The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-30
TOLEDO rAMA COUNTY IOWA. THURSDAY AUGUST so 1877.

little relief from the agony Of motion.
There was hot even water for them, fol
Radisoyo is all but waterless village, and
what water trickled in the tiny rill from
the fountain behind the village was
struggled for eagerly by the parched and
fevered wounded who crowded around it
coveting with longing, the agony OF
which the reader can never know, few
drops of the precious fluid. l cannot tell
when most respect and admire the sim
pie, honest Russian soldier-whether
when he is plodding along without mur-
muir verst after verst, tinder burden just
double in weight that which our soldiers
carry, cheering the way as he tramps with
lusty chorus; or when, with cheers that
ring with sincerity, and with an alacrity
which is genuine, he presses forward into
the battle; or when he is standing stub
bornly confronting his enemy, conscious
OF being overmatched, yet never dream.
ing of running away; or when he is ly.
ing wounded but accomplishing, helping
his neighbOr in the same plight with some
trif1ing act of tender kindness, and wait
ing for what God and the Gear shall send
him, with patient, unmurmurihe calm
that is surely true heruism.
The darkness closed In around us, and
the enemy seemed bent on following the
example of the darkness. We had been
on this ridge for long time beyond the
range of the enemy's batteries; but now
these were advanced, and we were once
more under fire. Through the darkness
we could see the flashes of the cannon
shots-they must be back now in the po-
sitiUn on the knoll below the position
where four hours ago the Russian soldiers
had charged them with the bayonet, and
whence two hours ago the Russian cannon
had been firing. A second more, and
nearer and nearer came the whistle of the
shells, with swiftly gradual crescendo
into scream as they sped over us and
crashed down into the village in the val
ley behind us; and yet nearer there was
the flashing of the musketry fire in the
darkness; one could watch the streaks of
flame FORE e-shortened down in the valley
there. and nerves tried by long day Of
| foodlesSness, excitement, fatigue and ex-
posure to sun, and the chances of the bat
tle-f1eld, quivered under the prolonged ten
sion of endurance, as the throbbing hum OF
the bullet sped through or over the strag-
Cling group. No man dared to say to that
stern, lowering Chief, eating his heart
there in the bitterness of his disappoint-
ment, that it was q bootless tempting of
fortune to linger longer oh this exposed
spot, nor did any man care to quit for the
sake of greater safety the companionship
which had endured throughout the day
So we fingered on till our senses became
dulled, and till some dropped off into
slumOer, regardless of the scream of the
shells and the hum of the bullets. It was
humane object which so long detained
the General in position so exposed
There was no force available to line the
height and cover to ever so little extent
the wounded lying on and behind it from
the Bashi- -BazOuks, who, too certainly,
were prowling in the vicinity, and ever
coming nearer and nearer. An attempt
had, indeed, been made TO get to-
gether a detachment of infantry
for this purpose, and bugler,
at the Generals order, persistently
sounded the assembly, but the result was
merely to gather a handful of stragglers
from half a dozen different regiments;
and although but company was wanted,
that trivial strength could not be collected,
so the General, his staff and his escort took
up for the time kind of informal fore
post duty, and there we waited till the
pale, calm moon rose anc poured the
sheen of her white radiance over the bat
tle-field. While it was yet dark there had
been No cessation Of the firing, both artil-
was holding candle to Hades, the fire
waxed warmer and brisker. Up from out
of it, with broken tramp, came detach-
ment, silent, jaded. powder -grimed. There
could not have been a company all told;
Lieutenant marched at its head, and it was
the remnant, SO far as could be gathered,
the sole remnant, of one of the finest reg
iments of the Thirty second Division, that
had crossed the ridge over which its debris
was now listlessly trailing itself, three fine
battalions strong.
At last the jingle of cavalry accouter-
ments was heard, and squadron of dra-
goons rode on to the heights, and, extend
ing in skirmishing order, relieved the
headquarters staff. 1t was poor screen
to interpose between victorious and re.
morscless army and mass of wounded
men; but nothing more was available.
The General had lost an army, the frag-
We turned the heads of our jaded horses,
and, silent and depressed, rode down the
slope across the valley and up the slope
beyond. Our pace was slow walk,
for there were wounded men everywhere,
limping along the narrow path in
front of us, PROSTATE on the grass by the
side of it, or asleep in the very dust. Oc-
casionally we struck detachments of in
fantry who had scrambled back out of the
fight, and were lying on their arms in ut
ter ignorance of the best direction in
which to march. Or it might be a bat
terry of artillery, halted in perplexing
dubiety whether if they went on they
might march into the bosom of the Turk
ish Army. believe there existed some
intention that we should go for the night
to village called Bogot. But we got
confused as to the road, and bewildered
by the cracking spurts of infantry fire
that broke all around in the most uncom-
Portable fashion. Were the Turks then
wholly round US, that we heard, and Occa-
siOnally felt, fire as it seemed to north, to
south, to east and to west? Once such
was the confusion that we were fired upon
by detachment of Russian troops, halted
in equal bewilderment with ourselves, and
expecting an enemy from any or every
side.
We made halt after halt, but there new
er was rest for us. A squirt of near firing
would stir us, or Cossack would ride in
with intelligence that the Bashl- Bazouks
were prowling near by, and through all
this harassment there yet fingered with
the most sanguine of us the idea that the
battle would be resumed next morning,
we affording an artillery support to the
supposedly fresh troops Of Krudener.
Where, l asked myself, is our artillery to
take orders for such purpose? We did
not know where we were ourselves, much
less where the army was, of which this
cropping, forlorn, detected band were the
headquarters. Of Krudener's experiences
or whereabouts we knew simply nothing.
1t was useless to dispatch aides-de-camr
or 0rderlies without being able to give
them direction in which to ride. All we
knew was that there were wounded men
about us, and that we and our horses were
dead beaten
Nature will assert herself. About one
O'Clock in the morning we turEc! aside
into field where the bsrley h.u been
reaped and piled into small stack these
we tore down, shook some sheave cut as
fodder for our horses, and Others .. Jeds
for ourselves, and. throwing ourselves
down, fell into dead slumber. But there
was no long rest for rs. At three O'Clock
we were aroused by the tidings that the
Bashi- Bazouks were close to us, and the
near firing told Of the accuracy of the
statement. We huddled number of
wounded into and upon some carts which
came up casually, and started them of,
whether in the right direction or not we
had no conception. Ugh, how miserably
raw and chill struck the bleak morn Just
before the dawni But II the rawneas of the
air struck to our marrow, hale and sound
men - we were, what musthave been the
sulEerings 0f the poor wounded, weak
enod by lOes OF blood, faint In the pros