Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-06-29
THE BATTLE OF ABRAHAM.
Il. WBITMORE,
Publisher and proprietor

She'll Raining on the Devoted Town
HOW the Russian BiOFmlng Par
" Carried the FOrIs-A Turkfsh
Bull Ran.
Correspondence Sunday Mercury.l
ST. PETERSBURG, June 9.-Let-
ters from Tifis give a graphic sketch
of the Russian victory at Ardahan.
On the first day of the attack the
capture of an outer fort was only
regarded as a preliminary success.
The bOmbardment of the other
forts began at daylight the next
morning, the storming party being
all the time kept in readiness to be-
gin the assault whenever the bom-
bardlnent should have made suf-
licient number Of breaches in the
Turkish stronghold. After two
hours the same guns that had been
pouring their fiery contents into the
Ardahan forts began to pay their
compliments to the city proper. The
Russian batteries, placed along the
adjoining hills, formed a semicircle
around the beleaguered city. Be-
hind these batteries stood the in
fantry, out of sight of the enemy.
Shot and shell were being poured
into the streets of Ardahan, when
the Russian commander, as if over
come with awe at the havoc he was
creating, ordered the firing to cease,
and demanded the surrender of the
city without further bloodshed.
The Turks, however, asked for con-
ditions that could not be granted.
Once more the fearful lombard
ment began, this time directed sim
ultaneously on the forts and on the
city. With sharp field glass one
could see already the piles Of corpses
continually accumulating inside the
forts, but the Turks, with an OBJ
stinacy which almost appeared Su-
perhuman, answered shot for shot.
Only one fort remained silent.
Brave as were the Turks, their
shells, however, did little damage;
most Of their shot did not even
reach the Russian batteries.
Slowly, however, as incessant
Russian firing commenced to
tell fearfully on the beleaguered
city, the enemy's fire grew fainter
and fainter. At once the order
was given to the storming columns
to get ready for action. 1t was al
ready 6 o'clock in the evening and
only two hours were left before
dark, but the commander, Louis
Melikoff, did not hesitate minute.
The signal for the assault was
given. The right wing of the
stcrming column under General
Heymann consisted of two battal-
ions of infantry and one company
of sappers. Heymann rode at the
head Of his column, The maneu-
YER was brilliant sight seldom
witnessed in border warfare, For
ward they rushed through ravines
and valleys en- echelon. Through
another ravine, but leading to the
same point, two regiments rushed
forward at the double quick. The
batteries followed the left wing of
the column. Two regiments from
Tihis rushed forward, each against
fort. All the battalions moved
along in the form of a chain, the
rear covered by deep body of
cavalry. AS the storming columns
came in sight of the enemy a terri
BILE fire OF shot and shell came from
the Turkish ranks. 1t was appa-
rent, however, that their fire,
though heavy, was aimless entire
salvos of artillery flew over the
heads of the Russian infantry with
out doing the least damage, and
ten thousand cartridges were fired
off without hurting a soul, so bad
was the Turkish firing. Slowly
but steadily the Russians now
moved forward, not having fired IA
single shot for nearly half an hour,
Notwithstanding the terrible fire
directed against them by the enc
my. The moment they came
within proper range, however, they
aimed low and fired deliberately
This GOODNESS at once stamped the
Lnrnnt1lL ~ q n..nnnnn MnA = rtA...l