Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-10-20
A Plght fSr y RedOubt.

correspondent W WV SSuuuou SHs's
.Neps, who dates his letter from the lef
wing of the Loitcha road, writes;
The redonbt Skobeloff was attacking
was double redoubt in the bend Of III,
Loftcha road down near Plevna. HI
had advanced his troops down the slope
Of tho mountain to within easy range
As the Turks Immediately opened fire
upon him from tho redoubt he returned
the fire with unsteadiness and precision,
putting his men under cover IN much ~
possible, his cannon pouring n steady
stream of shell and canister into the re-
doubt rs we'll. For three hours he kept
up this fire, and just after Kriloh's sec
ond repulse, the Turkish fire having
somewhat relaxed, dominated by the
Russian, ho thought the moment had
come for making the assault. He had
four regiments of the line, and four bat
talions of sharpshooters. Still keeping
up his murderous fire, ho formed under
its cover two regiments, the Vladimirski
and the Zooxolski, in the little hollow at
the foot of the low hill on which was
built the redoubt, together with two bat
talions OF sharpshooters, not more than
twelve hundred yards from the scarp.
Then, placing himself in the best posi-.
ton for watching the result, he ceased
fire and ordered the advance. he order
ed the assaultins party not to fire, and
they rushed forward with their guns on
their shoulders, with music playing and
banners flying, and disappeared in the
fog and smoke. Skobcleff is the only
general who places himself near enough
to feel the pulse of battle.
The advancing column was indistinctly
seen, dark mass in the fog and smoke.
Feeling, as it were, every throb OF the
battle, he saw this line begin to waver
and hesitate. Upon the il slant he hurl-
ell forward rival regiment to support,
and again watched the result. This new
force carried the mass further on with
it's momentum, but the Turkish redoubt
famed and smoked, and poured forth
such torrent of bullets that the line
was again shaken. Skobeleff stood in
this shower OF balls unhurt. All his
escort were killed or wounded, even to
the little Kirghiz, who received bullet
in the shoulder. Again he saw the line
hesitate and waver, and he flung his
fourth and last regiment, the Libausky,
on the glacis. Again this new wave car
ried the preceding ones forward, until
they were almost on the scarp but that
deadly shower of bullets poured upon
them; men dropped by hundred, and
the result still remained doubtful. The
line once more wavered and hesitated.
Not moment was to be lost, if the re-
doubt was to be carried.
Skobelef had now only two battalions
of sharpshooters left, the best in his de-
tachments. Putting himself at the head
of these, he dashed forward on horse
back. He picked up the stragglers he
reached the wavering, fuctuating mass,
and gave it the inspiration Of his own
courage and instruction. He picked the
whole mass up, and carried it forward
with a rush and cheer. The whole re-
doubt was mass of fame and smoke,
from which screams, shouts, aud cries of
agony and defiance arose, with the deep
mouthed believing Of the cannon, and,
above all, the steady, awful crash of that
deadly rifle fire. Skobeleffs sword was
cut in two in the middle. Then mo-
ment latter, when just on the point OF
leaping the ditch, horse and man rolled
together to the ground, the horse dead
or wounded, the rider untouched. He
sprang to his feet with a shout, then
with formidable, savage yell, the whole
mass of men streamed over the ditch,
over the scarp and counterscarp, over
the parapet, and swept into the redoubt
like hurricane. Their bayonets made
short work of the Turks still remaining.
Then a Joyous cheer told that the re-
doubt was captured, and that at last one
of the defenses of Plevna was in the
hands of the Russians.
Skobeleff seemed to be the only one
among the Russian generals who has
studied the American war with profit.
He knows it by heart and it will be
seen by those who have studied the great
civil war that, in this assault, Skobeleff
followed the plan of the American gen.
erals on both sides when attempting to
carry such positions, to follow up the
assaulting column with fresh troops,
without waiting for the first column to
be repulsed If the position proves too
strong for the first column, then rein
forcements are at hand before they have
time to break and run.
AT sunrise the Turks began an attack
upon the captured redoubt, and the
storm of battle again ragged with fury
here, while all was quiet everywhere
else. The desperate attacks of the Turks
were repulsed. Another attack was made,
another repulse; and this continued all
day long until the Turks had attacked
and been beaten five successive times.
The Russian losses were becoming fear
full. General Skobeleff had lost, he
thinks, 1000 men in attacking the re-
doubt. By the afternoon he had lost
3, 1000 more in holding it, while his bat
talions shriveled up and shrank away as
if by magic. One battalion of sharp
shooters had been reduced to 100 men.
A company which had been $50 was now
forty. An immense proportion of
officers were killed. Only one COM
mander of regiment is alive; scarcely
q head OF battalion is left. Two officers
Of the staff are killed, one of them was
verastchagin, brother of the great
artist. Another brother was wounded.
Gen. Dobrovolsky, commander of shsrp-
was killed. One officer was
blown to pieces by the explosion of a
caisson. Capt. Kurapatkin, chief of the
staff, standing beside this officer. had
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