San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1877-12-29
Plevna Fallen.

defense, Plevna has fallen into the hands
of the Gear, and the starving army OF
Osman Pasha has surrendered to the far
more powerful army by which it was
encompassed.
The doom of Plevna has for some
time been inevitable. Osman Pasha's
army was unable of itself to raise the
siege. When first shut up its strength
was about 10000, while the besieging
force was twice as strong. The Turkish
force has been terribly weakened during
these months by famine and disease,
while the Russian army has constantly
been receiving re-enforcements, and has
had an abundance of all kinds of sup
plies. One of the ablest of modern mil
itary engineers, Gen. Todleben, had
command of the besieging host, and no
skill or audacity on the part of any COM
mander inside of Plevna had chance
of coping with the power that Todleben
welded against it. The only hope of
relief for the garrison of Plevna lay in
the movements of the armies that op
Grated outside of it, under Suleiman
Pasha and Mehemet Ali. But, in
every attempt to advance toward the
Russian lines, these armies found them
selves confronted by superior bodies of
the invaders, and for some months past
Suleiman Pasha's efforts have been
feeble and useless, while Mehemet Ali,
doubtless feeling aggrieved over his
treatment by the Sultan, has done little
more than call for re-enforcements and
complain of his inability to make any
movement until he got them. .
When the Russians laid siege to
Plevna, they anticipated its capture by a
coup de force. Their first heavy attack,
last July, was brilliantly repulsed by
the Turks and so COMPOUNDED were the
Russians by the staggering blow they
received, that it took them six weeks to
recover from it. In September, they
made more desperate attack with q
much larger force; but again they were
driven back, and so immense was the
slaughter that all further attempts of
the kind were given up. Todleben
was then put in charge Of the siege, and
heproceeded to make close and regular
Investment of Plevna, with the object
of reducing it in that way. For three
months the Investment had been COM
plete. Prior to that time supplies had
been sent to Osman Pasha from the re-
gion between Sophia and Widdin; but
neither food nor munitions has he had
since then. On one occasion he made
an attempt to force passage, but failed,
and on another occasion large supply
train was captured by the Russians as it
approached Plevna. After this there
was nothing for him to do but hold out
for the relief that he expected from
Suleiman Pasha and Mehemet Ali; but,
as this never reached him, and as he had
at last to give up all hope of it, and as
his army was rapidly perishing by hun
ger, cold, and disease, he made a final
desperate attempt on Sunday last to
break the Russian lines in the direction
of Widdin. The enemy knew, he would
have to come to this; they fell on him,
front, flank, and rear; and, before the
close of the day, his famished army,
which had probably dwindled to one
half its original strength, was compelled
to surrender.
This is, in reality, the first important
Russian victory in a war which has last
ed for nine months. 1t has been cost
" victory to the invaders, whose losses
in the various operations of the year are
reported at nearly one hundred
men.
There is no noubt that the Car will
now seek to enter into negotiations with
the Sultan to secure peace. He will try
10 show the Sultan that the continuance
Of hostilities must result in further dis
isters to his empire. The terms which
he Gar has been willing to offer, I'M
Ter the circumstances that have now
,een brought about, have recently been
published; but they are such as the Sui
an can not accept, and he must strug-
lie against them until the Russians win
ar greater victories than that of Plev-
la. The Russo-Turkish war now en-
ers upon a stage in which If Is full of
LANCER to the peace of EuroPe.-Ne,c
FORK sun.