Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-28
OSMAN PASHA.
Career Of Turkeys Most Famous General
The Siege of Plevna.


The Siege of Plevna.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat
A dispatch from Constantinople,
which we publish in another column,
announces in that city the death, yes
terday, of Osman Pasha, the ablest of
Turkeys modern generals.
Osman was born in Asia Minor at
some date between 1880 and 1885, and
is chiefly known, out of his own coun-
try, by his gallant struggle against an
overpowering force of Russians In
Bulgaria in 1877. In the Russo-Tur
ish war which was waged that year
and next, the town of Plevna, natural
ly strategic position, was selected by
Osman as the point where he thought
it best to await the attack of the Rus
sian general, Schuldner, who, with an
army of 100000 men, had crossed the
Danube and was marching on Con-
stantinople. Schulder did not get
further. When he delivered the attack
upon Osman be was hurled back with
great loss, and retreated, and was
superseded by Krudener. Krudener
made similar assault two or three
months later, and with similar re-
suit, save that Krudener's loss was
twice as great as Schuldner's.
The Grand Duke Nicholas, with the
dashing General Skobeleff as his chief
of staff, next appeared against Plevna,
with fresh army of 80, 900 men. o.
mans army having in the meantime
been reinforced until its strength was
SO, 900. During the entire month, Of
September (lS77) Skobeleff assaulted
the city and gave the beleaguered no
rest night or day; but Osman was
equal to the emergency. Not only did
be successfully resist every attack of
the Russians, but in sortie after sortie
he became the assailant and inflicted
great loss upon the beseigers. The
Russian government saw that it did
not have the easy task before it which
it had anticipated, and at the begin.
ming of October sent to the grand
dukes assistance Todleben, the great
est military engineo Bf his day, and
perhaps of the century.
But even with Todleben's skill it
took the Russian army more than two
months to crush Osman's brilliant de-
fense and it was not until December
10, 1877, that Osman, with his army,
now reduced to $4,000 men, driven
thereto by lack of food and ammuni-
ton, sought to cut bis way out through
the ring of steel with which Todleben
had surrounded the city. He did not
succeed and had to surrender with his
entire army and II guns. But so
splendid had been the defense that he
and his army were allowed to march
out with all the honors of war, amid
the huzzas of the conquerors.
There have been not few illustri-
GUS sieges during the balf-century-
Silistria, Kars, Lucknow, Vicksburg,
Ladysmith, Kimberley, Mafeking; but
not in any one of them was the defense
conducted with greater skill and spirit
than in Plevna, and Osman himself
was distinctly the inspiring genius
during the entire siege as Williams was
in the siege of Kars or Baden-Powell at
Mafeking. Well indeed might Abdul
Hamid exclaim when Osman breathed
his last: "Allah is unmerciful be has
deprived me of my honest, true, friend,
and most valiant supporter The sui
tan's cry of sorrow is touching tribute
to Osman's worth as man, loyalty as
subject and bravery as soldier. The
Osmanlis have had few ss staunch and
brilliant servants of recent years as the
hero of Plevna.