Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-04-19

| luh tLuSh VI WAN ENEhef VI fH'
| RUSSIAN WINTER CANPAIGN-suFfKRING
OF THE TURKISH sOLDIERs-DIsrREss AM
MORTALITY IN ERZERoUM - THE sILvEi
ELL, AS SEEN FROM TURKEY.
TREBIzoND. March II, 1878.
To the Editor of the Free Press and Times.
Truly, as the Car was said to have pre-
dicted, the Winter has been the friend o
the Russians as the Summer was of tht
Turks. When Plevna fell three months ago
and the Emperor returned to st. Petersburg
most people thought active operations were
| at an end for the Winter. But, as a fact
we now look back upon most brilliant and
successful Winter campaign. which ha,
brought the war to an unexpected termina-
tion. How it was that the Russians should
have pushed forward across the Balkans, a.
they did, wading through deep SHOWS. crawl.
ing along slippery paths, in the midst OIL
wild Wintry storms, recklessly cutting theil
communications in the rear, and hurrying on
in the face of an enemy fighting for very
existence, drenching the SNOW with .heir
blood, dropping down wounded in zero
weather to perish inevitably-how and why
they should have faced all this it is difficult
to understand. What could have been theiI
commssary or hospital arrangements under
such circumstances. one cannot we'll con-
ceive. 1t is to be hoped that the fact was
no special consolation to the Russians,
and in the interest OF humanity it
is painful to consider, that the suf-
ferings of the Turks, though fight
ing on their own soil were far greater
than those Of the Russians. The clothes Of
the Turkish soldiers were thin and ragged
their feet were either bare or shod with low
sandals, with rag tied on in place of socks,
NO protection whatever against wet, and but
a mockery of protection against cold. Their
officers were selfish and hard hearted They
were flying before victorious enemy, and in
their hurried retreat the greater part Of
their sick and wounded were left behind to
perish, their flesh to be devoured by ravenors
wild beasts. and their bones to bleach on the
mountain sides. And the suferings of those
that escaped, from hunger, fatigue, cold and
panic, were such as to invite death as hap
py relief. Then. as if the misery were not
complete, the Turkish officers, in many in
stances, lost their heads and so behaved as to
gil the Mussulman population with conster-
nation, which led to a general stampede of
men, women and children, to escape the foe.
The horrors Of this sudden flight Of thousands
of families, in dead OF Winter, can be better
imagined than described.
The Grand Duke Nicholas, advised and
supported by the brave and impetuous Gen.
erals Skobeief and Gourko, is said to have
planned this Winter campaign, in order, by
a sudden and unexpected dash, to finish the
war before England, moving on by slow con-
stitutional methods, should be ready to mix
into the strife. When we lCok back and see
how neatly England has been foiled by the
energetic advance of the Russians and the
sudden collapse of Turkish resistance, it is
easy to attribute such counsels to the Russian
leaders. do not give them credit for so much
sagacity. They were in a fix. The one
pontoon bridge across the Danube which had
been barely sufficient to convey supplies to
the Russian army while Bulgaria still
abounded with food for man and beast, had
been carried away. Floating ice made fer
riage nearly impossible. Supplies in Bul-
garian had become almost exhausted. If the
Russians were to settle down into Winter
quarters, the Generalization Of ennui, sick
ness, and starvation itself, would enervate
and more than decimate their ranks before
Spring. Hence, whatever the diplomatic
reasons for moving forward, the physical
necessities of the Russian army compelled
them to move. The complete success Of the
campaign has fully justified the step. The
patient, long-sutfering Turkish soldier could
not go through the Winter as he had en-
dured the Summer. with insufficient food and
clothing and no pay. The jealousy among the
Turkish generals that had prevented the relief
of 0sman Pasha in Plevna, and the party in
triguing at COnstantinople that had placed
such shallow and hair-brained charlatan at
the head of the army as Suleiman Pssha, all
operated to weaken and make ineffective
the Turkish resistance The world sud
denly wakes up to find Constantiuople, not
exactly in the hands. but perfectly at the
mercy of the Russian army
The brillisncy of the campaign in European
Turkey has been such as to quite eclipse
movements in Armenia. The Russians have
not, however, been idle in these parts.
With commendable expedition, considering
the deep SHOWS and the bitter cold of an
Ararat winter, they occupied the month OF
December in drawing their siege line
around Erzeroum. Early in January the
investment was complete. and for some SIX
weeks Erzeroum was almost utterly isolated
from the ourside world. Occasionally a
letter passed the blockade, and lew times
the French consul. remaining in Erzeroum,
tat he tho p 30
send out depatches.
The towE was well supplied with grain
and meat, which was chiefly in the hands of
the government or wealthy spectators.
Prices therefore advanced to ten or twelve
times their usual rates. and the poor were
unable to supply themselves with bread. Mr..
Cole, the only American missionary now in
that city, began early in the Winter to aid
the poor in a small way. lie has expended
some 81 1000 in this manner, furnished chief
ly from the Turkish Compassionate Fund"
under the patronage of Mr.. Lsyard. English
at Constantinople. Some 800
families are thus regularly helped to bread,
and it Is believed that hundreds have thus
been saved from starvation by this relief
work. Any one wishing to aid in this ef-
fort should send to L. S. Ward. ESQ.,, Treas
urer A. b. &. F, NJ, Somerset street, Bos-
ton. The destitution of fuel has been very
great Many houses have been torn down
for the timber, and most of the few shade
trees in the vicinity have been cut down for
FIRE wood. The sickness has been appalling.
and the mortality frightful. 1t is believed
about one-third the soldiers and one-tenth
the inhabitants, 10000 of the former and
900 of the latter. have died during the
Winter.
Now the Russians are in possession of the
town. February Goth, they occupied the
forts of Topc Dagh; on the 2lst, Gen. Eei-
man entered the town with considerable
force; and on the 22d, Gen. Melikof arriv-
ed, greeted by thousands of the Christian
of the town. who went out to
greet him. The Turkish population were a
good deal disturbed at this surrender of the
town, and showed signs of rebellion but the
commander chief, Ismail Pasha, assured
them that he had positive orders to give up |
the town, which he must obey. lie COM
forted them, however, with the hope that |
the Russian occupation would be only tenn
the peace ncgotiati tions would |
render probable. By the terms of the ar
nistice the civil administration of the town |
remains in Turkish hands. The Turkish |
post IL now running to Erzeroum, and we
hope shortly to be in telesraphic communi-
cation with the town.
of the peace | hope to speak another
time.
Turning from Eastern affairs to home
politics, wish to record my profound dis
gust and modification at the silver mad
ness that has taken possession of our legis-