The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-02-08
TIE GRAND SORTIE.
Graphic Account of OsEIan Pasiia's At
tempt TO FOrce the Rgssiau E4ines at
TIevno-A Desperate EIaatIe-The

tempt TO FOrce the Rgssian Eines at
FIevun-A Desperate IattIe-The
Surrender.
The grey light of morning came. 1t
was cloudy, and threatened more snow.
Suddenly there was the booming Of
thirty or iorty guns speaking almost to-
gether, followed instantly by that steady,
crashing roll we have learned to know 20
well. The battle had begun. The giant,
after defending himself iour months,
hurting thunderb0lt after thunderbolt
upon mis- enemies was now struggling
through the meshes he had allowed TO be
thrown around him, and was in his turn
attacking the trenches and earthwOrks
which he had taught his enemies well to
defend. a terrible and sublime spectacle
presented itself to view. The country
Behind Plevna is awide, open plain, into
which the gorge leading up to Plevna
opens out like funnel. The plain l.
bounded the Plevna side by steep,
rocky bluffs or cliffs, along whose fCot
flows the Vid. From these cliffs for a
distance of two miles, burst here and
there in quick, irregular succession, angry
spurts OF fame that flashed and dlsap-
reared and flashed out again. It was
the artillery fire of the Turks and Rus
SLAMS. which from our point of view
anneared iutermingled. The smoke, run
ninp round in a circle toward the Nid,
rose against the heavy clouds that hung
right up on the horizon, while low on the
ground burst forth continuous balls OF
Hame that rent the blackness of the
clouds like flashes of lightning. Through
the covering OF the smoke could be seen
angry spits of FIRE thick az fire-hies on q
tr6pical night. Now and then through
an irregular curving stream of fire we
had indistinct glimpses of bodies OF men
hurrving to and fro, horses, cattle, car
RACES running across the plain, and
above all. the Internal crashing roll Of
the infantry fire, and the deep boOmiug
Of more than q hundred guns.
This is what had happened: Osmau
Pasba had during the night abandoned
all his positions from Grivica TO the
! Green hill, and concentrated the greater
part of his army across the Vid, over
+ which he passed on two bridges, one the
/ cid and the other the new one lately con
structed. He took part Of his artillery
some three batteries, and a train Of aboui
five or six bundled carriages drawn by
/ bullocks. He stcceeded in getting hi
army, the ARTILLERY and part OF The train
over by day break.
Indeed, the first thing the Russiaui
perceived when daylight broke was lin,
/ of wagons Drawn by bullOcks advancing
upon them in close order across the
plain.
The Turks advanced as far as they
could under cover Of their wagons, while
the Russians poured in terrible fire OF
them from their Berdan breech-loadeYs
scarcely less destructive than the Pea
body, and opened on the advancing line
with shell and shrapnel. The Turk
then did a splendid deed of bravery, only
I equalled by SkObeleff's capture OF TIT
two famous redoub BITS. Probably finding
their cover beginning to fail them, OWNS
TO the cattle getting killed or frightened
and running away, they dashed forward
with Il shout upon the line OF trenche
held by the Sibrersky or Siberian regi
ment, swept over them ike q tornado
poured into tuv5attery, bayoneted ia,
srtillerymen, officers ana men, who with
desperate heroisn stood to their piece
to nearly a man, and seized the who'll
battery. The Sibrersky regiment ha,
been overthrow and nearly annihilated
The Turks had broken the first circl
that held them in. Had they gone on the,
would have found two more; but the
did not have time 10 go on. The Rus
slams rallied almost Immediately and
desperate hand 10 hand fight ems ued maj
TO man, bayOnet to bayonet, which Is
said 10 have lasted several minutes
ending in a rOut Of the Turks and tn
recapture of the Russian guns.
It was about half-past eight, and thu
Turkish sortio was virtually repulsed
but the battle ragged for four hour
4. longer. The losses inflicted from thi
time ;orward we're not great on eithe
side, for both smies were under cover
The Turks were evidently sppfehensivt
that the Russians would charge anc
drive them back in mass into the gorge
/ The Russians we're resolved to proven
| another sOrtie, and so both sides kept i
up. For four hours the storm of leac
swept on, as one hundred guns sent fortl
/ flame and smoke and iron. During al
/ this time we we're in momentarv expec
/ tation of seeing one side or the othe
/ rush to the charge. We could hardi,
vet realize that this was to be the las
( fight we should ever see around Pieyna
! and that when the guns ceased firing i
was the last time we should hear then
here.
About twelve o'clock the firing began
TO diminish on both sides, as if by n.u
tual agreement Then it stopped en-
tirely. The rolling crab of the infan.
try and the deeptoned believing of the
artillery were heard no more. The smoke
lifted, and there was silence--a silence
that will not he broken here for MANY {
long year, perhaps never again, by til;
sounds OF battle. The firing had not
ceased more tran half an hour when &
white flag was seen waving from the road
leading around the cliffs beyond the
bridge. Plevna had fallen, and Osmar
Pasha was going to surrende. The
white flag being hoisttd some of the
Turks on the bridge walked forward, and
came on to US, some with guns hung over
their shoulders, others with guns in theil
hands.
We thread our way cautiously ovel
the bridge, tI.rouai. broken carriages ana
dead bodies of horses and cattle, and bno
ourselves among the Turks There are
several dead lying in the ditch beside
the road. Some wounded are Iimpinc
along with us, going heaven knows
whittier, end there are two sentinels
standing in a trench overlooking the
river, keeping theirwatch as though they
we've looking for an attack at any moment.
AS We advance the crowd gets thicker
The Turkish soldiers, with guns and bay
onets in their hands, men at whom we
have been shooting, and who were shoot
ing at US two hours ago, some with 4
savage expression, gaze at US with q
scowl; but there are pleasant, intelligent
faces also, wko look at US with steady
clear, inquisitive eyes.
So Osman Ghazi surrendered uncon-
ditionally the gallant army with which
he had held this now famous stronghold
for SO long, and with which he upset the
whole Russian campaign. and with which
be defeated, in three pitched battles,
Russis's finest armies.
A Taramtula's nome.
One of the most singular curiosities in
nature that has ever come under our OBJ
servation is the nest of taraDtula, a
species of spider, whose bite is supposed
to result fatally. 1t is constructed of
II. ! N oil tOTF fDNF