The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-08-09
The Conflict in the East.
DEFEAT OF THE RUSS ANS AT p1EvSA

\ A,
LONDON, Aug. 3.-The Daily Nesos' cor.
i respondent sends from Pored.l, near Pley-
ma, a graphic account of Tuesdays battle,
the substantial facts OF which are as tele-
graphed to the United States yesterday.
The following closing scenes give vi, ID
idea OF the extent of the Russian disaster.
1t will be noticed that the correspondent is
with Prince Schackoskoy's command, and
DOES not purport to give any account of the
condition or losses OF Gen. Krudener's corps:
And now all hope of success any where
was dead; nor did chance offer TO make the
bet OF defeat. Prince Schackeskoy had not
man left to cover the retreat. The Turks
struck without s-'nt. They had the upper
hand for once, and were determined to show
that they knew how to make the most of it.
They advanced in swarms through the dusk
on their original first position, and captured
the Russian cannons before the batteries
could be withdrawn. Turkish shells began
once more to whistle over the ridge above
Padishova and fall into the y.llage behind,
now crammed with wounded. The streams
OF wounded vending their painful way over
the ridge were incessant. The badly wound
ed mostly lay where they fell. Later, in the
darkness, a baleful sort of krankentgaegeg'
swarmed over the battlefield in the shape of
Bashi-Bazouks, who spared not. Lingering
there on the ridge till the moon rose, the
staff could hear from below on the still night
air cries OF pain and entreaties for mercy and
the yells of bloodthirsty fanatical triumph.
1t was, indeed, an hour to wiring the stern
est heart. We stayed there to learn. s. it
might be, what troops were coming out of
the valley OF the shadow of death'' below,
were there indeed any at all to come. 1t
did not seem TO be the case. The Turks had
our range before dark, and we could watch
the flash Of flame over against us, and then
listen to the scream of the shell as it tore by
us. The sound of rife bullets was inces-
SAINT, and the escort and retreating wounded
were struck. A detachment at length began
TO come struggling up, but it will give an
idea OF the Reorganization to say that when
company was told off to cover somewhat
the wounded in Radishova, it had to be made
uD OF men of several regiments. About 8
Q clock the ste f quilted the ridge, leaving it
Uttered with groaning men, and moving
gently, lest we should tread on he pros.. tie
wounded, we lost on. way as we lost our
army. We could find no rest for the soIes
OF our feet by reason of alarms of Bashi-Ba-
zonks swarming in among the scattered and
retiring Russians. At length, at O'Clock in
the morning, having been IN the saddle since
0 clock on the previous morning, We turned
1900
reaped grain, correspondent and Cossack
9 Ike rested under the stars. But we were
not even then allowed to rest. Before 4
o clock an alarm came that the Bashi- Ba-
zouks were upon us, and we had to rorse
and tramp away. The only protection of
the Chief OF what in the morning was fine
army was now a handful of Weal ed Co.'S
sacks. Gen. K-udener sent word ~ the
morning that he lad lost severely and could
make no Roadway, and had resolved to fa,l
back on the Inc of the River Osma. There
mad been talk, his troops being f.esh, of re-
newlng the attack day with his co opera
zion, out it is plain statement of TACT tfet
we nave no troops to attack with. The most
moderate estimate is that we have lost two
regiments, say 5000 men, out of our three
Dflgades: "A CHASTITY number, beating Ey;au
or Frlediand. This takes no account of
Gen. Krudener's losses. We, too. retire on
the Osma River about Bulgareni, and to the
pest OF our weak strength cover the bridge
al olstova. One cannot, in this moment Of
hurried confusion, realize the possible r.
suits OF this stroke SO rasbly courted. Not
Russian soldier stands between Tirnova and
Lne victorious IT,! 'sh army in Loveca and
Ilevna, and only a weak division of the
Eleventh Corps stands between Tirnova and
the Shumla Army. look on Prince Setback
oskoy's force as wiecked-as no longer for
this campaign to be counted as a fighting in
teger. 1t is not 10 days since the Thlrtieth |
Division crossed the Danube in the pride of |
superb condition; now, what of it is left is |
and shattered. So on this side |
d the Balkans there remains but the Ninth |
Corps, already roughly handled, once at Nj |
kopolis and once at Plevna, one division of |
Ihe Eleventh Corps, and the Rrstchuk A-my. |
Now, it the Rustchuk Army is marched to |
me west against Plevna, then the Turk .sh |
Army OF Rustchuk is let loose on the Rus
'lan communications to T;rnova. One can
not avoid the conclusion that the advance
over the Balkans is seriously compromised.
ne RUSSIAN strait is so bad that the scat
ered attachments have been called up from
,ut OF Roumania and the Roumanian di,:
lion commanded by Gen. Manu-, which
crossed day or two ago at Nikopolis, has
,een called up to the line of the Osma River.
An ald-de-camp OF the Grand Duke Nicholas
vas present at the BATTLE and at once start
~ for Tirnova with the evil tiGings. We
re just quitting this bivouac, and falling
Jack on Bulgareni with all speed, leaving
ne Bulgarian villages to the tender mercics
u the Turks. AS close, learn that on our
eft Gen. Skobeleff was very severely han
lied, having lost 800 men out OF rs single
nfantry battalion.
n 81 e. =:
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