Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-08-18
THE WAR IN THE EAST.

in Turkey, having more ehgroSSlilS 6
topics at home to occupy US. Since ]
however, the armies of both Turkey /
and Russia are concentrating with
prospect of a general engagement
ON a much larger scale than hitherto,
will endeavor to give our readers
some conception of the relative Po-
sitions of the conflicting hosts. we
will endeavor to make our discrlp-
ton ineligible to those who have TO
depend upon the ordinary school at
les for their geography. The map
at this time before us Is that OF
Southeastern Europe, numbered "a
i'm Mitchell's new school geography,
dated 1871. The field of operations
is bounded on the North by the |
Danube and on the South by the
Balkan Mountains its Eastern and
Western boundaries are two small
rivers running Northwards into the
Danube. whose names are not given
in this map; the reader will do wen
to supply them. Find Nicopoh,
Sistova and Rutschuk on the Dan
ube. Just West of NicopOli IS a
small river, the Vid, the Western
boundary of our field; just West OF
Rutschuk is the LON, its Eastern
boundary; between these two and
Fast of Sistova (tOO far East on this
map) is the Jantra. Before going
any further, the reader will do well
to supply the names of these three
rivers on his map; twill be noticed
that all three of them rise in the
Balkan range and empty into the
Danube; it viii also be seen that
the region thus enclosed (by the
Danube, the Vid, the LOm and the
Balkan range) is the centre OF the
Turkish province of Bulgaria. Now
give your attention to the middle OF
the three rivers, the Jantra extend
ing from the Danube below SistoVa
to Kabrova. Before the battles o.
PIeyna this river was the line of the
Russian advance through Bulgarlf
into Roumelia; now supply one more
name on the map and we are ready
for our description. Go up the Jan
ira from Kabrova till you come Il
the first fork and place here the tow
of TirnOva; this is, as matters nov
stand, the all important position il
the Russian lines. Higher up, no
far from Sistova, is Bjela the Rus
sian headquarters.
Before the occupation OF PleVn
by the Turks, then, the relative pc
SitiOns of the two armies were yer.
simple. That of the Russians ha'
its left resting on the Danube at Sis
tova, its centre extending from Bel
to Tirnova ON the line of the Jantri
and its right extending from TirnC
va to the Balkan passes by way
Kabrova; beyond the Balkan range
Gen. Gourka had established hin
self from Kasanlik Eastward
Yeni Zaghra, thus commanding til
railroad from YambOle to Adrian,
pie, which, in fact, is the direct roa
to ConstantinOple. GOurka's arm
only communicated by slender lin
through the passes with the ma
Russian army North of the Balka
range. 1t will at once be understOC
that this army fronted Eastward
face Mehemet Ali, the position
whose army must now be define
Place one finger on the Danube
Rutschuk and another on Warn
Southwest of the former city, on t
coast of the Black Sea. A railrO;
extends from one of these places
the Other,wit a short line branchil
Westward to Schumla; this bran
line is about two thirds of the w;
from Rutschuk to Narna. The ma
Turkish position has been in fro
of this railroad, its defensive Ii
being that of the Eastern branch
the LON river; but from Schum
10 the Balkans its left wing W
thrown considerably forward, ia
inc Southwest direction tOwar
Osman Bazaar. This latter place
now in the hands of the Turks, b
has changed hands several times a
the Russian right was for a til
pushed so far East as to interrupt
NF.l...,,AF- communication
Schumla.
The Russian line was well chOs
on the hypothesis that Mehen
Ais army was the only one it h
To deal with, and this seems to ha
been assumed by the Russians to
the case, or they would neither ha
neglected to occupy Plevna nor 81
GOurka beyond the Balkan moi
tains. But Osman Pasha was Op
ating in Servia and Bosnia and 81
imam PaSha in Herzegovina; b'
of them seem to have got thrOu
with their work in the West alb
the same time, and both hasteI
ltMdINl@ the NllNNllNl VIC litlNC ~
describing, Osman from the w
and Suleiman from the South.
man struck the first blow by &C
plying Plevna in the rear ofthe r.
sian right and rapidly pushing
outposts Southwest TO LoVatz ;
Selvi; threatening the Russian &C
municatiOns with their base of :
ply at Nicopolis on the one Ina
and endangering their possession
the Balkan passes on the otl
which would be necessarily fata
Gourka's nS-Balkan forces.
complete change Of base at once
came necessary To the Russian ar
The use of this expression lead
to remark upon the close res
blance between the operations :,
described and those which initit
our own seven days fight at r
mOnd. The advance Of OsI