The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-08-09
OF THE BATTLE OF
pTEVNA.

JlOIS, Ul0lr lOnS-SUdnQ1uS IdGl0uO l each
other, and their careful prepa1 ations
for the conflict, all pointed to tremen-
dous and bloody struggle. The cross
ing of the Danube in the face Of the
enemy, the dash over the Balkan Noun
tains, and the battle Of Pleyna are only
incidents Of a grand campaign.
When the Russians massed their for
ces on the Danube the Turks could
only guess as to what would be the
| plan Of their campaign. The character
of the country limited the Russian pro-
, gramme to choice Of three or four lines
! of operations, and the Turkish forces
, were held we'll in hand to meet opera
tions OH any line. AS soon as the Rus
slams had secured a firm foothold in
Bulgaria their plan Of campaign was
made plain. Abandoning the plans OF
previous inyasions they now proposed
to hold the Turkish armies at Rustchuk,
Silistria, Schumla, and Verna i'll check
while they hurried a strong army OF
one hundred thousand men over the
Balkans and on to COnstantin0ple.
Thus the finest fighting material Of the
Turkish army, the whole right wing
and center, would be penned up, as it
were, while q powerful Russian army
would strike directly at the Turkish
capital. To operate against this last
named force the Turks would have the
strong arm under Osman Pasha, in and
about Widin, and the veterans Of the
Montenegrin War under Suleiman
! P&sha.
The Russians carried out the initial
movements OF their campaign with
IC0nSumate skill and daShing b0ldneSs.
They swept down through the Deb
jrudscha toward Varna and Schunli,
/ invested nustch;ik and ciliStriA, and
pushed forward trOm SiSt0ya &c Tin
0ya, and then across the Balkans, Sc
curing the important Schipla Pass, To
protect this pass they moved against
and captured NicopOlis. All this time
the Turks, holding the passes east and
west Of SChipka, were concentrating
troops to prevent any further westward
movement Of the Russians and to meet
the force already south of the Balkans.
The eastern passes were deemed Sc
|cure. and Osman Pasha, moving his
army into such position as to use it
Eeither south or north of the mountains,
! rs circumstances might demand, dis
patched troops southwark towards So
fla and eastward toward Nic0polis. He
hoped to prevent the latter place from
falling into the hands Of the Russians,
but failed and turned aside TO do the
next best thing.
Up to this point there had been an
unexampled line Of Russian successes.
They had accomplished q great deal
without much sacrifice and without
any embarrassing delays. They We're
enabled to do this because the Turkish
commanders had to await the deEelop-
ment Of the real plans Of the Russian
campaign. The Turks had to discrim-
mate between feint and real movement.
and to discover the purpose OF the in
vaders before they made counter plans.
To assume shat the Russians would
he able to carry out their magnificent
schemes without serious trouble would
: he to suppose the Turkish generals I'M
: hecilo and inefficient, and the turkish
] soldiers not the good fighting material
! they really are. No one expected they
! Would be allowed q clear field for 3
G..calsd experiment III stratagy ANA lac
ties. but there WAS doubt a. TO where
the Turks would strike the fast serious
blow. AS is often the case iii moment
ou:, events. circumstances largely
determined the hour and place Of this
first collision. Osnan PaSha, moving
to relieve Nicnpolis. met the triumph
ALT column operating OF Nicopolis as
base. In the first engagement the
Russians were victorious. They were
promptly attacked. however, and driy~
I'll from Plevlla. The corps c0mman-
der concentrated his division Tor an at |
tack Oh the Turks, and, after the usual
t0aneuyeys that precede heavy en- !
gagemqnt. discOy ered that the Turks {
were IN force, and were establishing,
Themselves III 81 position that was
threatening to two Russian columns ,
Ills first attack made il certain thai.
he .yas ol!tninnbered but fiie circuln-,
zt1nces NJ hattie coln pcIieG d cUntin1-
ance of the tight. and the end was a
disastrous defeat of one Russian corps
of $4,000 men.
The graphic description OF our spec
ial correspondent on the field with Il
Prince SeiuclE0Skey slows the contest
Was q stubborn une. and thai the defeat |
Cf The Russians WIS inevitable. as Os- !
ltlssA Paslla's enEiEc ARMY was ;trrayed !;
against :he one division. The check to
tie Russians IS moi because Of the loss +,
Of 5000 noi3, D.lt because Oslnan Pasha. |
with $4,000 men, is secure III :, position ]
that makes it. easy for hin To form Il 6
junction will. he Schumls army, ana I
10 proceed to undo al that tie Rus /
.is.ns have done in Bulgaria, q
The real worlf Of the campalg1i has Q
begun. The Turks }lroN What the ;
Russians are t9yingto do, and the Rus
SLAMS knew where the Turks viii make
Tie fight. The Russians know that the 2
Turks have weakened Widin, and al 2
hat p5rtion Of the Danube line above c