New Orleans Republican., 1877-05-05
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EIcIGL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
|LrIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS.
n WAR OF RUSSIA AND
TURKEY.
E MILITARY SITUATION


dResl New York Tribune of April 26, and
~ at I'd the clearest view of the situation
next American paper has yet given:
May the outbreak Of hostilities the two
at sPI les we're about 450 miles apart. The
the sian army was massed near the north
sr., ern frontier of Roumania, in the vi
NJ; ~ of Kischeneff, town on the rail-
on a' between Odessa and Jassy. The
bid kish troops were stationed at various
The nts along the line of the Danube from
sA' metz to Silistria. Between the armies
the territory of Roumania, with its
ST9 way system. Roumania is nominally
bid ssal of the Porte, but in reality the
Fth BE Of Russia. Late in March stores and
rday nunition were sent by the Russians
y3P Roumanin, destined for Kahul and
y6P yrod, and the Russian and Roumanian
bid, yav lines were connected SO that roll
ny " stock could easily be concentrated at
ek. ". The distance between Kischenef
nat at Jassy is about eighty miles On Mon
day about 1900 Russian troops were
iaEi sferred by railway to Jassy. Within
lencs. nty-four hours the Russians occupied
AZ, Brailow and Bucharest, the capi-
Ky bf RoumaDia. The distance by rail-
y at / between Jassy and Galatz is about
~, miles; thence the railway continues
ew st. bucharest, distance of 140 miles; and
es and nee to Giurgevo, forty miles further,
rday the Danube; and thence through Bull
by 10 ID to Varna, on the Black sea. A
vsP eG'Pa hch runs from Bucharest to Chernetz
Ii bid he Austrian frontier. A small force
~ Fins ~, Cossacks is reported to have gone in
turdsv direction to take possession of this
,y ~ u NJ hch. The Russians have thus made
BY Pl mselves masters of the Roumanian
bio Way system, and can mass their forces
tbe Hee ~ er at Chernez or Giurgevo. The dis
to-, see ee between Galatz and Kalarash on
IN tnYH " Danube is about ninety miles over q
bove roi n road. There is a tolerable road be-
eeoDd en- Bucharest and 0ltenitza, where the
lied spI bube is about 500. yards wide. At
ate tf rgevo the width of the river is three
Assist rters of a mile. The natural crossing
D. bes are at Giurgevo, Oltenitzs and
POSTING arash, and of the three Giurgevo is the
nay important. Instead of storming the
N. resses on the south bank of the Dan
,p,v-,k the Russian army may make long
ef Qual bur by rail to ChernetZ, far away to
ntoniO vest, and turn the flank of the Turk
XII XII ~ forces. It is more probable, however,
oop On the Russians will remain on the di-
and and pl road to Constantinople. The Dan
es in n is wide and swift river, scross which
ment i'll not be easy to throw bridge Of
Nv OV' 10y. rs; but inasmuch as the line of defense
or ASS long the assailants will have on the
ay, orl le q great advantage The Turkish
aGW
army can be massed quietly and
TRANS led in overwhelming force against the
n, the nders ct a single point. 1t is not
rsiIWaJ bable that the Danube will be an in
ntoniO srable barrier to the advance Of the
5S 1so 0H HS slams.
The first line of the Turkish defense Is,
IN NJ kever, quite formidable. The southern
On the is for the most part high, while the
Brown manian is low and swampy. The
I'll ha hflIe
ana, to y of them are fortified, while the Rou-
ion on ian side is desolate. The Turkish
reiectk is mistress of the waters, and the lit
Bunboats, each carrying heavy gun,
afed ovf have their own way upon the Danube,
giving ss the Russians can drive them away
cong eS1G torpedoes, large numbers Of which
on app been stored along the Roumanian
ne e. qua With these gunboats and monitors
issour. khe watch it will be difficult for the
propOsa sian army to concentrate without
i6eP upS Rping notice, and, moreover, the num-
ALEX. Of crossing places is limited, owing to
sI.tI@ fact that there are very few roads in
Vt sA alia over which an army can march.
RrRRNAHbne of the three points named above
La, La, AS i enitza, GiurgeYo and Kalarash), or
= ore ON or Nikopolis, crossing must be
Dg STOW e because the only available roads TO
Olo Z M ~ South lead from those towns. Silis-
to 1872 opposite Kalarash, is strongly iorti-
.r,,o,o, being protected by eleven forts or
10 S4S pubts, which are either closed or ef-
Noa, lually fanked by one aaolLer. All
stapt e works are armed with heavy Krupp
1XES Of the best pattern. Rustchuk and
din are also strong fortresses. If the
arr NJ ans effect crossing they will either
M N0 to besiege these fortresseS or mask
ng rate with large bodies of men and push
zee: bard the main army. In that event
Turks would withdraw to their second
paid u Of defense in the Balkan range.
maid nm bis is the main defense of Central
kkey-a great rampant which the Rus
ha th5r hi will have to scale before they can
Adrianople and Constantinople.
DENIS 30 mountains are 5000 feet high at the
HARM efn extremity, and 1000 feet high al
EKs' see. The distance from the Danube
TIES Rss he top of the passes is about fifty OF
O. 90 Chi miles, across q rough and broken
NJ nIS sry; and the declivities of the noun
yards themselves ore clothed with forests.
h, onth q climate is very cold and bleak. There
III be II sight passes through the hills, the
NJ, l;,,o n.y. ones being the most easterly one on
ujrsd al N eoast road and the Iron Cate on the
the ay1 from Iionova to Slivno. Between
'arsntT entSTsS Balkan range and the Danube there
any az two formidable fortresses- -Shumla
ton e e yarna-one of which commands ali
Captain ipads from Rustchuk and Silistria tc
antinople, and the other the coast
DAM from Dobrudsha and the lower
DAN abe. The Russian troops would bS
-~,~~>- eed to the fire of the Turkish gun
Ban land monitors on the coast road and
nla is the strongest fortress in Centra
9. Sscal AL lsy. The hills which encircle it are
tsment steep and are clothed with impene-
,esaible underbrush, and every height is
Sll SF fhSS PS gthened by Notifications 1t is thu
Bsag important point in the defensive
Sl'NAA' ID Of Turkey; Widdin, Silistria ant
q rank next in strategic importance
ad-the Balkan range is an undulatiht
fTy slopipg toward the Sea Of Mar
5T1TUA From Adriahople a railroad run
srssr.., onstantinople, 8 distance of sevent,
Within q few miles of the Bos
Rsi ms there is q range of hills which viii
third line of defense if the Turk
sscopa xiss aEtyen from the river and the noun
IA Vice
easuref' hile it SCENE probable that the Rus
aas. shs: will make direct attack across III
John Q. abe between Giurgevo and Kalarash
% %9hri,ti1ss "a hen fight their way over the noun
n ri. !. H BsJ to Adrianople and the Bosphorus
David u may make flank movement, cross
sits. EIHa IL, -