The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-07

their shoulders, with music playing and
banners flying, and disappeared in the
fog and smoke. Skobeleff is the only
general who places himself near enough
to feel the pulse Of q battle. Al 10 81. 4 ..
The advancing column was indistinctly
seen, a dark mass in the fog and smoke.
Feeling, as it were, every throb of the
battle, he saw this line begin. to wayer
and hesitate. i Upon the instant he hurl-
ed forward q rival regiment to support,
and again watcheGA the result This new
force carried the mass further on with
its momentum, but the Turkish redoubt
famed and smoked, and poured forth
such torrent Of bullets that the line
was again shaken. Skobeleff stood in
this shower of balls unhurt. ALI his
escort were killed or wounded, even to
the little Kirghiz, who received bullet
in the shoulder Again he saw the line
hesitate and waVer, and he dnng his
fourth and last regiment, the Lbausky,
on the glacis. Again this new wave car. g. !.
ried the preceding ones forward, until
they were almost on the scarp but that
deadly shower Of bullets. poured Upon
them men dropped by hundred, and
the result still remained doubtful The
line once more wavered and hesitated.
Not a moment was to be lost, If the re-
doubt was to be carried. Il .peu,n ,,r,;,
Skobeleff had now only two battalions
Of sharpshooters left, the best in his de.
tachments. Putting himself at the head
of these, he dashed forward on horse
back. He picked up the stragglers; he
reached the wavering, auatuating mass,
and gave it the inspiration 'of his own
courage and instruction. He picked the
whole mass up, and carried it forward
with rush and cheer. The whole re!
doubt was a mass Of fame, and smoke,
from which screams, shouts, and cries OF
agony and defiance arose, with the deep
mouthed believing Of the cannon, and;
above all, the steady, awful crash Of that
deadly rifle fire. 'Skobelef''s sword was
cut in two in the middle. Then q mo-,
ment latter, when just on the point OF
leapipg the ditch, horse and man rolled
together to the ground, the horse dead
or wounded, the rider untouched. 'n He
sprang to his feet with q shout, then
with formidable, savage yell, the whole
mass of men streamed over the ditch,
over the scarp and counterscarp, over
the parapet, and swept into the redonbt
like a hurricane. Their bayonets made
short work of the Turks still remaining.
Then joyous cheer told that the re-
doubt was captured, and that at last one
of the defenses of Plevna was in the
hands of the Russians. -7..:..- ....
Skobeleff seemed to be the only one
among the Russian generals who has
studied the American war with profit.
He knows it by heart and it will be
seen by those who have studied the great
civil war that, in this assault, Skobeleff
followed the plan of the American gen.
erals on both sides when attempting to
carry such positions, to follow up the
assaulting column with fresh troops,
without waiting for the first column to
be repulsed. If the position proves too
strong for the first column, then REIN
forcements are at hand before they have
time to break anG run. .t.'.' '-.r:...
At sunrise the Turks began an attack
upon the captured redoubt, and the
storm of battle again ragged with fury
here, while all was quiet everywhere
else The desperate attacks Of the Turks
were repulsed. Another attack was made,
another repulse; and this continued all
day long until the Turks had attacked
and been beaten five successive times.
The Russian losses we're becoming fear
ful. General Skobeleff had lost, he
thinks, 1000 men in attacking the re.
doubt BY the afternoon he had lost
5000 more in holding it, while his bat
talions shriveled up and shrank away as
If by magic. One battalion OF sharp
shooters had been reduced to 160 men.
A company which had been $50 was now
forty. An immense proportion Of
officers were killed.. Only one COM
mander of a regiment is alive; scarcely
a head OF battalion is left Two officers
of the staff are killed, one Of them was
Verastchagin, brother OF the great
artist. Another brother was wounded.
Gen. Dobrovolsky, commander Of shsrp1
Shooters, was killed. One officer WAS
blown to pieces by the explosion of a
caisson. Capt Kurapatkin, chief OF the
staff, standing beside this officer. had
his hair singed, and suffered severe
confusion. Only Gen. Skobeleff himself
remained untouched. he seems to bear
charmed life. he visited the redoubt
three or four times during the day, en-
couraging the soldiers, telling them help
would soon arrive; Plevna would soon
be taken; victory would soon crown their
efforts; telling them it was the final, de-
disive blow struck for their country; for
the honor and glory of the Russian arms;
and they always replied with the same
cheery shouts, while their numbers were
dwindling away by hundreds. he again
and again sent for reinforcements,
and again informed the commander-in-
chief that the position was untenable.
The afternoon wore away, and no rein
forcements came. Gen. Levitsky. as [
have been informed, formally refused
reinforcements either because he thought
the position, in spite Of Gen. Skobeleff's
representations, was tenable, or because
he had no reinforcements to give. Gen.
Kriloff, on his own responsibility, sent
the remnant Of q regiment which had
attacked the redoubt, which saw rush
forward and then back through that In
dian cornfeld. OF the $500 there were
barely 1000 left, 30 it was utterly in.
capable of going into action that day;
and even this regiment arrived too late.
Gen. Skobeleff had left the redoubt at
four o'clock to 60 to his tent on woody
hill opposite. He had been there scarcely
an hour when he was informed that the
Turks were again attacking the right
flank ON the Lovcha road, Immediately
above Plevna. he galloped forward to
see, and was met by an orderly with the
news that the Turks were also attacking
theredoubtfor the sixth time. He dashed
forward toward the redoubt in hopes OF
reaching it in time, but was met by Q
stream of his own men flying back.
They were exhausted by forty-eight
hours incessant fighting, and were worn
out, hungry, and dying Of thirst and
fatigue. Owing t2 the, Inactivity Of the
Russians during the day, the Turks had
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