The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-02-12
sllisrfuang.
GRAND GOURKO.

Terrible Passage Of the Etropul {
Balkans by HIS Army. .Cann0ns L
and CaisS0Us Carried by Hand (
Over PreCiptCes..A Battle In the
Clouds. /.
(Ffeld Cores. London Times.l 4
The paths from vidrar were all simple h
mountain trails. over which probably no |
wheels had ever passed, and it became . II
matter OF Infinite difficulty to bring along |,
the artillery, Ind especially the caissons Il
with the ammunition. There were some d
120 picks and shovels With the force, ,ano I
corresponding number of men we're
detailed to clear the road aud make II /,
passable, working in two reliefs Of SO +
men each, The cannons were moved by /
twos, and each pair had attached to it
two companies OF infantry who assisted i
the. cannons and caissons TO pass the
difficult places, working also In relief Of /
half their number. The path led along
the ravine where the Mali Isker twisted
and turned among the crags and before
they left the river to take the direction
of the village Kulugerovo, the next vii
lage on the route, they had crossed it ten
times, each time with much trouble. TheI
way led over great lodges of hard. diuty1
rock full of seams and assures, 80 diff 4
cult for the horses to pass that several
Of them caught their feet in the crevicesl
and tore the hoof from the bone. Horses
were not too numerous, aud it was im-
possible to proceed without them, so the
hoofess feet were bound up in rags and
the poor beasts limped along, dragging
the heavy caissons and guns. The whole
day of the 22d they climbed along the
mountain paths, step by step, not adyant
cling two kilometers an hour. The mtn
tied ropes to the muzzles of the guns,
and kept them from falling over the pree.
lipices, but three caissons full OF antnu
milton went over in spite of all efforts 70
prevent the accident, and TWO horses and
one Cossack mortally wounded /; the 9TH
er men who were with the caissons
scrambled up in time tosave themselves.
The men proposed to leave the remain-
ling caissons, and to carry the powder
and shells singly by hand; but this was,
first, contrary to general orders, and,
second a proceeding evidently too dan.
| gerous to be permitted. and the efforts to
bring forward the caissons were erenewed
with redoubled energy.
What the men suffered on that long
march no one may fully describe. They
lhad only hard bread to at,and they were
accustomed to meat and plenty OF it,
lLoaded down with great deal OF am
munition, they drew themselves up from
rock to rock with severe labor, for it
must be remembered they we're not
mountaineers. On past the village of
Kaluvyerovo,w where they left two cannon
/; for the want of horses, they reached at
, last the village of Lakavika, near the
river Pravecka, at 9 O'Clock in the even
ing. Having met ten of the enemy, a
small band of Bashi.Bazouks on the
} road, they were obliged to take extraor-
dinary precautions to keep quiet, and
finding it quite out Of the question to
proceed in the unexplored paths in the
d nisht,th dense fog which had enveloped
the landscape all still clinging to the
8 earth, they decided to bivouac, and they
Law down without fire, and slept in an in
slant. Two men died of fatigue on the
spot ;the rest we're so worn With want ol
: sleep and severe exertions that they were
like drunken men, and every man of the
outposts was found'by the officers VINO
went the rounds TO be dead asleep, and
no scolding or threats could keep them
awake, although they were in the very
face of the enemy. The horses trembled
= all night, not from cold, but from over
work, and they threw themselves fiat the
moment they we're taken from the traces
= The night, chilly as it was, seemed far
b too short to the exhausted men, and on
the morning of the 23d they worked
their way on again, crossing the Pravec
ka, and following up the ravine to the
fright and southwark. A single noun.
l. tain range, partly held by the Turks,now
separated them from the plain of Orkha.
ME, and the end of their climb seemed
at hand. Suddenly came sharp infan'
try fire upon the column from the height
along the ravine, where it made turr
! around the mountain; and, though moi
completely surprised, there was of course
; a halt and general fusilade.
: Two hundred Kuban Cossacks had al
ready passed the point where the Turks
) were assembled, so they dismounted anC
left their horses, and climbed up the pre-
J. cipitous mountain side to get upon th'
. flank Of the enemy. At the same time
L. two battslions worked their way up th'
crags higher, and higher toward the sum
NIT until they looked like ants crawlin!
along the bushes and rocks. The enem.
- continued their fire, and, of couree
= shooting too high did little damage, ,onl.
~ wounding two men and killing ant
wounding several horses. The appear
20 ance of the infantry in front and the dis
n mounted Cossacks on the flank demoral
lied the Turks and they fed, having de
D. layed the advance of the column coupl
st of hours, the whole of which time
II. brisk fire was kept up from both sides
ri with, as have said, triaing loss. O
It. they went again as before, dragging
lie pushing, pulling the cannon. and game
without further resistance the summit o
the range where the Turkish positio
: was in the middle of the afternoon. Tn
- = men were almost on their last legs, an
it seemed as If nothing but the sight Q
=. the enemy could bring them further on
N There was no grumbling or unwilling
lv ness, but simple exhaustion, inability t
' march and climb any more. The officer
took off their swords and revolvers an
~ ~ left them with the baggage,then led thei
III troops in the direction of the enemy
i'll position, telling the men that they wen
against the Turks, in perfect con6denc
20 that no harm would come to them in tn
d company of the brave soldiers who ba
Ell accomplished so much and suffered s
much in the last two days. The me
a thus led joined in an encouraging hui
I'd rah and went merrily on. Finding lh
TX Turks in an earthwoik on the summit {
w trunca,ed peak, they charged upon
and took the position late in the af;el
ci noon