San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-26
ALSO ABANDONED THE CITY OF
MATT, LEAVING THEIR
ARTILLERY BEHIND.
The Accounts From Both Turkish
And Greek Camps Coincide Aud
The Defeat Is Conceded,
Prince COnStantine'S
Position.

the Journal from London, says:
The special correspondent of the
Daily Mail, writing from Milouna,
thus early describes the fighting
which led up to the battle of Matt:
Early Friday morning, Nischat Pa
sha's division occupied the hill of Kri-
tiri This was the last Greek position
on the road to Larissa.
The enemy was driven from it by
Edhem Pashas flank movement. We
had not to expend the lives of Turkish
soldiers in stOrming it. The position
was almost impregnable and was evac-
uated, thanks to our strategy.
Friday the Turks took two villages
above and below the pass to the right
of the Greeks.
The battle opened with a furious ar
tillery combat, in which the Turkish
guns did great execution, pulverizing
Greek opposition ana preparing the
way for the advance of our infantry.
The artillery fire was extraordinarily
acute. 1 watched shell after shell fall
right on Greek entertainments.
Presently the charge was sounded
and our troops advanced with impetu-
Gus ardor to the assault. They dashed
forward with cries of Allah is great
and he will give us victory over the
infidels," swept up the hill and before
one had time to ask what they were
| doing, were in the Greek entrench-
ments and the onslaught was deter
| mined.
Our losses were considerable. AS
our men went shouting up the slope
they left many prone on the ground
behind them.
The rout is told in another account
from a correspondent on the Greek
side which is as follows:
A bloody battle was fought yester-
day at Matt and it ended in the total
defeat of the Greeks. The encounter
ragged from dawn with quite indecisive
results.
Col. Menloks fell back in fairly good
order The Greek forces were entirely
outflanked and fell back in confusion.
The crown prince telegraphed for in
struction to King George, who replied:
IF possible defend Larissa; if not do
what the needs of the case impose"
1t was then decided to abandon La
rissa and indeed, it was only just in
time. Fortunately many of the inhab-
itants had gone, but the scene was
nevertheless a terrible one. The troops
were pouring back in utter disorder
from the front, bringing news that the
Turks were following hard after them.
Some heavy pieces of ordnance, placed
in position on the heights which cover
Larissa, and which would under or
binary circumstances have been held,
had however, to be abandoned, but
their breeches were carried off and the
weapons thus rendered useless.
The awful precipitancy with which
the place was evacuated was intensi-
fled by the fact that the order to re-
treat was issued on Friday night and
the preparations went on all through
the darkness. When dawn broke the
work of carrying off the military stores,
provisions and household goods was
still being vigorously prosecuted, but
the needs of the army had to have first
consideration.
About noon no one remained in the
town save the project, several police
men and a few telegraph employees
and they prepared to start.
1t is supposed the Turkish troops oc-
cupied the town toward the evening.
The news of this disaster and its
consequences have caused absolute
CONSERVATION here and it is impossible
to say what may happen. People have
not yet woke to the full significance
of the blow, but the scenes everywhere
are pitiable to witness.
After the issue of the combat at
Matt, the Greek army fell back on its
second line of defense at Pharsala.
Order was gradually restored to a con-
siderable evtent, but the general moral
of the troops had received a serious
blow.