all at
the artillery horses, the consequence OF
which was that seven guns could not
be got away. They were spiked, and
fell into the hand of the Turks, together
with the colors of the Cavalry Regiment
Timok. The looses of the Servians in
the two days amounted TO ZOO Or 2, 800
men, and it is thought that the Turks,
who made repeated attacks on the earth
works, must have lost somewhat more.