The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-10-14
tr ondon L ally NowsI


While the battle was raging in front and
TO the right u! me, it ragged with no less fury
round the re3oubts and on the other SIDE
of the Loftcha road, but, MP to the momeht
Of the. second repulse of kriloH, Skobeien
Ia not yet III AIDE his assault. He had well
VI pared the ground, however. AT o'clock
be ad brought down twenty pieces OF ar
tiilery to the spur of the ridge overlooking
Plevna. Not more than "a thousand yards
distant from the redOubt saw -sttf TIA isaeiss
volume of smoke rising and heard terrible
thunder. which was not more than five or
six hundred yards away on my left Skoo,
cleft, risking hs artillery in this advanced
position, was determined to make des
perate effort u capture the redouos IN front
of him.
Ths redoubt Skobeleff " as attacking was
a double dedoubt in the bend of the Loftcha
road down near Pevna. He had advanced
his troops down the slope of the mountain
to within easy range. AS the Turks immo-
iiately opene d fire upon him from the re-
doubt he returned the fire with steadinees
and precision, putting his men under cover
as much as possible, his cannon pouring
steady stream of shell and cam ster into the
redoubt as well. For three honrs he kept
up this FIRE, and just after krilUtf's second
repuse, tie Turkish fire having somewhat
relaxed, dominated by the Russian, he
thought tho moment had come for making
the assault. H had four regiments OF the
Still keeping up his murderous fire, be
formed under its cover two regiments, the
Vladimirski and the ZjoZoiski, in the little
hollow at the foot of the low hill on which
wcosbuilt the redoubt, Together with tive
6attRiiups of efiHrp5huutcrs, Tot more than
twelve hundred yards from the sCarp.
Then, placing himself in the beat position
for watching the result, he ceased fire and
ordered tho advance. He ordered the
assautting party not to FIRE, and they rush
ed forward with their guns upon their
shoulders, with music playing and banners
flying, and disappeared in the fog and
smoke. SkobeleH ia the only General who
places himself nesr enough to feel the pulse
of battle.
The Advancing column was indistinctly
seen, dark mass in the fog and smoke.
Feeling, as it were, every throb of the bat
tie, he saw this line begin to wsver ard
hesitate. Upon the Instant lie hurled for
ward rival detachment to support, and
again watched the result. This new force
carried the mass further on with its mo-
mentum, bat the Turkish redoubt famed
and smoked, and poured forth such tor
rent of bullets that the line was again |
ahaken. SkobeleF stood in this shower of
balls unhurt. All bis Escort were killed or |
wounded, even to the little kirghiE, who |
received bullet in the shoulder. Again |
he cav the line hesitate and waver, and !
he flung his fourth and last regiment, the |
Libausky, GA the glasis. Again this new |
wave carried the preceding ones forward,
until they were almost on the scarp but |
that deadly shaver of bullets poured upon
them men dropped by hundreds, and the |
result still sem aimed doubtful. The lire !
once m&ys Tavered aud hesita!ed. Not u
-ipac>SS- wus to be lost il the Iedouht was
co be carried.
Skobeleff had nov ouly two battslions
of sbarpshooters left, the beat in his de-
rachments. Putting himself at the head ct
these, he doshed forward on horseback.
Ee picked up the strag!eTs; he reached
tie v avering, fiuctuaSipg mass, and gave
it the Inspiration OF his own courage and
instruction. He picked tire whole macs up.
aud carried i: forward with rush and a
cheer. The Whole redouot was mass of
flame and smoke, from which screams,
shouts, aad cries of agony apd defiance
arpse, with the deep nouthed osliowing OF
the cspncn, and, above all, the steady,
awful crash Of that deadly rife fire. Skobs-
LEFT 8 sword was cut in two in the middle.
Then n moment later, when Just on the
point of feapiug the ditch, horse and man
rolled together to the gtourd, the horse
dead or wounded, the rider untouched.
He sprang to his feet with shout, then
With foTmidable, savage Se !, the whole
mass of men siFeamed over The ditch, over
the scarp and countersc 'rp, over the para
pet and swept toto the redoubs like Lur-
Ticape. Their b9yonets made short work
OF the Turks st!ll remaining. Then joy
ous cheer told that the Tedoubt was cap
tnred, and that at last one of the uefencet
of Plevna was in the hands of the Russians
Skoheleff seems to be the only one among
the Russian Generals who has studied tbs
American war with profit. He knows it BY
heart; and it will be seen by those Wit
have studied the great civil war that, ii
this assault, Skobeleff followed the plan o
the American Generals on both sides whe
attempting to carry such positions, to fol
low up the Assaulting column with tres
troops, without waiting for the first coInm
to be repulsed. If the position proves to
strong for tho first column, then reinforce
71ients are at hand before they have tim
20 break and run.
Skobelef had the redonbt. The questio
now was how to hold it. 1t was dominate
by the redoubt of Krishina, on the lief
already spoken of. 1t was exposed at I'll
Plevns side 20 the FIRE of the sharpshoOter
and to the Turkish forces in the wood boz
dering the Sofia road, and open to the hr
of the intrenched camp. There was croI
Ore coming from three different points.
Daylight next morning the Turks open g
Gre from all sides. The distance from ii