Wichita eagle., 1889-01-10
THE RUSSIAN ARTIST.
VERESTCHAGiN AMID THE CARNAGE
OF THE BATTLEFIELD.


His Toilet After an AssauIt-A Realistic
Battle Scene.
1t is many years since l first saw N.
Verestchagin 1t was during the Russo
Turkish war, on the battlefield of Plevna,
and the memory of my first glimpse of hin,
is intimately connected with that Of the
famous Scobelef, 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 Scobeled's forces il 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
fight for over forty-eight hours, though be
had lost over 5000 out Of the $4,000 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 Scobelefs headquarters.
They were great figures of that war-these
three men. Scobelsf, MacGahan and Verest-
chagin. AIacGahan was free lance. as it
were, among the Russians; and wherever he
went he was saluted by the soldiers as o
friend. | remember one day he shouted out
to me:
''Come! l know where the grapes grow
plentifully Let US go thither,"
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
a plateau, where tie grapes grew in delicious
favor, and the big maize stalks hid US en-
tirely from view.
II will show you something you have
never seem" 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 &C
companying the Russian headquarters staff,
to find that the very place had been selected
by Krudener from which to direct the con-
hict. 1t was MacGahan who had told him
where the grapes were Of delicious quality,
end where the best view of the city of
Pievna and the whole battlefield could be
had
1t was a brilliant group OF officers who
formed a 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 ell along the line, except on
the extreme left, where Scobelef still held
his ground, and continued to hold in spite of
the commands sent to him In the group
collected in front Of Plevna that day were
two brothers of Verestchagin, the one a cap
tain of Cossacks, Alexander; the other Ser
eius VasilIi, 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 met, unfortunately, a
terrible end, slain by the Turkish Circas
SLAMS. 1t 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 Krudeners defeat,
while Scobeleff still held two redoubts on the
Green mountain, MacGahan was up early
and ready to 90 and look for the White gem
eraI 1t was 4 long search for him, and it
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 aud 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 a handsome, brown bearded man, sketch
ing the scene.
''Look!n said MacGahan. ''there is We
retschagin."
The visitors Co the exhibition win see tho
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 be appeared dashing hitler and thither
on his white horse, keeping his beaten forces
in order. Then we lost Scobeleff again, and
il 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 q small ravine, guarded by a few
companies Of his Cossacks.
The scene inside ScObelefrs tent was a
curiousiy interesting one. The famous gen
eral greeted US warmly in fluent English, his
language interspersed with goodly number
of thoroughly Anglo-Saxon swear words
''The dash, dash, dash, dash, dash; if 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-6,000
OF them at the least sacrificed TO inconpe-
tency.n And the tears streamed down his
cheeks
1t was q strange scene. Not an hour be-
fore and he had been directing the retreat of
his army, and there be was in his tent. stand
ing before a mirror completing his toilet He
l,oi hot had i1~<9r1 rrf0- frir
a complete change Of linen, which he had
donned. We watched him carefully brush
his flowing beard, and then he picked up MS
manicure set and began polishing his long,
beautiful nails, Of which he was extremely
proud. Four hours before ne had been ii tho
last redoubt and bad had his horse shot under
him, and there he was. not three miles away
from the battlefield, as calmly attending TO
his personal appearance as ii he were about
to attend banquet or a pnbilc ball
"And now, boys he said when he had
finished, share pot luck WV me. Verest-
chagin viii be around shortly, and we Will
try and forget our disaster
Butss erestchagln did not turn uD, having
failed 70 find the generals tent and gone fur
Their back 20 the rear. saw him many times
afuerward. ALWAYS with his sketch book, Tor
he was one Of the busiest and most conscieI.-
tsJuS Of workers. and never let a skirniSh or
II military movement escape him II he could
help it lis paintings are faithful reprodUc-
tons Of the hideols scenes that ne there
placed in his sketch book. The charge has
been made that he is too realistic in his To-a:
that his war paintings are too horrible IN
their realism, and that he has failedSto,ec1-
body the quality OF heruisrn that belongs 10
warfare ana 20 VICTORIOUS army. In an
sver 10 this charge he says, admitting It's
truth, that be does not understand why war
should bs idesllze1 and rlade beautiful when
1t Is rs G msr.er OF fact. the most awful
and blood cErdliug institution on tie fsce OF