Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-06-02
THE MILITARY SITUATION I'm THE
EAST.

All is quiet 50 far on the Danube
except the sinking of another Turk
ish gunboat which seems to demon
strate that, in a contest between tor
pedoes and gunboats, the former
have the advantage.
In the Trans-caucasian country
the proceedings are more active, at
our last accounts the Russians had
taken Arabian, the attack on which
had been employing their centre
column, and the centre has advanced
upon Olti on the direct route to
Erzeroum-the conjectures of mill
tary correspondents are that stimuli
taneous attack is to be made on
both wings of the Turkish army at
Erzeroum, one by the Russian left
from Bayazid, the other by its right
wing from some point near the
Black sea. 1t is also stated that the
Turks are fortifiying a point to the
rear of Erzeroum showing a pur-
pose of retreating from that import
ant position.
These are the statements and con-
lectures of correspondents, who de
rive their information from Russian
sources. On the other hand from
Turkish sources we are informedt that
Arabian has been recaptured by the
Turks, that the Caucasian passes in
the rear of the Russians are all oc-
cupied by the Turkish army and
that Circassians, Tartars and other
tribes in the rear and left flank OF
the Russian army are in revolt.
To us the Russian army seems in
a very hazardous position. The
farther they advance into that very
difficult country the more difficult
to secure their communications
they leave Batoum and Kars, pow
erful fortresses in their rear and
must have detached large forces to
mask them, under all these circum-
stances it seems safer for the Turks
to retreat than for Russians to adj
vance; to the Russians a single re-
verse would be fatal and necessitate
a surrender of the whole army or 8
disastrous retreat through very
, difficult country occupied by hostile
forces, which would be tantamOunt
TO a vertual destruction of that army
On the other hand the Turkish
army could sustain reverse after re
verse without serious danger, as
their line of retreat is through {
f friendly country occupied with theil
) Notifications and well supplied by
the magazines at Trebizond anC
Sinope on the Black sea, which il
their base of supplies.
J The mode of attack at ErzerOun
suggested above seems a very haz
ardOus one-the idea seems to be tt
: deplete the centre of the Russian
: army for the purpose of strengthen
: ing the two wings, which are to ad
= vance on the two TANKS of thu
, Turks from widely distant stations
: separated by impracticable noun
, tain ranges. If there is a Napoleon
: or a StOnewall Jackson at Erzeroun
| this mode of attack would seem t.
: furnish an opportunity to him which
, he would embrace with eager
: ness, that of attacking the tive
: wings successfully in detail will
superior forces and thus at once in
fiicting irremediable disaster. Blu
we shall see-in the difiulty of get
ting reliable accounts it is best to b.
: prepared for any event-all we con
J tend for at present is that, taking the
, facts ao we can set them, tile Rus
sian success is by no means the fore
gone conclusion, which journals like
the New York Herald would repre-
sent it.