New-York tribune., 1877-08-04
TIE RETREAT FROM PLEvNA.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE RUSSIAN plsASlE"-
scuAcKosKoY's RETREAT NOT COvEPED-CoNpI-
r,ox OF HE BULGARlAN FORCES.

Al
TON or HE BULGARlAN FORCES.
LONDON. Friday. Aug. g. 1877.
71o ,c,,y NerGscorrespondent sends from Porcdin,
,o,r Plcvno a graphic account Of Tuesdays battle,
the besuisfantial facts Of which are as telegraphed
to the United States Yesterday. The following CLOS
inu scenes give a vivid IDEA of the extent OF the nus
sian disaster Il will be noticed that the correspond
ent is with Prince SchackOSkoys command, ana
does not purport to give any account of the condl-
ton or losses of Gen. Krudener's corps:
"Aud NOW all hope of success anywhere was dead
nor did chance offer to make the best of defeat
Prince SchackoskOy had not man left to cover the
retreat The Turks struck without stint. lhey had
the upper hand for once and were determined 10
show that they knew how to make the most "t H.
They advanced i'm swa1ns through the dusk on their
original first position. and captured the Russian
cannons before the batteries could be withdrawn
Turkish shells began once more to whistle over the
ridge above Radlshova and fall into the village be-
hind now cramned with wounded. The streams OF
wounded vending their painful way over the ridge
were IncesSant.
'The badly wounded mostly lay where thew fell
Later in the darkness. baleful sort OF kIanken-
tr;iper swarmed over the battle field IN the shape OF
Ba>hi- -Bazouks, who spared not. Lingering there
on the ridge till the moon rose the stan could near
from below on the still night air cries OF pam ana
entreles for mercy, and the yells of blood-thlrsty
iauatical triumph. 1t was indeed an hour 10 WING
the steneSt heart.
we STAYED there to learn. if it might be- what
troops were coming out Of the Valley OF the Shadow
Of Death below, were there, indeed. any at all to
come 1t did not sem to be the case. The Turks had
orr range before dark and we could watch the fash
of fame over against u.s. and then listen to the
scream If shell as it tore by The sound of rifle
bullcts was ncessant and the escort and retreatng
wounded were struck. detat, lmcnt at length
begm 10 come struggling up, but it viii give an idea
OF the DISCRIMINATION, 10 say that when a company
was toled OH to cover somewhat the wounded IN
Radishova. 1t had to be made up of men OF several
regiments
About o'clock the Staff quilted the ridge. leav
ing il Uttered with groanng men, and moving
gently lest we should tread on the PROSTATE
wounded. we lost our way rs we had lost our army.
Ws could find no rest for the soles of our feet by
reason of alarms of Bashi-Bazouks swarmng III
among the scattered and retiring Russians. At
lcngth. 40 1 o'clock in The morning, having been in
the saddle since 6 O'Clock on The previous morning
we turned into a stubble Geld and making beds of
the reaped gram, correspondent and Cossack alike,
rested under the stars. But We were not even then
allowed 10 rest. Before o'clock alarm came
that the Bashi-Bazouks were upon us, and We had
10 rouse and tramp away. The only protection Of
the chief of what in the morning was fine army,
was now a handful Of weaIicd Cossacks.
Gen. Krudcuer sent word in the morning that he
had lost severely and could make no headway, and
had resolved to fan back on the line Of the River
Osma There had been talk, his troops being fresh,
OF renewing the attack to-day with his cooperation,
but it plain statement Of fact that we have no
troops To attack WITH The most moderate estimate
is that We have lost two regiments, say 5000 men,
out of our three brgradcs, ghastly number beat
ing Eylau or Friedand. This takes no account of
Gen. Krudeuer's losses. We, too retire on the Osma
River about Bulgareni, and to the best Of our weak
strength cover the bridge at Sstova.
One cannot in this moment Of hurried confusion
realize all the possible results of this stroke rashly
courted Not Russian soldier stands between Iir-
nova and the victorious Turkish Army in LOyeca
aud Pevna, and only a weak division of the
Eleventh Corps stands between Tiruova and the
Shumla Army. l look Prince Schackosky's
force as wrecked as no longer for this campaign TO
be counted as a fighting nteger. 1t is not ten days
since the Thrtieth Division crossed the Danube in
the pride Of superb condition; now what Of it is
left is dcmorazed and shattered. So on this side Of
the Balkans there remains but the Ninth Corps
already roughly handled, once at Nikopolis and
once at Pievna. one Division of the Eleventh
Corps and the Rustchul army. Now if the Rust
chuk army is marched to the west against Pievna,
then the Turkish army Of Bustchuk is let loose on
the Russian communications to Iirnova. One can
not avoid the conclusion that the advance over the
Balkans is seriously compromised. The Russian
strait bad that the scattered detachments have
been called up from out Of ROumania, and the Rou-
manan Division, commanded by Gen. Manu-, which
crossed a day or two ago at Nikopolis, has been
called up TO the line Of the Osma River An
aid-de-camp of the Grand Duke Nicholas was pres
ent at the battle, and at once started for Tiuoya
with the evil tidings.
"We are just quitting this bvouac and falling
back on Bulgareni with all speed, leaving the Bul-
garian villages TO the tender merces Of the Turks.
a. close learn that on our left Gen. Skobeloff
was very severely handled having lost 800 men out
Of his single infantry battalion"