Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-09-06

Desperate Battle Between the
Turks and Servians.

patches say tIle cIiliic luIhisii ufHly /
the Servian right wing on
Friday. The battle lasted until 3
o'clock at night. The SServians main
tanned their position butthe Turks be-
ing three times more numerous, the |
Servians finally rctreated within their
fortified position at Alexinatz.
LONDON, Sept. "A special to the
Times from Belgrade indicates the
crushing defeat and thorough disor-
ganization of Tchcrnayefls army.
Taking advantage of the good will
toward the English, inspired by the
arrival of an Ambulance corps with
a cash fund of ten thousand pounds,
the correspondent of the Times got
to the front in company with num-
ber OF officers of the Geneva Cross,
and was an eye witness of the most
of the battle near Alexantz on Fri
day. The battle commenced just as
the party reached Alexinatz.
The following are the additional
details of the engagement: The battle
was sustained uninterruptedly eleven
hours and a half on the ground
which the Servians had made the
strongest in all this country. 1t was
decisive encounter, long looked for
ward to, and was wanting in no fea-
ture that could impart horrible
grandeur to the struggle on one side
for supremacy, on the other for ex-
istence. The first shot was fired
| under our eyes just as we had passed
the Rnbo Vista small village of a
1 {xrn nj 4 - e,
side Of Alcxinobc.
1t came from a battery which the
Turks had got into position on the
heights about Kruzc, winch is south
west of Alexinatz and it was follow
ed by others at intervals of half a
| minute or so from the guns of some
battery placed about half mile fur
ther north. The Turks Immediately
appear, beginning their movement to
turn Tchernotts right and cut off the
communication of Alexinatz with
Belgrade. Hazardous as the design
was it succeeded. For some hours
the battle was almost entirely be.
tween the artillery. The valley
through which it was necessary the
Turks should pass, to gain their OBJ.
ject. is guarded by two strong Ser.
vian batteries, against which the
Turks direct the fire Of three of their
batteries.
i The fight continues hours with
no advantage for either side. The
Turks then reinforce their artillery
with three more batteries and ad
vance, the fire becoming tremendous
The Servians make fine struggle
and bring up another battery, but il
spite of all their efforts the Turks
steadily advance. In the mean tim,
the Turkish infantry are busy from
Alexinobe. The Servians infantr,
and cavalry hurry out to meet thei
advance and the storm of battle be
9 gins in earnest. We hear first fusi
2 lade. At eleven forty the Turkisl
infantry dare not show themsclve
1 at the end Of the little dciiles for th,
9 Servians guns are too close but the,
are not far offand if that gallant bat
l terry which is doing such good ser
vice on the hill between two defile
8 can only be silenced the battle will
7 be at once developed.
n The Servian infantry are in tn
I valley North of Little Independent
Hill which commands the cntranc
= to the detiles, and at intervals of
), quarter of an hour sharp volleys fron
. rifles are heard amid the thunder O
9 some dozen batteries. At half pas
3 O'Clock we see dense masses O
8 smoke and sheets of flame rise fron
: : the valley right before us and clos
4 to the Northern defile.
10 The cOnfiagration is tremendous
q The brilliant sunshine is completed
Z overcome by the lurid flames that ris
y high into the heavens and are no,
9 only fringed by dense masses 9
y smoke.
q The more northern of the two VII
"a lagos named Suatua, is on fire. Ser
q Wan troops make a precipitate rctrca
u from it but as yet a good defense
II kept up. The Turks advanc
. under cover of their batteries
Z Z now skirmishing, now with pusl
IS The Servians, though they are fallin
n back, have not yet lost all hear
y Their infanty resist but with sue
u trepidition that the number of Mo
II liggeriers is becoming greater. Th
a battalions are evidently thinning.
"a 1t is now past o'clock, and for
. while the Seryian artillery seems t
u be making ground. The batter
u which has been doing such good sc,
vice on Little Hill has advanced bt
yond 1t, and is hotly firing upon tn
encmy's position, but this is decep,
i've. The Turks do not care about i
h The rattle of their rifles is hear
: more and more to the north at eac
: volley. The artillery fire on bot
= sides has become languid, when all q
: once there is another great fire. TIL
8 village of Great Adranaz is now i
r flames. This village is close to Si
n kowaz. Suotna still burns and til
air is full of flames, and dense masst
9 of smoke and the thunder of canno
! and incessant yolleys of rifles.