The true northerner., 1877-08-31
SCHIPKA PASS.
The Terrible struggle for Its Possession
A Battle In the Heart of the balkan
Mountains - Desperate Fighting and
FrightfuI Carnage.

Mountains = Desperate Fighting An
Frightful Carnage.
(war Cor. Chicago Tribune.l
For five days the Balkans have re
echoed an almost continuous roar of can
nonade, and smoke wreaths are still
twining around the jagged peaks ant
crags that line the Schipka pass. Th'
whole of the strange story of the battle
IN the heart of the mountains will nevel
be told, for eye-witnesses were few, anC
the officers and soldiers of the line wer,
alike too deeply interested in maintain
ing their own positions to take note o.
the general progress of the fight and in
cidents which would give color to any
subsequent narrative. Latest dispatches
from your correspondent give a more
vivid account of the successive engage
ments than we have yet had. When
Gourka re-entered Schipka pass, after
the famous raid almost TO Adrianople, he
occupied a number of intrenchments
originally constructed by the Turks, but
abandoned by them soon after the Rus
slams penetratedi into Roumelia. Theser re-
doubts OF earth and loose stone are situated
each side of a narrow river bed which
formed road, and are placed at adyant-
ageous points for distance of two or
three miles. 1t was these which Gourka
referred to in Bucharest when he said
they could be held against the combined
Turkish armies by 10000 men. The
great General himself, as is known, left
mis- command to take charge of the I'm
perial Guard, now being mobilized in
Russia. Gems Drouschinsky and Leuch-
tengers were placed in joint command
until Radetschky should arrive with re-
Inducements. After fortifying the pass
with such guns as they had, seven in
number, after a long march the Russians
lay upon their arms and waited for the
attack, which they momentarily expected
from Suleiman Pasha. The latter, how
ever, instead of following them immedi-
ately up, sent around large force
through Hainkoi pass to attack them
from the north, while he, with twenty
battalions, was to fall upon them stimuli
taneously from the south; but he miscal-
culated, and found himself opposed by
the Russians not far from Kezanlik,
while Salih Pasha encountered part of
the Thirteenth corps near Gobrova.
On Tuesday morning Suleiman had
advanced as far as the first line of re-
doubts in the pass, having gradually
beaten back the Russian outposts after n
series of shirmishes. Then the real
battle began.
Do you see that long, narrow, crooked
channel worn through solid rocks by the
swift torrent, which, after completing
its work ages ago, dwindled away into a
petty brook? Do you see how the
chasm is widened here and there, allow
ing patches of verdure to obtain slender
foothold, and even Chamber up the lower
slopes of the rocky wall, while few fir
trees stretch their bare arms helplessly
over the cliffs far above? Look closer,
and among the dark green frs you will
see still darker objects, which gradually
resolve into black mouths of cannon.
Gaze ahead of you at that ugly heap of
debris just where the road turns, and you
will see, as did the Turks, rows of the
same black mouths gaping straight
into your face. Above, below, on
either hand, are Russian intrenchments.
The Turks saw these, and, to do
them justice, did not falter. Up the
winding road marshed the solid columns.
In the front ranks were men used to
mountain warfare-men who had hunted
Montenegrins through their widest fast
nesses. Word was given to charge, and,
with savage yells, Suleiman's veteran
butchers sprung to the attack, but those
black-mouthed guns were not there for
nothing. They broke forth in one long
cry that was echoed from batteries on
the hill-tops on every side, and re-echoed
from the forest of Russian rifles that
were suddenly thrust over the redoubts.
The Russian fire was so well planned
and executed that for few moments
the Turks were beaten back, but gath
cred themselves, and, clambering over
the dead bodies, pressed forward. Men
fell by hundreds, and, In falling, him
dered their living comrades. Frantic
with rage, the Turks rushed to their
death, for the Russian rifemen behind
the trenches coolly moved them down
until the road was literally paved with
corpses.
The Montenegrin regulars suffered
most, but not until two battalions had
been cut to pieces did Suleiman order his
favorite troops to withdraw. A council
of officers was held. The blood of the
Turks was on fire. and it was determined
to take the redoubts at all hazards. The
men needed no urging forward. Battalion
after battalion charged with all the i'm
petuosity and recklessness for which the
Moslems are noted. Time after time
they were repulsed with tremendous
slaughter. When darkness set in, no
less than 5000 dead bodies were piled
upon one another in the narrow detile,
and the Russians were still unconquered.
At daybreak on Wednesday morning
it was evident to the Russians that the
Turks were about to adopt another style
of attack, for hundreds OF men were seen
digging and throwing up breastworks.
The experience of the previous day bad
taught the Turkish commander that the
Russians were dangerous foes. Two
batteries were mounted before noon, and
from these shot and shell were poured
into the Russian defenses with consider
able effect. At the same time corps
of workers were busy digging zigzag
trenches through which the men might
be able to advance under the Russian
guns, but the latter speedily transferred
their light artillery SO as to command
the pits, and no serious attack was made.