The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-10-11
HEROIC RUSSIANS.
Gen. skobeleff's storming and Capture of
the Loftcha Redoubt-Terrible Scenes of
Slaughter

Gen. skobeleff's storming and Capture of
the Loftcha acknowledgements Scenes of
Slaughter.
[Plevna Cor London Daily News.
The redoubt Skobeleff was attacking
was a double redoubt in the bend of the
L0ftcha road down near Plevna. He had
| advanced his troops down the slope of
the mountain to within easy range. AS
the Turks Immediately opened fire upon
him from the redoubt, he returned the
fire with steadiness and precision, putting
his men under cover asmuch as possible,
his cannon pouring steady stream of
shell and canister into the redoubt as
we'll. In fact, he worked His cannon so
much that several pieces have been
spoiled. He had evidently determined
to risk everything to capture this re-
doubt, and if Plevna were not taken it
would not be his fault. For three hours
he kept up this fire, and, just after Kril-
on's second repulse, the Turkish fire hay
ing somewhat relaxed, dominated by the
Russian, he thought the moment had
come for making the assault.
He had four regiments of the line. and
four battalions of sharpshooters. Still
keeping up his murderous fire, Reformed
under its cover two regiments, the Vladi-
mirsh and the Zoozolski, in the little
hollow at the foot of the low hill on
which was built the redoubt, together
with two battalions of sharpshooters,
not more than twelve hundred yards
from the scarp. Then, placing himself
in the best position for Watching the re-
suit, he ceased fire and ordered the adj
vance. He ordered the assaulting party
not to fire, and they rushed forward with
their guns on their shoulders, with music
playing and banners flying, and disap-
peared in the fog and smoke. Skobeleff
is the only General who places himself
near enough to feel the pulse of a battle.
The advancing column was indistinctly
seen, a dark mass in the fog and smoke.
Feeling, as it were, every throb of the
battle, he saw this line begin to waver
and hesitate. Upon the instant he hur-
ried forward rival regiment to support,
and again watched the result. This new
force carried the mass further on with its
momentum, but the Turkish redoubt
famed and smoked, and poured forth
such torrent of bullets that the lines
were again shaken. Skobeleff stood in
this shower of balls unhurt. Ali his
escort were killed or wounded, even to
the little Kirgniz, who received bullet
In the shoulder Again he saw the line
hesitate and waver, and he flung his
fourth and last regiment, the Libausky,
on the glacis. Again this new wave car
ried the preceding ones forward, until
they were almost on the scarp but the
deadly shower of bullets poured upon
them E; men dropped by hundreds, and
the result still remained doubtful. The
line once more wavered and hesitated.
Not moment was to be lost, if the re-
doubt was to be carried.
Skobeleff had now only two battalions
of sharpshOoters left, the best in his de-
tachments. Putting himself at the head
of these, he dashed forward on the waver-
ing, fuctuating mass, and gave it the
inspiration OF his own courage and in
struction. He picked the whole mass
up and carried it forward with rush
and cheer. The whole redoubt was
mass of fame and smoke, from which
screams, shouts, and cries of agony and
defiance arose, with the deep-mouthed
believing of the cannon, and above all
the steady, awful crash of that deadly
rife fire. Skobelef"s sword was cut in
two in the middle. Then, moment later,
when just OIL the point of leaping the
ditch, horse and man rolled together ON
the ground, the horse dead OF wounded,
the rider untouched. He sprung to his
feet with shout, then with a formid-
able, savage yell the whole mass of men
streamed over the ditch, over the scarp
and counterscarp, over the parapet, and
swept into the redoubt like hurricane.
Their bayonets made short work of the
Turks still remaining. Then a joyous
cheer told that the redoubt was cap
tured, and that at last one of the de-
lenses of Plevna was in the hands of the
Russians.
But at what a sacrifice! In that
short rush of a few hundred yards,
three thousand men had been left on
the hillside, on the glacis, the scrap
and the ditch-one-fourth of his whole
foroo