Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-08-08


two ago at Nikopolis, has been called
up to the line of the Osman river. Al
aid-de-camp of the Grand Duke Nicholas
was present at the battle, and at once
started for Tirnova with the evil tidings
We are just quitting this bivouac, and
falling back on Bulgareni with all speed,
leaving the Bulgarian villages to the
tender mercies OF the Turks.
s'As close learn that on our left
General Spobeloff was very severely
handled, having lost three hundred men
out Of his single infantry battalion"
THE RUSSIAN RETREAT.
The Daily News's correspondent with
Prince Schackosky's force, telegraphing
from Simnltza under date of August l..
gives an account of the retreat. He
says the road from Paredin to Bulgareni
was numbered with broken and retreat
ing troops wholly destitute of order,
officers without soldiers, soldiers with
out officers, without cohesion, and
mostly without arms.
AT the narrow bridge near Buloareni
there was wild confusion and COM
plete block. Tumbrils, ambulance
wagons. provision wagons, officers
caleches, led horses and carts filed with
wounded, all were jammed in indescnb-
able chaos. There had been wound d
all along the road, but the bulk Of the
wounded began little way beyond Bull
gareni and extended in unbroken line
for seven miles along the road to Sis
toria. They were mostly carried in OK
carts; severer cases in ambulances, and
larger numbers tramped on foot.
Immense numbers of wounded have
tramped the whole way from the battle
field, and were already entering Sistova
at 6 O'Clock yesterday evening. They
must have walked forty miles in twenty
four hours, wounded as they WERE
Nearly all these wounded, however,
consisted of men who had somehow
managed to walk out of the battle. The
bad cases were mostly left where they
fell.
The staff officer, with whose estimate
l am inclined to agree, thinks the whole
force lost between 5000 and 1000 men
| in killed and wounded. A brigade of
the 32d division has suffered most heavi-
ly. Besides the terrible loss of men it
sacrificed the imperial banner of one of
its regiments. The whole of the 3Oth
division has been smitten very sorely.
All Of the three brigades of Prince
Schackosky's command are for time in
a state of disorganizatien. A News
dispatch from Alexandria says it is re-
ported, and generally believed, that
5000 more Egyptian troops are going
to Constantinople.
THE RUSSIANS SOUTH OF THE
BALKANS.
LONDON, August 4.-The Standards
Bella dispatch says: "Bashi Bazouks
have appeared near Sistova. They are
thought, however, to be a mere de-
tachment, not indicating the presence
ofany Turkish force. Kazanlik is to
be abandoned"
Gen. Gourko is to be recalled and
Gen. Mirsky to be summoned hither
from Gabrova. Everything on the 9th
er side Of the Balkans will in fact be
relinquished except the actual pass.
SITUATION OF THE CoMBATANTs,
LONDON, August 5.-The first move
ment of the Russians towards carving
out that plan of the campaign hereto
fore toreshadOwed as the one likely to
be selected, has resulted in the disaster
OF Plevna. The purpose of the Russian
generals obviously was to wheel around
their right and left wings to line
PARALLEL with the Balkans, taking
Trnova as a pivot, and thus force Os-
man Pasha and Mehmet Ali back
across the mountains on their respec-
tive lines of retreat. This accomplish
ed and Osman Pasha and Mehmet Ali
prevented from effecting a junction by
the forces under Gen. Gourko, which
were meanwhile to establish themselves
south Of the Balkans, the Russian cam
paign would have been beyond danger
of failure or serious interruption.
The promenade across the Danube
and to and over the Balkans, while the
Turks remain idle in their camps and
fortresses was perhaps sufficient to
justify the idea Of the Russians that
they had only to advance to insure that
the Turks should retreat. 1t was this
feeling which led the Russians into the
fatal ambush ofPlevna fortnight ago.
and which on Tuesday sent an inferior
force to avenge that disaster on victo-
rious army in fortified position. The
result is that all is chaos again as far as
our knowledge of the situation is cons
cerned, and the dispatches from the
front are full pannicky or exaggerated
rumors dictated by hopes and fears of
either side, but the salient fact is I'M
questioned that the Russians have been
checked and their campaign cannot
make any progress until they have
shaken of Mehmet Ali and Osman
Pasha from their TANKS and, mean
while, Gruko's task south Of Balkans
is rendered more and more serious daily
by the concentration and organization
Of Suleiman Pasha's' forces.
The Roumanian railway Is monopo-
lized by the dispatch Of reinforcements
from the camp ofreserves at Kischenef.
1t is alleged that the Dobrudscha will
be almost wholly evacuated and Zim-
merman's corps will return via Sistova
to the central army. The Car has de-
creed fresh levies at home, all of which
means that military promenade has
been turned into an affair Of life or
death for the Russians, and that the
Turks will be crushed if there is power
in Russia to crush them.
THE TURKISH PROGRAMME.
The Turkish plan is believed to be for
Osman Pasha to fight his way east
ward, and Mehmet Ali to advance west
ward upon Tirnova, while Sulieman
Pasha endeavors to force the Russian
position at Kazanlik, but in doing this
Osman Pasha must expose his left flank
to the risk of being turned from the d.
rection Of NIkapolis, thus facilitating
the Russian plan Of pivoting on Tirno-
va, and forcing him to retire behind the
Balkans. Mehmet Ali would incur the
same danger from the Russians between
Rustchuck and Rasgrad, while Sulieman
Pasha must attack the Russians in posi-
tons of their own choice.
The supposed Turkish plan does not
look very promising unless the Russians
aid it by mistakes like those at Plevna,
but it may with skilful handling serve to
keep the Russians IN check until cam
paigning season is over, which would
be for the Turks the next thing to abso-