The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-25
THE GREATEST OF BATTLES.
WHEN TARTAR AND TURK NET on
THE PLAINS OF ANGORA.

plants at the FrOnt-Tactics OF
Five Hundred Years AgO-The
Strife of Two OId-Time War Lords
for the Dominion of the Continent
of Asia.
From the Boston Daily Globe.
The vast table lands of Asia Minor are
renowned in the ANIMALS of warfare as
the scene of the most stupendous battle,
in point of numbers engaged, of which
there is authentic record. This battle,
which took place July 20, 1902, was fought
between the Sultan Bajazet and the Mo-
gul Emperor Timour In this conflict
over 100000 men were engaged, and the
result of it was the collapse of the Otto
man Empire and the conquest of all Asia
by the descendant of Genghis Khan.
In point of numbers, the only conquests
of modern times which compare with that
of Angora are the battle of Leipsic, which
took place in 1913, and the battle of Sa-
dowa, fought in 1866. In the first of these
the French, under Napoleon, numbered
about 100000 men, and the Russians, Prus-
SLAMS and Austrians and Swedes about
400, OO0 In the last instance the Austrian
army of about $4,000 men was over
whelmed by about $4,000 Prussians.
The battle of Angora was the culmi-
nation of two years of acrimonious nego-
tiation between a Turk and a Tartar
both Of whom aspired to the dominion of
Asia. Bajazet was Of the blood royal and
born in the purple, as the saying goes. He
succeeded his father, the Sultan Amurath
l, who was killed in the hour of vic
,fI Z inst ha
Russians in 1889 Bajazet, upon his ac-
cession to the throne displayed high mill
tary intelligence, and his character was
marked by love of military glory, I'M
bounded ambition and indefatigable
physical and mental energy, so much so
that he was called in the Turkish tongue
"Ilderin," which means THE Light
ming" Bajazet during the ten years of
his reign, subdued all Asia Minor. be-
sieged Constantinople, and routed great
army put into the field by the leading
European states. He had overrun south
eastern Europe to the very gates of Wen
ma, when he was called 60 Asia to check
the devastating advances Of Timour
Tfmour, who in the annals Of warfare
holds rank among the very best of the
captains OF the second class, was, by his
mother, of the royal house Of the Tartars.
Like Bajazet, he displayed as mere
youth marked military ability and insa-
table desire for achieving renown in war.
From an humble beginning, in which his
army consisted Of seven male relatives, he
successfully achieved the dominion first
of his own tribe next of his country, lat
er of all Asia and finally of that part of
Russia in Europe as far west as Moscow
and to the mouth of the Don river.
Thus were the boundaries of the Turk
ish and the Mogul empires brought into
touch. A collision obviously could not
be averted; 1t was certain that sooner or
later the two great military spirits of the
ge must contend with each other for the
mastery. The event. however, did not take
place before passing through several pre-
paratory stages
on the part of Timour the war was one
of invasion; 1t was the policy OF Bajazet
to receive battle in the midst of his own
country and Of almost unlimited resources.
In order to terrorize the Vassal states of
Asia to break the strength of any posi-
hle rebellion and to insure prompt ODE
/ dience to his commands from distance,
Timour marched into India. attacked and
took Delhi, and massacred 100000 captives.
After his fearful object lesson on the fol-
ly of opposing the dictates of the Great
Mogul, the Tartar army took up its
march from the banks of the Gauges and
advanced into Syria. AS this mighty host
moved across the surface of Asia deeds
were done the magnitude of which it is
Persian historians it is stated that the
Inhabitants vainly endeavored to find the
countries over which the Tartars had
passed.
One event is especially notable, and
that is the march around the Caspian
sea by Timours vanguard, consisting OF
200 900 light cavalry. The inaccessible
mountains, which surrounded this body
of water seemingly bid defiance to the
march of an army, and particularly to
| horsemen, yet it is fact recorded by au-
| thority which is of the best that the
horsemen of Timour penetrated the de-
files, thoroughly explored the mountains
and made a complete circuit of the Cas-
plan s. a.
| Timour now overran Syria and storme6
| the city of Bagdad, where he built pyra
| mid in the market place formed of 9000
| human skulls. 1t was now that Timoul
| received the first embassy of Bajazet
| These epistles are in striking contrast t.
the diplomatic illusions of our time. The
two great soldiers wrote to each other il
| the first person. There was no dissim
ulation, each of them called a spade G
| spade. Bajazet and Timour alike were
| entirely ignorant that they had an equa
| in understanding of military art and sci
! ence, and each was impatient of what HI
| deemed inexplichble insolence and folly or
| the part of the other. Timour on his par
! informed BajaZet that the latter's obedi
ence to the precepts of the Koran il
waging war against the Christians wa:
the only consideration that prevented th'
| Tartars from lifting the Turkish Empire
| in their hands and throwing it into space
In order TO impress upon. Bajazet his in
| significance as compared with the Grea
Mogul, he was further informed that h'
was merely a little black ant which th'
elephant (Timour) was about to trampl'
under his feet.
The Turkish Emperor upon the receip
of this epistle proceeded to decapitate with
| his own hand the bearer of the message
| and to spend some hours in foaming at th'
mouth and tearing out his whiskers BY
| hand. Some hours later, when he had re
| gained speech Bajazet indited reply. II
| his letter the Turk could find no moro
| favorable light in which to regard thu
Tartar thap as the father of thieves anC
| of liars After calling to the mind of ii
mour certain fadts of dispute between
| them and assuring him of his intention t
sustain his rights by force of arms, tn,
ungovernable rage of the Sultan invile<
an encounter in the field with the whol'
| of their respective armies.