The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-05-02

LarIssa 1 met the Second infantry reg
rnent retrea:ing from Bogazi, in fault
less order. At 5 p. m, we reached Den
dra, fiften miles from Larisa- With my
glas 1 could see their line at Ligaria,
but nothing further that day.
''Larissa was completely deserted by
the in habitants and authorities, both
civil and military. Such was the panic
which had seized everybody that there
kas talk OF setting fire 20 the town be-
fore leaving II, in order that il might
not fall into the hands of the enemy.
The inmates Of the city prisons were set
az liberty, and the official archives were
removed. But. sad to relate, great guam
titles OF munitions and supplies were
abandoned. Twelve siege guns were al
so left behind, after being rendered use
less by unscrewing the breach shoppers.
Surely, with the Turks still at Ligaria,
these supplies and guns might have been
removed. I can only say now that the
Greek position on the Thesalian frontier
was splendid up to Friday night, that
the fighting of the Grek troops was most
brilliant, and that this position has been
turned into the present disaster and dis
order by the incapacitiy of the general
staff and certain brigade commanders.
''The abandonment Of Analysis, Te-
filvrysa, Rachovrysi. Meluna. Papaliva-
don, Gritzovali and Arpski last Monday
night by order of Brigade Commander
Mastraps and the general staff, was the
first most fatal blunder. This gave the
Turks command Of the whole eastern
half Of the Thesalian frontier. and en-
abled them 10 march undisturbed over
Meluna into Ligaria and Keradjolio
Had the Greek batteries on Rachovrysi
had two days more to operate upon
Menexe. that stronghold must have fall
len. Then the Greek shells could have
been sent crashing into the strets of
Siassona. Nevertheless. even after the
deliberate and unnecessary sacrifice OF
these advantages, the positions of the
Greek were strong enoughrat Bogazi and
Revent TO make Elassona unsafe
At Bogazi they had forced the Turks
back for distance of two miles, and
held the inner outlet Of fthe pass towads
Damasi. AS soon as Vigla was taken
they could have rushed in upon the viii
lage.
''The Greek troops could have storned
Vigla as early as last Monday, yet they
were obliged 10 maintain an attitude of
passive defence, in conformity with the
crown princes strict orders. The storm
ing of Vigla would doubtless have cost
the lives Of a couple of hundred men.
yet brave soldiers told me, with tears of
rage in their eyes, as we crouched un-
der the intrenchments upon the heights
of Taverna, how they had been living
idle there for days, seeing the Greek
shells smashing the enemy's batteries in
all directions, when one bayonet charge
across those 100 yards of ountain pla-
teau would have ended the matter. Wig
la would have turned its guns on Scom-
pa. Damesi would have been taken with
out shot, and Elassona would have
been brought within easy reach. Even
at the eleventh hour on Thursday or
Friday, if Vigla had been stormed, the
Turkish army ar Ligaria would have
been n precpitate retreat across the
Miluna TO save Elasona. Vigla. there
fore. as the second blot upon the Grek
headquarters strategy.
''The third blunder was at Matt. If the
possession Of Losfaki and Delaria was
50 important for the safety OF the Greek
army the former should have been main
tained and the latter should have been
stormed, cost what il might ANY one
familiar with the history Of modern bat
ties can recall how desperately armies
have fought over the possession Of
single hamlet or knoll: yet Col. Mavrom-
ichaelis, when he arrived outside of De-
iaria, saw the Turks in possession, re-
treated without firing a shot, and tele-
graphed back that he was beaten. When
the brave commander OF Lospaki signal
led early in the afternoon for reinforce
ments. he received instead an order 10
abandon the position; yet in the plain be
low the Greek army of 1000 men, with
five batteries, had really pushed a great
ly superior force of the enemy back upon
Ligaria. and a whole brigade Of rein
farcements was in sight. at the very mo-
ment when retreat was decided upon
''No wonder that the Greek army and
the Greek nation were struck with bewil-
derment and CONSERVATION at this awful
blundering. for even II we admit the ne
cessity of retreat. It could have been
executed in a manner to save both the
honor of the Greek army and the homes
OF the Thessal.an populations. front
could have first been made at Kazaklar.
ard Tyrnavos. and when that position
became un;enahle the army could have
fallen back slowly upon Larissa, thus
giving time for the inhabitants OF Tyr
navos and Larissa and the surrounding
villages to make their arrangements In
stead OF that these poor villagers and
townspeople fed from their homes. aban
doning large proportion even OF their
porJaole goods. There can be no shad-
ow cast upon the gallantry and fighting
Of the Gresk officers and men in this
painful crisis The Greek soldier IS un-
deniably brave. intelligent. abstemin-
Gus. and enduring. His shortcomings
pernic.ous system of political meddling.
which mas corrupted everything in
Greece. the army not excepted
The fault Of the present disaster must
be laid entirely at the door Of the general
staff. unless i b. part Of . larger polit-
ical combination Of which We are as vet
ignorant. in which case the responsible
ity- must be sought for az Athens. The
general staff is by far the weakest point
in ne Greek army. for no serious work
has been done since the fall If King
Ctho 10 build up corps Of trained staff
officers. Until such measures be taken
Greece can never attain such success as
her gallant soldiers deserve. and very
nearly achieved this time in spite Of
tler leaders. AS regards The general sit
Gatlen there can be no doubt that the