The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-09-08
The Battle i'm the Balkans.

| THRILLING DETAILS OF \ FIVE DAYS
FIGHT, WHICH Is STILL PROGRESSING
HEROIC BRAVERY OF THE RUSSIANS
AND DESPERATE vALOE OF THE TURKS.
Gen. Gourka said when he occupied
the Schipka Pass that with ten thouS-
and men he could hold the pass against
the combined Turkish armies, and 1t
seems he was correct. Last Saturday
Suleiman Pasha attacked this strong
position. Cable kilograms from London,
of the 25th, describe the fighting which
followed:
"DoyoN see thatIOng, narrow, crooked
channel, worn through solid rocks by
the swift torrent which, after COmplet-
ing the work ages ago, dWindled away
into petty brook i? DO you see how
the chasm is Widened here and there,
allowing patches of Vendure to obtain
q slender GOOthOld, and even Chamber
up the lower slopes of the rocky wall.
while IL few fir trees stretch their bare
arms helplessly over the cliffs far ab0Ve3
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 up into your
face. Above, below, on either hand are
the Russian intrenchmcnts. The Turks
saw those, and, to do them justice, did
not falter. Up the winding road marched
the solid columns. In the front ranks
were men used to mountain warfare
men who had hunted MOntenegrinS
! through their widest Businesses. Word
was given to charge, and with savage
wells Suleiman's veteran butchers Sprang
to the attack.
t But those black -mouthed guns were
: not there for nothing. They broke
5 forth into one long cry that was echoed
from the valleys to the hilltOps on every
/ side, and were re-echOed from u
: FOREST OF RUSSIAN RIFLES
, that were suddenly thrust over the re
doubts. The Russian fire was so well
l planned and executed that for a few
moments the Turks were beaten back
but gathered themselves, and Chamber
ing over the dead bodies, pushed for
| ward.
e MEN FELL BY THE HUNDREDS,
: and in falling hindered their living com
= rades. Frantic with rage, the Turks
= rushed to their death, for the Russian
/, rit1emen behind the trenches cOOlly
5 moved them down until the road was
!; literally paved with cOrpses. The Mon
/, tenegrin regulars suffered most, but
: not until two battaIions had been cut
\ to pieces did Suleiman order his fayOrlte
It troops to withdraw.
e A council of officers was hekJ,
s THE BLOOD OF THE TURKS WAS ON FIRE
/ and it was determined to take the re-
h doubts at all hazards. The men needed
. no urging forward. Battalion after
+ battalion charged with all the impetuOsi'
l. ty and recklessness for which the Mos
a lens are noted. Time after time they
n were repulsed, with tremendous slaugh
" ter.
+ When darkness set in no less than
le THREE THOUSAND DEAD BODIES
7, were piled up on one another in thu
narrow detile, and the Russians Wer
still unconquered. At daybreak Wed
N nesday morning it was evident, to. tn
ct Russians that the Turks were about t.
e adopt a different style of attack, TO
at hundreds were seen digging aud throw
Il ing up breastwOrks.
70 Previous experience had taught tn
n Turkish commanders that the Russian
~ were dangerous foes. Two batterie
=, were mounted before noon, and frOr
i these y
> SHOT AND SHELL
"a were poured into the Russian defence:
It with considerable effect. At the sam
time corps were at work, busy diggin
zioza O. trenches, through which the me
VI might be able tGn advance under tn
Russian guns, and the latter speedlt
al transfer, red light artillery so as to CON
l, mand the pits, and no serious attac
K, was made, .
n Affairs hegan to assume a serlot
|
in in greatly inferior force and could III
n. endure reg ular siege. Their hope no
e. lay in reinfO rcements. =,
s. The Gattln1g guns of the Turks. TIL
day again asserted thelr, spRerlofll
- over any other cannon, as the Russlal
suffered the loss of several hundrt
men. while th Turks remained qul
al out of reach. Anticipating that Drou
ne Echinsky might be reinforced, Sule!ma
ry hba Thursday morning, renewed MS 4
SD Rect assaults. Fighting was begun.
Is early as o'clock. In the midst OF
terrible cannonade, with desperate cou
MS age, the Turks advanced along q
~ trenches, which gave so little shelt
n that they finally abandoned them al
n dashed acrossed the open ground al
ii. mn to the redoubts. Three times th
in were repulsed, bat the Russians we
IS greatly exhausted and could not no
i out much longer. just as they we
despairing, and ready to yield, ire
battalion of Turks sWarmed up {
field with fierce yells, but were re
ponded to by still louder shouts
1n Radetzky's troops appeared on the otn
n side of the intrenchments, and hurl'
H. themselves upon the fated assallan
y, They were . =.....a.
ed JUST IN TIME.
on An hour later and the Turks would ha
5e:: forced the Russian positions and be
OF masters of the situation at Sblpka "a
ed It was one of the dramatic events OF t
be war. and as such will go down into b
n tory. Our correspondent, who acco
'se panied Radetzky, estimated the lnf
n Ish losses during these three days tgl
eh ing, at six thousand, while the Russia
on lost one thousand, including killed a
wounded. The very latest di6patci
.es indicate that fighting Is still gong on
lat Single men in one respectare fortuna
,e- The annual domestic breakup a
a spring moving doesn't trouble th'
ne much. There are nice apartments
ii single gentlemen on every side. Lar IA
al ladies like single gentlemen. u
he giye5iittle trouble, they do not make
rk sytnuss in their rooms, they are. GO
I'd. All day and only use the room TO sic
: FnHppr2