The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-10-18

sTolMINa AND oAprusE OF tn
L0vTCHA REDOUBT-THE YoUN
RUSSIAN COMMANDERS WITH tn
CHARMED LIFE-TERRIBLE SCENE
i OF sLAUGHTER. ~
rso4 is noa4ea DAILY News
Left Wing Of the Russian Army,
Lovtcha Road, Sept. IL, 1877
/ was with General Zotoff when tn
battle Of Tuesday began. It was /
ko'cldck. The General and his staf
/ were on the ridge behind Radisovo
gThey hsd just 1anchsd. A moderat'
artillery fire was going on, and tn,
General had informed me that the at
tack would begin between two ans
three o'clock, when suddenly lively
firs was beard on the skirmish line
iHFfy to,the left tn thetiireetion Of tn
Ecvtcha road, followed by q heavy fusi
siSp t sSSq R:TSsps Tie a;Ss road =
streamed up its crest nearly to Radiso
70 Itself. G4etybodY was surprised
Gen. Zotof looked at his watch and
said tits not yet time. What can II
be?" Mounting my horse / rode down
the ridge behind Radisoyo, where the
fire seemed raging hottest, to try and
make sout what was going on. Fol
some time was impossible to ascer-
tain whether the Turks or Russians
were attacking. The fog and smoke
were 90 thick that nothing could be-
seen. It was only by the fusilade that
the progress of the fighting could be
judged. For nearly an hour General
ZotOff did not learn what twas Oh
how 1t had begun. AS the time for
the Russian attack had been fixed for
betweenl two and three O'Clock, It was
soon evident that 1t must be q. Turkish
attack, and, as ] afterward ascertalned,
IL bek&n In this wlse:- tsAbt -
THE BEGINNING.
SkObeleff and Emeritinslxy, In order
to begin the attack on their side upon
the redOubt, had to advance their
troops on to the hill Immediately
fronting the redoubts in the bend of
the Sofia road. 1t was from this hill
that the attack had been made upon
Skobeleff four days before, and the
hill had since been abandoned by the
Turks except few skismishers. SkO.
belief advanced ut eleven o'clock to
take possession of this hill. The
Turks Immediately opened fire upon
him. This was the beginning Of 1t. /
have not yet been abletO learn wheth-
'er the Turks meant q general attack
upon the whole Russian line, or
whether it was q sudden movement
caused by Skobeleff's advance. At
any rate the Turkish attack spread
from the Lovtcha road over Plevna
and UP the Radisova ridge. In the
middle of this ridge is q low hill or
hump. From this point down to the
end of the ridge, which Is scarcely
mile from Plevna the Russians had
planted twen:y-eight guns, the great
er part of which were not much more
than one thousand or one thousand two
hundred yards from the. Turkish re-
doubts and trenches and were q con-
tinual threat and danger to the Turks.
1t seems that they had suddenly decid-
ed to try and carry the Radisovo ridge,
and the attack here was directed prfn-
cipaqy: Against the hump or hin al
ready spoken of,opposite one of their
own redoubts.
ON THE RUSSIAN LEFT.
Twill now relate the event which
on the Russian extreme left,
commanded by Prince Meritinsky
and General Skobeleff. While the
battle was raging In front and to the
right of me it ragged with no less fury.
round the redOubts and on the other
side of the Lovtcha road, but up to
the mpplSnt Of the second repulse of
kriIof$S kzbefef had not yet Made his
assault He had well prepared the
hnxuouor 4 f0prr ntnInnIx In
had brought down twenty pieces of
artillery to the spur of the ridge over.
Plevna. Not more than a
thousand yards distant from the re-
doubt / saw an immense volume of
smoke rising and heard terrible
thunder, which was not more than
five or six hundred yards away on my
LETT. IL was evident that Skobeleff,
his artillery in this ad-
vanced position, was determined to
make a desperate effort to cap
ture the redoubt in front of him
TIE POSITION ATTACKED.
I have already described the posi-
tons here, and now only need refer TO
them to make the descriptions under
stood. The red0ubt. SkObeleff was at
lacking was a double redoubt in the
bend of the Lovtcha road down near
Plevna~ He had advanced his troops
down the slope Of the mountain to
within easy range. AS the Turks
opened fire upon him
from the redOubt he returned the fire
with steadiness and precision, putting
his men under cover as much as posi-
bIe, his cannon pouring O steady
stream Of shell and canister into the
redoubt as well. In fact, he worked
his cannon 30 much that several pieces
nave been spoiled. He had evidently
to risk everything to cap
,ure this redoubt, and II Plevna were
rot taken it would not be his fault.
For three hours he kept up this fire,
md lust after Kriloff7s second repulse,
he Turkish fire having somewhat |
nominated by the Russians, |
ne thought the moment had come for |
the assault.
- cHARsfED LIFE.
He had four regiments OF the line
nd four battalions OF sharpshooters.
ii keeping up his murderous fire he |
ormed under It's cover two regiments, |
he VIadimirski and the Zoozolski, In
he little hollow at the foot of the low
I'LL on which was built the redoubt,
ogether with two battalions of sharp
hooters, not more than loo yards
rom the scarp. Then placing himself
n the best position for watching the
esult, he ceased fire and ordered the
dvance. He ordered the assulting
,arty not to fire, and they rushed for
ward with their guns on their should
RS, with music playing and BAN
lers flying, and disappeared in the
og and smoke. Skobeleff Il the only
General who places himself near
nough to feel the. pulse of battle. The
dvancing column was tndistinctly-
eep,a dark mass in the foghpd smoke.
redI1nu, &c we're every th4ob Of the
'attle, he saw this line begin to waver
nd hesitatesT Upon the instant he
lurled forward a rival regiment to
Import, and a1hin watched the re-
ult, Thie new lofce carried the mass
ufther on with it momentum but
he Turkish rodoubt famed and smok-
q and poured forth such torrent OF
'ujlofg the line MA again shaken.