The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-03


and Asia In addition to these were mount
ed men by the hundreds Of thousands, all
men Of valor and of years OF experience.
1t does not appear that by Bajazets ini-
tial movements in attack is disclosed the
plan of battle which he undoubtedly essay
ed to put into execution. 1t Is not to be
doubted that the Turkish emperor gave
the scientific direction of his troops. and
It is to- be regretted that writer's OF the MIS-
tory of those days were less skilled In war
fare than in letters.
II is impossible to discern from the vague
and rhetorical descriptions Of contempor-
ary writers the initial movement; OF the
Turkish army. This description exists I'M
doubtedly in the still untranslated portion
of Tfmour's own commentaries, but at
present II is inaccessible to those who can
not read the ancient Arabic.
The second movement of the battle Is
clearer and from that time out the grand
tactics of this stupendcus contest are read
fly followed. There Is no doubt that for his
victory the Mogul conqueror was indebted.
first, to his own vast military genius. and,
secondly, to deFpotic discipline of thirty
years. which had TRANSFORMED his rank and
file into automatons.
Timour took up a position with his army
en- the defensive and awaited the attack
OF the Turks. His central columns, which
constituted HIS main body, were posted In
front OF the city OF Angora. The city itself
was closely invested by large detached
corps in order to prevent the garrison from
taking any part in the coming conflict The
two wings of his army extended diagonn-
ally forward from the central columns.
making two vast re-entering angles and
constituting three contiguous sides OF a
great octagons
on each flank OF his army Timour post
ed enormous masses Of light cavalry. prob
ably amounting to several hundred thous-
and troops and the whole OF the main
line was supported in rear at regular in
tervals by dense masses OF the choicest
Tartar troops, selected for long experience
and exact discipline. On the front or his
line Tfmour displayed some 600 elephants
Upon the backs of these formidable crea-
lures were great towers occupied by fur
naces OF Greek fire. His lines were still
further strengthened by scores OF cannon
made In the glnshops OF Europe.
In front OF the Tartar line OF battle and
on tho tanks Of the advancing Turkish
host skirmished thousands of Asiatic
horsemen, who welded with astonishing
skill all kinds Of missile weapons. javelins.
sings and arrows. and advanced. retreated
and nanoeuvred In rapid evolutions which
make such battles q study and the admir-
alton OF the student Of cavalry tactics
I
IRE or the elephants or all combined. or
the superior numbers of the Tartar troops,
It is impossible to say. but for some
reason the critical attack OF the Turkish
army appears to have been repeled by
the Tartars without difficulty.
About 10 o'clock in the forenoon. II seems
that the Mogul army had itself assumed
the tactical offensive. and with superior
forces, superior discipline and superior
generalship was slowly but surely over
whelming the Oftomans. The strength Of
the Tartar host consisted In the skill with
which Timour had combined the use of
missile weapons with the evolutions OF
light cavalry. BY this method the tactics
were the same, both for the army as a
whole and for each division of the army
The front rank of each division, and con-
sequently the front rank of the whole
army, deployed and advanced In open skir-
mish order to the attack. supported. rank
after rank. by other troops advancing in
solid masses and then deploying into open
order. In consequence of this there al
ways prevailed one general attack made
by the entire army as a unit, combined
with numerous minor attacks made by
each division of the army.
Each Of these attacks was directed by
one Of Timour's lleutenants, the general