Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-09-27
THE EUROPEAN WAR,

on the Bauicka LON, barring ali the
roads to Biela Their right stretched
towards, If it did not reach, the road
running from Tirnova through Popskoi
to Shumla, and their left was northward
opposite Kadikoi, where all the branches
Of the IOm unite and form one stream.
Mehemet Ali intended to turn the Rus
sian right and force the right centre by
pushing over the stream. Several at
tacks were made with very few men,
who i.1>r, e-fa e4l e..,=1z l. TlIy
artillery did not play its customary part.
but took up ground too distant for effec-
tive firing. The attack, an intended
demonstration, was converted into a de-
cided onset, and the real attack was not
delivered. The Ottoman infantry dis
played their wOnted bravery and suffer
ed considerable loss, but
THE ENTIRE MANAGEMENT OF THE FIGHT
was plainly faulty, and, for the first
time, Mehemet Ali or his subordinates
exhibited tactical inferiority. The
General was frustrated in disconnected
and irregular attempts to break into the
Muscovite position, and his failure must
have at least taught him the enemy's
strength. He lost the day and he lost
men, but no counter stroke was deliver
ed, and the ground held by the Turks
when they started forward to fight was
of course retained by them at the end
of the toilsome,
SANGUINARY, AND USELESS ENCOUNTER.
The brief Russian version of the combat
is restricted to the statement that sew
eral assaults were repulsed, but it con-
veys the impression that they extended
from the right to the left. Mehemet
Ali has not yet struck the decisive blow
that was expected from him on the
Jantra. 1t may be, as an accurate and
experienced military critic, an eye
witness of events in Bulgaria states, that
in his advance he was hampered by the
difficulty of obtaining means of trans
port for his army. This is possibly the
case, but when he was actually within
sight of the Russian camp surely it
could not be want of transport that
hindered him from successfully de-
livering the long-meditated blow. AS
the correspondent ut Bucharest Justly
remarks, 1T is
CERTAINLY A SINGULAR FEATURE.
of this campaign that neither side ap-
pears to have concentrated upon any
point for the purpose of striking a de-
cisiye blow, and all the severe fighting
has resulted from Intellectual attempts to
carry impregnable positions with made
quate forces" From the reproach con-
veyed in these last words of this quota
ton, Mehemet Ali was hitherto free.
He has, indeed attacked positions which
were, however, not impregnable, and,
when he has done so, he has not COM
mitted the startegical error of bringing
inferior forces to bear on decisive
points. In his former operations he has
displayed
THE MOST CONSUMMATE PRUDENCE,
and has shown himself perfect possessOr
of the caution which is proverbially re-
ported to be the better part of valor.
But the exercise of this chess-board
and the display of his wonder
full self-possession requires a great deal
1t is now ten days ago that the
troops of Safvet Pasha fought a success
ful combat at Sinanboi with the twelfth
Russin army corps. That advantage
has not been followed up.
THE TURKS DRIVEN OUT OF MONTENEGRO.
A correspondent in Montenegro tele-
graphs from Astorg, under date Of Fri
day, announcing that the Duga pass is
now wholly cleared of Turks. One can
non and one hundred and fifty prison
ers were taken. The prince of Montene-
gro and his staff have arrived at Nicsics
OSMAN PAsHA REINFORCED.
A Vienna dispatch of the 24th inst,
says that news has been received here
that twenty thousand men under Chew
ket Pasha reached Osman Pasha with
fresh supply of ammunition A dis
patch from COnstantinOple gives a SINH
lar report.
RENEWAL OF THE ASSAULT ON sCHIPKA.
A Russian official bulletin, dated
Gorny-Studen, on Saturday says "The
Turks renewed the bombardment Of the
Schipka pass positions on Friday. In
the afternoon they began an assault on
the right flank, but were repulsed. They
then attacked the left and centre, and
were likewise repulsed. The fighting
lasted until night. 1t is thought the at
tack will be renewed on Saturday"
EXAGGERATED REPORTS.
A Vienna correspondent says: "The
encounters of Thursday and Friday
near Biela have been greatly exagger-
ted by the Turks? According to infor-
nation received here, they were drawn
battles, and the forces engaged were not
large"
FRIDAYS FIGHTING
A correspondent who was an eye
witness of Fridays battle between the
czarowitch and Mehemet Ali, telegraphs
from Tzercouna as follows: Five or
six different attacks were made to-day
by the Turks, with from one to three
battalions each, and all unsupported
The attacks failed. The loss to the
Turks is very heavy. A number of
killed and wounded can be seen lying
on the open ground over which the
cOmbatants passed. The Russians
maintain their positions. which consist
0 a series of formidable trenches.
A SERIOUS MISTAKE.
There has also been some fighting
at Kudicklei by a division of Ahmet
Eyoub's corps. and at Verbatza, by two
battalions detached by Mehemet Ali,
but the Turks were unsuccessful at
these places also. The whole action
has been totally different from what it
should have been. A feint has been
turned into an attack, and the real at
tack has not been carried out"
GATHERING STRENGTH FOR THE BATTLE.
The same correspondent telegraphs on
Saturday that all is still quiet. each
side IS apparently fatigued after yester-
days hard fighting. Doubtless we shall
soon attack again"
MEHEMET's STORY.