The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-12-06
THE HORRORS OF BATTLE.

Iuo ITlgnUlul aspect Ol Tile Ddtlle-
field has been painted in colors by the
special correspondent Of the Daily
Telegraph-himself, also. an appalled,
eyewitness. Passing. at the immi-
nent risk of his life, through the Rus
sian lines to Plevna. under the
guidance of six gallant and faithful
Clrcassians, he contrived to get within
that wonderfully constructed Semi-cir-
Gle, or rather. horseshoe of Businesses.
the creation of which by Osman Pasha
is masterpiece of military engineer
ing. There, converging from the
mortarS of the assailants, has poured
into Turkish lines an iron storm of
shells to the number of SO, 900. Under
that binding feu d'enfer the dauntless
ottoman defender has all this terrible
while been holding his ground, Osman
Pasha himself having. with admirable
forethought, established his head
quarters in SO central a position, that
he has been all along enabled to take
in ut one view the entire field of Oper-
atoms. and Ito use his reserves always
with mastery effect. RecOunting the
deeds Of daring and slaughter done
there by wholesale all around that
impregnable stronghold of Plevan, the
special correspondent of the Daily
Telegraph describes with CHASTITY eff
feet the pitiless squandering of human
life by the assailants in attempting
the almost impossible achievement of
taking those trenches. lin the immi-
nent and deadly breach" at the mouth
of those ritied cannon, and at the mnz-
Zles of those serted arms of precision.
1T was a splendid and thrilling, but
most terrible sight, he says, ito see
the long lines (of the muscovites) top
ping the brow and breaking into the
critical impulse of the charge. AS the
Russians thus accelerated their pace
the Turks in the trenches opened upon
them perfectly consuming fire from
their rifles. loading and discharging
with the most extraordinary and i'm
passive GOODNESS, the effect which was
literally to wipe away line after line
of those doomed Muscovite us they
successfully appeared upon the ridge
of the hill.
NO sight. think. was ever seen
before like this in warfare. 1t was
| the fearful triumph of the breach-load-
/ ing arm of precision. Each successive
| Russian hattalian. as it brayely crown
! ed that fatal plateau, was mown down
by the deadly fire as ridges Of wheat go
prone to the earth before reaperS.
Again and again it seemed that scarce
Iva single man stood up alive after the
thunder of one of these tempeSts OF
bullets. The Turkish officers mean.
time. with u calmness worthy of the
cool and sturdy stuff that they com
maaded. directed their men to load
and fire as steadily as possible. and ti
hold the muzZles of their rifles low
down at the waistbelts of their foe
| nevertheless. he continues. Though
the leading Russian files thus faded
away from the front of the Turkish
trenches. the same tactics of rein
forcements were being pursued: and
augmented by ever-fresh bodies OF
men. another and another attack was
delivered on the northern face. The
results were always exactly the same
The devotion or desperation of the
enemy could not carry him past the
edge OF those clouds of smoke curling
in lighted WreathS from the trenches
and the moment came here also wher
the Turks. with load of victory
dashed their cover, and furiously
swept the remnants of their enem,
: from the hill. scarcely numberins
now more than a few hundreds O
survivors. | estimate, from some ex
perience of battle-ields. the dead an,
wounded that lay around Plevna afte
all this bloody work at between l 90
and 1000. The Turks brought hac]
nine prisoners to the redoubts. VIII
. told us that there were battalion
. among those of their side vhicl
: charged first which had not a doze
! men saved alive
Scenes like this were repeated agai
and again. literally usqus ad nauseau
: during the actual period of carnage
But afterwards. as this terrible truth
full eyewitness writes, the sight {
sights to which his thoughts REQUIRE
and to which. as he says, they mu:
d ever recur with mingled admiral io