Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-29

cneu IIIdl, VIII De rehabilitated in pOpu-
lar esteem or ruined forever. We pro
| pose to briefly record some of the princi-
| pal OF these antecotes, as throwing light
upon the character of one of the few
heroes of our time.
Skobelof found no opportunity of
special distinction until the time of the
expedition against Khiva. He was ap-
pointed to the command of a regiment
Df Cossacks in the column sent from
Kimberly Bay, on the Caspian, to join
The corps under the orders of General
Verefkin, which operated from Oren-
burg The suferings incurred during
this march were dreadful, and have been
feelingly recorded by Lieutenant Stumm,
a German officer attached to it. Several
| times it seemed that the absence of wa
ter would entail not merely the failure of
the expedition, but the destruction of
| the whole force, and rapid retreat to
the Caspian seemed to afford the only
means of escape. During this critical
time Colonel Skobeloff was always
to the front with his Cossacks. and
it was his fortunate capture of a
large convoy of provisions from a
stronger body of Turcomans that
gave the troops the first encouragement
they had met with during their march.
In the operations before the town of
Khlva, Skobeloff took more prominent
part than his rank warranted, owing to
General Verefkin being incapacitated by
wound Indeed, he NAV be said to
have effected the capture of the place.
for having battered down the Hazavat
Gate, he made his way, at the head of a
thousand men, to the palace of the
Khan. He effected his purpose, but. on
learning that General Kaufman had en-
tered the town by another gate, he at
once withdrew, leaving the Governor
General the nominal credit of the vic.
tory. Before the Russian troops re.
crossed the Oxus, Skobeloff, on the
principle that adventures are still
for the adventurous, made the
opportunity of gaining fresh distinction.
The difficulties of the desert, which had
nearly proved too much for his own col
umn, had completely taffled that sent
under Colonel MarkOzof from Chikishlar
and the Attreck. 1t advanced a short
distance beyond the Igdy wells, when it
had to beat retreat, and the operations
eliminated in disgrace and disaster.
The desire was often expressed to ascer-
tain whether, if Markozof had persisted
IN his attempt, he could have made his
way to Khiva, and the only means of set.
Ting the point was for some one TO
explore the route between Khiva and
lgdy. This was the task to which
when the operations of the war were
concluded, Skobelof set himself with
characteristic energy. Dressed in Tur
conan costume, and accompanied bv
three Turcomans attached to his person.
he rode for ten days through the desert.
and succeeded in making the necessary |
examination TO establish the fact that |
Markozof had had no choice save to re-
treat. This adventurous journey in the |
midst OF cruel and infuriated enemy |
spread the fame of Skobeloff's gallautry. |
and his exploration of the old bed of the |
Oxus was acknowledged to be the most |
intrepid feat of the war.
In 1875 the outbreak of disturbances
in the Khanate of Khokand, where the |
people rose up against their Prince. |
Khudayar, resulted in the dispatch of a |
Russian expedition into that State. and |
SkobeloH was intrusted with one of the |
principal commands 1t was mainly |
due to his valor and to the energy with |
which he followed up the beaten de- |
tachments OF the enemy that the Kho. |
kandlans were so speedily disheartened. |
At Makhram he showed for the first |
time the capacity of a leader of men in |
out maneuvring a greatly superior force |
OF his opponents. He obtained the re |
ward OF his merit in his appointment to |
the post of first Governor of Ferghana:
but, having exposed something of the |
corruption prevailing throughout the
public departments, he made power
ful enemies, and found himself
obliged to hasten to st. Peters.
burg to meet and refute the
charges brought in retaliation against
himself. He was still under a cIoud |
when the Turkish war began. and the
utmost favor he could obtain was TO he
appointed en- dispOnsG6ilIte to the staff off |
the Grand Duke Nicholas. Neither the
jealousy of his brother Generals-for
Skobelof was now a Major General and
decorated, moreover, with two Crosses
OF st. George-nor the disfavor of the
court could keep such man in the hack.
ground when reputation was to be won
by valor and skill shown in face of the
enemy. The first act of the war showed
SkobeloH in the character of the Bavard
of the Russian army. He attached
himself as aide de camp to the Gen
eral commanding the advance guard.
and, while the rest of the troops
were crossing the Danube in boats
he swan his horse across in view
of the whole army. The Danube at this
point is twice the width of the Thames
and the effect of the act was to hring
home as a vital fact to the arn,v in E,i.
rope Skobelofs reputation for gallantry,
hfah hoh hoQr1 - =
production. what this passage of the
Danube showed the later incidents of
the war confirmed. In the second hattie
at Plevna-that fought on the Both of
July his skillful manipulation of the
cavalry checked the Turkish advance
and virtually saved the Russian army
from annihilation. But it was at the
struggle Of Loftcha that he shone to the
most conspicuous advantage; for the re-
suits of that battle, which was fought
on the lines he sketched out. were
that Osman Pasha was cut off |
from his communication with Ship
ka and constrained to hold |
on to his position at Plevna. The Grand |
Duke Nicholas acknowledged that SkO- |
0eloH was 'the hero of tae day" The |
struggle at Loftcha being successfully |
SOAGAu0C0y OhODClOu udSb6Ue0 10 lake |
part In the desperate assault on the |
Graviiza and adjoining redoubts, which
resulted in, perhaps, the most awful
slaughter of modern times 1t will be re-
membered that SIX lbeloff, at the head of
eighteen thousand men, succeeded in
etfecting lodgment within t. line Of
Turkish Fedoubts, but that he was driven |
out on the following day. His loss
amounted to eight thousand men, but
instead of his soldiers being disheartened |
and disgusted with him personally by
this disastrous failure, they worshiped
him more than ever as the General who
had shared all their perils and who had |
performed almost Incredible feats of
valor.
Shobeloff received his reward in being
raised to the rank of Lieutenant Gen.
eFal, with the command of the Sixteenth
Division, which he at once set himself
to work to make the most efficient in the
army, His attention to the comfort of