Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1900-04-27
THE HERO OF PLEvNA.
A sketch OF the Military Career OF Oa-
man Paeha, the Great Turk ish
General Lately recea.ed


Up to the appearance of Edhem
Pacha, with whom rests the laurels OF
| the Greco-Turkish war OF 1897, Ghszi
| Osman Pacha was regarded as the only
Turkish general He was the great re-
serve force of the Sultan. Indeed, the
retirement in which he passed the
greater part of his life since the Russo
Turkish war, in 1876. was said to be
due in great measure to the Sultan's
habituai suspicious attitude toward
| those who had rendered the greatest
services to his throne.
Abdul Hamid however, from time to
time paid him marks of regard The
hero of Plevna,' who inflicted on the
Russian invaders the greatest check
they suffered in the campaign, was
| made chief Of the Imperial Guard and
marshal Of the palace. For time he
held the position of Governor General
Of Crete, and in 1878 was Minister of
War, when he introduced many re-
forms into the Turkish army.
Three years ago, when the Greeks had
gained temporary success at the Me-
| louna pass, in the north of Thessaly,
the Sultan, impatient with Edhem Pa
cha, ordered Osman PaCha to take the
chief command. The general, who was
then 65, started for the front, but the
rapid development Of Edhem Pachas
plans leading to the fall of Pharsala
decided the Sultan to leave the direc-
! ton of the campaign in Edhem's hands,
and Osman returned to ConstantinOple
where he lived in seclusiCn to the time
of his death.
Il compliment you on your defence of
Plevna. 1t is one of the most splendid
military feats in history" This was the
greeting of the Grand Duke Nicholas Of
Russia to Osman Pacha as he met him
after the surrender. Prince Charles of
Roumania and General Skobeloff as
warmly acknowledged the gallantry Of
the defence. The Turkish general had
on the fiat clay flats created a fortress
which for a time seemed impregnable.
By the entertainments he caused to be
thrown up he arrested for four months
the advance of the Russians. In three
pitched battles he OVercame the finest
troops of the Cars armies. On July l,
1873, he inflicted q loss of 5000 killed
and wounded on his assailants. The
next battle cost the Russians 10 Off
GERS and 7136 men, and the three days
stubborn assault of Skobeloff, later on,
when the Russian Grenadiers got with
in 500 yards of the trenches, but failing
to pass the fatal fire zone, ended in
Russian loss of from $4,000 to 20, 900
men.
1t was resolved to StarVe out the ar
my of Osman, which originally num-
, bered $4,000 men, and an army of 100000
! Russians completed the investment.
At length, As days after the close
siege had been established, and 144 days
after his own arrival at Plevna, Osman
j determined on desperate attempt to
cut his way through. The struggle was
of the fiercest sort, but many hours
bayonet fighting ended in the Turks
being driven back, and the defender
of Plevna" surrendered with the honors
of war.
The title of Ghazi Che Victorious)
conferred on Osman by the Sultan had
not been bestowed on Turkish subject
for nearly 800 years. In his personal
appearance, though not much above
middle stature, Osman Facha was Of
athletic build, with a superb head. He
was a Turk among Turks, taciturn, en-
ergetic with an iron will. lie never
wrote dispatches, his reports to Con-
! stantinople consisting merely of a few
words His uniform consisted usually
of a Jacket with bread facings Of dark
CLOTH a long WaiStcCat Of the Louis XI.
style and tight-fttlng trousers, with
knee boots, the dress pre- 5enting con-
trast to that of other Turkish generals.
He generally wore d loose blue cloak,
+ with no apparent mark on it to deslg-
nate his rank, anG red feZ. In camp
he never wore q sword, but invariably
had a pair of field glasses siung over
his shoulder From the Military Acad-
emy at COnstantinUple he went direct
to the Crimean war, and rose to an
army corps command in the Servian
war-I .6uisville Courier-Journal.