Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-08-16
Marching On.


NEAR MEDJIDIE.- We received
orders to move forward at noon,
and in less than an hour the whole
army was in motion. had been
quartered with three Russians, and
they, like myself, had forwarded
their horses by land from Matchin,
and had received no news from
them. The paymaster's wagon
was also somewhere on the way.
We lost no time in securing three
OK carts for the money chests and
baggage, slowed everything as Sc
curely as possible, and with a
guard of a dozen CosSacks started
forward in an easterly direction.
From the slowness of our cattle
the main train soon left us behind
with fifty other wagons, escorted
by a company OF Cossacks. The
whole of the long afternoon we
slowly toiled along the broad dusty
road in intense heat, occasionally
riding on an OK cart, oltener
trudglng like infantrymen. Seem
ingly interminable fields Of wheat,
oats and mlllet stretched away on
either side as far as the eye could
reach. There was no tree, no
house, no sign Of a human being,
nothing except Il succession Of
smooth hills, yellow with the ripeA-
ing grain. Late in the afternoon
we discovered smoke among the
hills before us. In another hour
we came to a deserted village burn
ing in dozen places fired by the
Wallachian stragglers, who scour
the country, pick up all objects of
value they may find and complete
the wanton destruction begun two
weeks since.
Here we halted to water the ami
mails and men, for not a single drop
was found on the route. 1t was
dark when we moved again, and
another hour before we came into
sight of Hirsova. 1t was eleven
o'clock when our fire blazed among
the innumerable other bivouacs
twinkling on every side Of the lit
tie valley, We slept in the open
air, among picketed Cossack horses
and artillery wagons.
This morning at 6 o'clock the
eutire train was on the move again,
two regiments of infantry and ar
tillery forming the front of the
column, with Cossack scouts and
advance guard, and also moving
pickets a mile away from the train
on each side, The infantry march
ed company front on each side Of
the road through the gram fields,
and deployed in groups of skirmi8h
ers along the whole train. The
scene was full of picturesque
beauty. The immense train three
miles long moving in double line
far ahead a solid body of Cassacks
lances, like a chevaux-de-frise, per
fectly visible against the sky. Then
scouts and pickets, like tiny black
dots in the yellow grain scattered
over the whole landscape. BehinC
the squadron of Oossacks came
solid black masses of infantry
: marching in regular bodies on each
side of the road, where field artil
lery occupied the path. Following
these came Gen. Zimmerman anC
his staff in carriages, some being
mounted, and next the motley line
of wagons of every description AM
variety, piled up with hay and lug
gage, artillery wagons, ambulance8
triokas, ox-carts, all jumbl9d to
gether, all hurrying forward. The
road wound over great hills, givins
at short intervals view Of tn,
whole train, and the country mile
, away.
At 10 o'clock we had mad
twenty versts, and came to a de
serted village in a beautiful littl
valley, ten versts from Medjidie
From the hilltop can be seen
Turkish camp Of considerable ex
tent, and we expect to fight to
night or tomorrow. The countr,
all the way from Hirsova is a bean
; tiful grain country; but there i
not a single tree in the whole dis
{ tanoe.
, Although the train of wagon
was in apparent confusion, perfec
order of march was always kept
+. and there was no hustle or noise a
the halt. Small patches of pris
f oners were brought in on the way
3 and also two Bashi Bazouks sine
: the halt was made.
Our horses not having arrived
5 my companions, who are payma;
! ters, and myself are still on foo
4 and in the OK carts. Our onl
e food is the black bread Of the SO
e diers and rare pieces of countr
f cheese. There is plenty of tea an
: water. AT the halt the felC
i afford plenty Of good forage, br
: there is no live stock of any d
Il scription with the army