The Hickman courier., 1877-07-20
THE NEW SEAT OF WAR.
Bulgaria and the BaihaD Passcs-Th'
Strategic Features Of tiIe Country


General Geo. b. Mcclellan, at present
in Europe. writes as follows to the North
American Review:
The portion OF the Bulgarian plain
between Traian's wall and BazardJlk Is
desolate and destitute of wood and
water. so that troops marching through
tie middle of this desert must con-
tend against the total absence OF the
necessaries of life during a march OF about
one hundred and twenty miles. 1he
rest of the Bulgarian plain, between the
Danube and the Balkan, is very differ
ent. The soil is a rich loan, and in the
wet season well-nigh impossible. The
roads are bad, and there are no bridges
except such as have been constructed OF
late wears on the main roads through
Shumla and Narna. In the winter there
is much snow, the summers are hot, the
autumns dry. Until the early SUMNER
the ground is everywhere carpeted with
verdure the slopes of the valleys are
covered with trees, the streams berdered
by green meadows, and wherever cultlva-
ton extends there are abundant crops OF
grain. In the autumn vegetation with
ers and water is scarce. The population
is crowded into large villages, where
there are abundant stores and provisions.
The inhabitants are agricultural and
pastoral The towns are either on the
Danube or at the foot of the Balkans.
In the former the Moslems, in the latter
the Christians predominate. The Bull
garians are inclined toward the Russians
by their Slavonic origin and Greek
! faith, and hate the Turks who have long
plundered and oppressed them. The
only railways in Bulgaria are the short
1 lines from Kostendji to Rassova and
/ from Narna to Rustchuk. Once across
! the Danube, the Russians are masters of
/ Bulgaria TO the Balkan range, except the
ground covered by the fire of the fortresses
| and intrenched camps.
To hold Bulgaria the passes of the
! Balkan must be secured to dictate
peace in Adrianople or Constantinople,
| these passes must be carried and ira
versed. So that when they have over
come the difficulties of the Danube, the
/ Russians next find the Balkan athwart
their path. At It's western extremity the
balkan unites with the range traversing
| Albania and Dalmatia, and connects
with the mountain system of HerZego-
vina and Servia; near Sophia 1t send:
out to the north an efshoot which con
meets it with the Carpathian range, ano
| it is through this otfshoot that the Dan
ube forces its way at the iron Gates
The greatest elevation of the mair
Balkan range is to the west of the source!
of the Jantra and Tundscha, that Is
west of kassanlik and Tirnov3, where
the SUBMITS are covered with snow unit
midsummer. Thence 10 tie sources o
Kamtschik the elevationis not over 800
feet, and farther east not more than 4.O0'
feet. The prevailing character of In
range is that of richly wooded roun'
hills; it is only in the valleys tha
masses of rock are found. The southern
slope is by lar the most steep. On to
northern side is a parallel range of foot
hills, differing much from the main range
These foothills are of limestone, with ia
tops, often falling off at the sides IN pei
pendicular walls from one hunderd I
1--WE hundred feet in height, and formin
singular defiles. Toward the bottom {
the valleys the face OF the rock slope
mere gradual as it descends. The hill