Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-06-14

A Correspondenfs View Of the
Turkish Army of the Danube.
No Money, No Organization, and
No Capable Commanders.

the following particulars OF its organic.
Iation The Turkish army Of the Dam
lube is slightly deficient In cavalry.
The Cause Of this is exclusively the
want OF money. The Turkish Govern
mert has still more than 400 breach
loading cannsn lying idle at Constanti-
no; lie for want Of horses and harness,
and there are multitudes of men we'll
qualified TO be Dragons, but there Is no
money to mount them. The arma-
menf of the troops is-aH that Is perfect.
The infantry have Martha Henry rifles
and the cavalry Winchester rifles ,Ac-
|cOrding to the most trustworthy infor-
nation, the present strength of the
army, exclusive of the reserves In
formation on the other side of the Bal
kans, is thirty battalions of infantry,
squsdrons of horse, 300
cannon, and about 5000 fortress artiI,
lery and engineers. Ofthese forty-fve
baftalions ara stationed at SWidden,
thifty-s.x at Rustehuk, eixty.fivei at
EShumla, twenty eight at Varna, and
thirty.six mt SiliStria.j The remaining
twenty abattaliens are divided hetween
Nik0pDlis. = SistoSs,i Turtukai,a r. the
Dobrndscha and vari0ns places gilmore
or less imporfanee in Danabian Bulga-
ria. Every battalion, On the average,
may be assumed to contain $50 men.
The contributfons from NiSch; 10 is
true, are considerably below this SIAN
dard, bat on the other hand, numer-
ous Redd baftaliuns have ,0e0b men
and even-Inare; ;-thsraf0re the total
number of infantry is sbont 172, 500,
and the cavalry, reckoning 100 men to
a squadron, 200. Accordingly, the
army OF the Danube, Including the
fortress artiik-Fy and engineers. Is close
upon 200, 600 stfunz. z.egiiszt.iuf.ufE
As to organization, there is q want
of every ything that is Indispensable in
tactical unity and system. Until
within few WEEKS there were no di-
visions, brigades, or regiments. Bat
Italieus moved about without often
|knowiug from whom they had to re-
|ceive orders. is truefhat after the
declaration u of RarEdivisions and bri-
gades were ferms,l, bIt this is of no
practical value when it is, considered
that the troops and COM manders are
lchaBghd abouEat the capriee of one
superior officer. The army is virtually
from Censtan siilopie, where
all movements are planned, and orders
issued by the so-calied council of war.
The councaF is composed Ola number
of GeheralsiwIio are mere puppets of q
few fgnofant upefrats. EA6d1l Kerim
HPasha Is the mere executor Of the will
Of this body. Z Il can not be denied that
he possesses military experience and
|Is q sharp, judiei0us effleer, but he ID
wholly wanting in energy and power
Iof ra Did action. To the natural inca
pacity of the Commandef-in-Ch Chief in
this respect must be added the eircum-
stance that he Is seconded by no gener-
al sfaff yha8sis stsffrns q dis Z
! | As regards the fortressee In European
Turkey, incyedibls Fesalts have been
ACCOMPLISHED. WidGin,s Rustchuk,
SiHstria, SchumIa and dVarna, espeeF-
any the last two, are now quite for
midabie.-P Their Qualifications almost
entirely consist of independent works,
mostly of earth, but constructed in
strict conformity with modern prinei-
oIes of armament, and leave nothing
to be desired. That the Russians will
succeed. perhaps at no distant date. Ia
forcing the river is more than probable,
but it Is equally certain that, in the
face OF the tough enduring qualities Of
the Tnrkish soldiers, they will only de
~ nllSt lSkkC04ia6 t2@8Nh I-<f>'e-s
LONDON, June 5-A dispatch rom
Rustchuk says: Notwithstanding
the reports published m English jour
nails, not a single Russian soldier has
vet crossed the Danube. Attention Is
new concentrated on Nicopolis and
Oltenitza, but everything Is compara-
lively quiet at those points," lsldl
1h Another speciality Rustchnk says
the TURKS took possession Of the heights
In the rear of Giurgsvo. and opened
fire on the enemy this morning. The
aim and accuracy Of the Turkish hre
was remarkable. Three boats were
destroyed by II, and 1t seems evident
that they have some gunners OF ctnek
than Turkish extraction directing their
cannon, No Russian response was
made.
,RusrcHuK, June 5.-The Turks to-
day bonn barded and slightly damaged
some, vessels which the Russians were
(eolJectiug at Giurgevo to cross tho
tOnnubA