Evening star., 1877-12-29

osMAN's FoRTIFICATIoNs. RENDERING RE-
TREAT IMPosSiBLE-THE SILENCE AFTER
BATTLE.
From, The London Dday yeps.l
PLEyNA. Monday night, Dec. 10. ls77
The russians knew on Friday night that
Osman Pasha was preparing for sOrtie, and
on their part made every preparation TO re-
ceiye him. The trenches were kept full of
troops day and night, division and regimental
commanders were advised to be on the alert.
and all the posts were doubled and trebled.
i Ihese measures were taken on Friday night
but saturday passed without any movement
being discernible among the Turks. Osman
Paeha had, however, resolved upon final
effort to break the coils that were crushing
him. Sunday passed in the same way The
Russians were anxiously on the watch with
the usual amount OF artillery fire. to which the
Turks have not replied for long time. For
the last three or four days the weather had
been damp and cold, with heavy broken clouds
threatening rain, and about noon on Sunday
the clouds thickened and the dark masses dis
charged themselves in the first snow storm of
the season. By . O'Clock the ground was
quite white, and the appearance of the cOun-
try had completely changed. rode around
the lines between the hours of and from
Grivica, through RadisOyo to BrestOvec on
the LOttcha road. The sky was dark and low
ering but the atmosphere, white with thickly
falling snow, through which could be caugLt
glimpses of Plevna, with many little column
of blue smoke rising over it, telling OF coo <I1g
dinners and giving ii a warm. cosy look, much
unlike that Of beleagured city The hut, 80
the Russian soldiers were soon white, The =
diers themselves going about ioyously. slm
cooking their dinners. others gathered IA
groups, singing at the top of their vol: 4.
welcome apparently to the first snowfall. Per
haps 1t reminded them of their far-3 way
homes. There the snow is long since many
feet deep. Now and then the boom of 4 gun
muffied and indistinct, like low growl. broke
the stiffness as 1t caine through the snow
laden air.
CONCENTRATING ON THE vID.
crossed the ravine at the foot of the Green
Hill, where Sk0beleff has built an excellent
plank bridge, connecting his lines with Zotoif's
and RadisOyO, and proceeded up the little lat
has been constructed. l soon found myself on
the Loftcha road, near BreStOvec. i'm the midst
OF violent gust of snow and wind. II was
now quite dark. The lights of Brestoyec were
barely discernible through the gloom and
had considerable difficulty in finding my way
through the storm and the ObScurity to OZu-
dol, SkObelef's headquarters. Here l found
everybody keenly on the alert A spy had lust
come in with the news that Osman had issued
three days ratiOnS tOthe troops, 80 cartridges.
Il new pair OF sandals to each man. and that to
all appearances the concentration would begin
at once. curious detail which he cited was
that each soldier received q small portion of
oil for keeping his gun in order. At ten o clock
another spy came i'm who reported that OSman
was concentrating near the bridge over the
Nid. The spy had come direct from Pleyna.
and having given this inform alton he diSap-
peared again i'm the darkness A few minutes
later there was telegram stating that from
the other side great many lights were seen
moving about i'm Plevna, an unusual thing.
Evidently there was some movement on foot
and the spies were right.
SKOBELEFF'S ADVANCE.
The night wore slowly away. The snow
storm ceased and was followed by dark clouds
scudding swiftly across the sky. with now and
spy brought news that the men of SkObelef's
command had a position on the side of the
Green Hill, and that the krishina redcNbts
were being abandoned. He was very sure. he
"a nAS tinn SaIn nrrrs siI Il
shortly be abandoned. Would he go along and
lead the way into the kriShina redOubtS at the
risk of being bayOneted il his words should not
prove true? Yes, he would. and orders were
given by SkObelef for the troops to begin to
move cautiously forward and feel their way
with care. This was done. and the positions
We're taken. AT last now it was cer.ain that
the Turks were moving. and that the final de-
ciSive moment had come. SkObeletf ordered
The captured positions to be instantly placed
in a state of defence in case the Turks re-
pulsed and not yet reader to surrender, should
attempt to recapture them. The gray light of
morning came. Ii was cloudy and threatened
more snow. Suddenly there was the booming
of thirty or forty guns speaking almost to-
gether, followed instantly by that steady
crashing roll We have learned TO know so well.
The battle had begun. The giant, after de-
bolt after thunderbolt upon his enemies was
now struggling through the meshes he had al
lowed to be thrown around him, and was i'm
his turn attacking the trenches and earthwOrks
u
lend: We mounted our horses and rode to-
ward the battle. 1t was i'm the direction of the
bridge over the Nid, on the Sofia road, and
half an hours ride brought us i'm sight of the
conflict.
CLOUDS AND FIRE.
terrible and sublime spectacle presented
is wide. open plain, into which the gorge
kading up to Pleyna opens out like funnel.
The plain is bounded on the Plevna side by
steep, rocky bluffs or cliffs along whose foot
flows the Vid From these cliffs, for distance
OF two miles, burst here and there in quick,
irregular succession, angry Spurts of flame
that flashed and disappeared and flashed out
and Russians, which from our point of view
interminged. The smoke, running
round in circle toward the Fid, rose against
I he heavy clouds that hung right up Oh the
horizon, while low on the ground burst forth
continuous balls of flame that rent the black
ness of the clouds like flashes of lightning.
seen angry spits of fire thick as firefiies on
tropical night. Now and then through an ir-
regular curving stream of fire We had indiS-
and fro, horses, cattle, carriages running
across the plain; and above all the internal
crashing roll of the infantry fire and the deep
booming OF more than hundred guns.
COVERED BY THE TRAIN.
This Is what had happened: OSman Pacha
had during the night abandoned all his posi-
tlOns from Grivica to the Green Hill and con-
the greater part of his army across
the Vid, over which he passed on two bridges,
one the old and the other the new one lately
He took part of his artillery,
some three batteries, and train of about five
hundred or six hundred carriages drawn by
bullOcks. He succeeded in getting his army,
the artillery and part of the train @ er by day
break. The Russians say that to have started
with so large train is proof that he was de-
ceived with regard to the number of the Rus
sian forces, and that he believed the Russian
line. owing to the absence OF General GourkO.
was very weak on the Sofia road, and thought
another road along the Nid was virtually Open.
Ii does not seem possible that he could have
been so badly informed, and am inclined to
think that the train was taken to serve a spe-
cial purpose in the fight. Indeed, the first
thing the Russians perceived when daylight
broke was a line of wagons drawn by bulOcks
upon them In close order across the
plain. The smooth open level offered every
facility for such manuyer. The Turks We're
behind these wagons, which. piled full of bag
gage and effects of various kinds, afforded
very fair protection from bullets.
THE GRENADIERS MEET DEATH.
The attack was directed against the POSI-
tiOns held by the grenadiers, north of the Sofia
road, whose lines extended from the road to a
point opposite Opanes, where they were joined
by the ROumanian curying line through Su-
surla. 1t Is said the attack was made with
~, 600 men, but doubt this, as there was real
ly not room for so many to deplOy unless they
had descended from the heights Of Opanes and
taken the ROumanian positions, but have not
heard that they did this. Nor did they even