The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-03-25
MICHAEL SKOBELEFF.
HRIEP ACCOIsF or MS maXy DTEDs or
DtRIsG.
E"sslaH fSssaek Leader, who las shown
Marked niIifnFy Ability on the
Battlefield.

.. The brilliant victory Of Geek Ten
, places the name of Michael Dimitriy.
witch SkobcleG nearly, If not quite, a
the head Of the IisL Of fighting General
Of these warlike times. He is scarcel
! over 80 years Of age, and yet he la
played a distinguished part in not les
than four campaigns. At 2G years h.
WAS Captain IN the sta1, and when tb,
city WAX ai0rmed he led those who en-
tered it. Two years later he won hil
appointment as General in the wal
which ended 10y the annexation Of X ho
kand TO Russia. One incident Of tbi,
campaign il fairly characteristic Of hi,
reckless daring. Twelve hundred Rus
SANS were rrlrcnting before superior
force when night attack was deter.
mined on rather as diversion than AZ
a serious Assault upon the enemy. Gen.
eral Skobelcif was charged with the ex-
ecution Of the desperate task. He took
100 picked C,aacks, whom he devidel
into three parties, aud At their head he
dashed noiselefsly into the camp Of
5000 men. They deemed it "A attack
in force, Md 1ed panic-slrie ken, de
scitins even their arms and baggage.
But what is most remarkable il ihat
not one Of the attacking force waa
either killed or wounded. In ibe next
year (lS7G) be- ~as appointed Military
Governor and Commander IN Chief Of
the l;nssian province embracing kho-
kand, and this position he held until,
III 1877, hc was ordered 10 join the
staff of the Grand Dukc Nicholas. In
the Russo Turkish war which followed,
his brilliant dcols repeatedly command
etl attention. lie was the first 10 cross
the Danube at S.mnitza. la one of
the eaIly engagements before Plevna
the salty of the Russian retreat was
dnr 10 him. Ills capture Of Lovatz
"as thc first Eu>ai1n victory after a
long sciica oi IeverscE, aud again,
before Pic,iia. Ec i,d forlorn hoI.es "a
saily and a. confidently as though de
le.st ~aS impossihir OF one Of these
leeis 81 DARN. ti.. Times correspon-
dent aaIl ~ 'ia.t tine. ..rhrs..- f.nrths
o. h,, i,s.ta',"o we're swept from before
his cyea. la on" single day 5000 out
Of his 1000 suliiers fcli-a lropor
lion almost wi'htH precedent ia tie
annals Of military history. H.
charged the Turkish batteries at the
heal of the fourth Brigade Of Chas
senrs, 500 strong, and ia less tl,sn Al
hour = 600 aoldirrs were hor, IL, com
bat. Onca hr brought up forty-eight
pieces Ia within GOO yaiis Of the enc
my position to cover Las infantry; il
thirty minutes sixteen cannon wer,
dismounted, and when he at last with
drew, three guns remained Of his de
feat. lie came hack grimly, fighting
to the last In that engagement h,
was sacrificed 30 red tape, for ther,
were ia sight and available troop:
enough to have enabled him TO hold
the redoubts he had captured, ana thus
not only to have turned that defeat into
victory, but to have changed the whole
current of the war But there was Ia,
one there to give the necessary order
and without the order the troops would
not and did not stir Skobeleif him
self led the assault on horseback right
up to the glacis of the redoubt. Hi:
horse, the seventh killed under him il
that campaign, was blown to pieces by
shell which burst right under hi
belly, but he himself escaped unhurt
and led the way into the redoubt ol
foot, sword in hand That is the sor
of leader whom soldiers will die in Col
lowing, and il was his services on tha
day that won for him the rank q
Lieutenant General. Skobeleif is tai
l in stature, and powerfully built, wit
small waist and large shoulders. III
wears-or did in lS77-his hair crop
ped as closely AS prize-fghter, AM
has long pendent yellow wiskers, and
!, formidable mustache. He would b
p called handsome were it not for an un
: handsome nose. His eyes are gra,
5 and small, but bright with intelligenc
: and determination, and his short, thil
) upper lip closes over teeth brilliant a
ivory. In battle he likes to wear
, white coat and ride white horse, an,
is thus as inviting mark as can DO wei
0 imagined. The reason is said to b
that he is superstitious, as men of &C
ton often are, and believes himself in
! vulnerable until his mission has beer
accomplished.
; MOFSe-ThieVes FOIied by n Dog.
A bold attempt was made to steal ;
pair of valuable horses recently from th'
barn of SaEdford Strait, at Tioga junction
The thieves entered the barn, bridled III;
horses, and led them into the yard. Th'
dog, upon discovering the mischief, by hi