The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-11-21
THE RUSSIAN ARTIST.
VEREsTcHAGIN AMID THE CARNAGE
OF THE BATTLEFIELD.

verestchagin. It was during the Russo
Turkish war, on the battlefield OF PievnA,
and the memory of my first glimpse Of him
is intimately connected with that OF the
famous Scobeleff, the White general, and of
J. A. MacGahan, the greatest OF war cor
respondents Verestchagin was In an official
capacity as artistic historian Of the war, and
many of the pictures TO be exhibited saw in
their first stages as rough sketches. The first
time saw him was during the memorable
retreat of Scobelefrs forces In August, 1877,
from his position on the extreme left Of the
Russian attacking forces, ON the Green noun
tains, where he held two Of four redoubts
that he had captured on the first day of the
hght for over forty>eight hours, though he
had lost over 5000 out Of the q, 900 under his
command. ! was riding with MacGahan. in
fact, and accompanied the intrepid Ohioan
on the afternoon OF the previous day In his
search for Scobeleff's headquarters.
They were great figures of that war--these
three men, Scobeleff. MacGahan and verest-
chagin. MacGahan was free lance, as IL
were among the Russians; and wherever he
went be was saluted by the soldiers as a
friend. remember one day no shouted out
to me:
"Comel know where the grapes grow
And followed the genial invitation, and
we rode together along the pleasant Bulga.
rian valleys, while yet the two opposing ar
mics were quiet, and the day for the Rus
SLAMS to deliver the assault had not been de-
cided upon Finally we came to the crest OF
plateau, where the grapes grew in delicious
flavor, and the big maize stalks hid us en-
tirely from view.
81 viii show you something you have
never seen, he said; and with that he led me
to point OF the plateau from whence we
could look fairly down upon the little city
of Plevna, only two miles away. What was
my surprise three days afterward, when ac-
companying the Russian headquarters staff,
to lind that the very place had been selected
by Krudener from which to direct the con-
fict. 1t was MacGahan who had told him
where the grapes were of delicious quality,
and where the best view of the city of
Plevna and the whole battlefield could be
had.
1t was a brilliant group OF officers who
formed semi-circle round the commander
in-chief that drizzly day and watched the
battle from II o'clock in the morning till
well in the afternoon, and then began to re-
tire followed by the vast army that had
been repulsed all along the line, except on
the extreme left, where Scobeleff still held
his ground, and continued to hold in spite of
the commands sent to him. In the group
collected in front OF Pievna that day were
two brothers of Verestchagin, the one cap
tain of Cossacks, Alexander; the other, Ser
gius Vasilli, both brave as they were hand
some Alexander accompanied Scobeleff to
his position, and while riding with him was
wounded, and had then to be sent back to
Bucharest. Sergius mot, unfortunately, a
terrible end slain by the Turkish Circas-
SLAMS It is delight to read Alexander's ex-
periences during that campaign, to follow
him with Scobeleff and to read his curious
stories
On the morning after Krudener's defeat,
while Scobeleff still held two redoubts on the
Green mountain, MacGahan was up early
and ready to 60 and look for the White gem
eral. 1t was long search for him, and il
was not till nearly In the afternoon that
we got near him, and then he was too busy in
directing the retreat to be approached, We
halted our horses and watched the decimated
regiments passing TO the rear, thousands
after thousands, the hundreds Of wounded
borne on stretchers or assisted along by their
companions. Near by, seated on bank,
was handsome, brown bearded man, sketch
ing the scene.
"Lookl" said MacGahan. ''there is We.
retschagin.n
Tho visitors to the exhibition win see the
painting for which the celebrated artist was
there making his sketches, will see the hand
some blonde general-of whom Coroner Mes
semer reminds you somewhat in appearance
AS he appeared dashing hither and thither
on his white horse, keeping his beaten forces
In ,r.,1ar Than xva Lost Ecoha1aR a0afn nd
1t took us an hour after darkness had spread
all round before we discovered him again,
and then his tent was pointed out to us,
planted in a small ravine, guarded by few
companies OF his Cossacks.
The scene inside Scobelefrs tent was q
cnriously interesting one. Tho famous gen.
eral greeted us warmly In fluent English, his
language interpreted with goodly number
Of thoroughly Anglo-Saxon swear words.
''The dash, dash, dash, dash, dash; IL they
had only done all round what my men have
done we would have been in Plevna tonight.
Think Of the poor fellows left behind-8, coo
Of them at the least sacrificed to incompe-
tency." And the tears streamed down his
cheeks.
1t was strange scene. Not an hour be-
fore and he had been directing the retreat Of
his army, and there he was in his tent, stand
ing before mirror completing his toilet. He
had taken a bath, his valet had brought him
complete change Of linen, which he had
donned We watched him carefully brush
his flowing beard, and then he picked up his
manicure set and began polishing his long,
beautiful nails, Of which he was extremely
proud. Four hours before he had been in tho
last redoubt and had had his horse shot under
him, and there he was, not three miles way
from the battlefield, as calmly attending to
his personal appearance as IL he were about
to attend q banquet or pnblic ball.
ZAP. new, boys" he said when no had
finish d, ''share pot luck WIZ me, Verest-
chagln will DO around shortly, and we will
try and forget our disaster"
ButlVerestchagin did not turn up, having
failed to find the generals tent and gone fur
afterward, always with his sketch book, for
he was ono OF the busiest and most conscien-
tious Of workers, and never let skirmish or
amilitary movement escape him II he could
help it. His paintings are faithful reproduc-
items of the hideous scenes that he there
placed In his sketch book. The charge has
been made that he is too realistic in his work;
that his war paintings are too horrible in
their realism, and that he has failed TO enl-
body the quality Of heroism that belongs to
warfare and to victorious army. IN an
swer to this charge he says, admitting its
truth, that he does not understand why war
should be idealized and made beautiful when
it Is, as matter of fact "the most awful
and blood curdling institution on the face of
Gods earth. The criticism has been made,
know, that l should have infused more Of ro-
nance and chivalry In tho scenes depicted,
but l never intended to do SO; that is the
work Of artists who have never seen battle
Geld. / saw only tho heaps OF dead and
dying, distorted faces and torn limbs-death
and blood and destruction everywhere; and
what saw l have attempted faithfully to
give again ON my caf1vases. New Yorl,