The Raymer enterprise., 1913-01-16
Desperate Defense Of Adrianople
Saved the Capital.
UPSET PLANS OF THE ALLIES
Frederick Palmer Tells Of the Furious
Fighting by the Ottoman Armies
That Baked DemetrieH
and lvanoh.
BY FREDERICK PALMER,
staff Correspondent Of the Chicago
Reeord.Herald In the Balkan War.

Mustapha Pasha.-The minarets OF
Sultan Sellm.
Needle.like, have seen them rise
over the indistinct mass OF Adriano.
pie from the distant hills, then as
substantial columns from the nearby
hills, and again SO close from the
shellproof OF an advanced infantry
position that | could make out the
things on the dome OF the great
mosque itself
The simple grace OF the minarets
dominated town, aud landscape. and
siege. Weary drivers OF the weary
oxen OF the transport and still wear.
Ter artillerymen, bringing up add.
tional guns through seas OF mud. saw
them for the first time as a token OF
defiance, OF work unfinished, OF bat.
ties yet to be fought. and OF lives yet
TO be lost.
Infantrymen in the advanced
trenches saw them as the goal
against a foe which had fallen back
without any adequate rear guard sec
t!on. but which had begun to fight
desperately under their shadows.
That Turkish garrison. as It with.
drew into the shelter OF Its forts.
seemed to find something OF the spirit
OF old Sultan Selim the Magnificent,
for whom the mosque was named.
but with this difference: Sultan
Selim was not given to falling back
on forts and minarets. He stormed
forts; he went ahead to plant new
mf1arets In the soil OF Chrstendom.
Rouses Old Turks Spirit
From the first In this war the Turk
took the defensive: from the first he
accepted 1t as his part and portion OF
the campaign.
In Bulgaria. where many Turks still
i've under Christian rule, We had
seen the Terrible Turk, the great
flghtlng man OF the past, whose soul
was supposed TO be above lowly toll,
rs a newer Of wood and carrier OF
water. He did odd Jobs in the abb
sence OF the Bulgarian at the front.
The lion OF the past had been trained
to dog harness.
All the early victories OF the Bul.
garian army completed an impression
OF one.time lordly race demorallzed
and eneryated, who retained only the
fatallsm OF "Kismet," In Its lexocon.
The warriors cry, For Allah!" was
lost forever But at Adrlanople For
Allah! For the Minarets. For the
Padisha!" rose again to the dignity
which abandoned bravery always com.
mands.
The sheer, impetuo,s fearlessness
OF tho bulgarian. well drilled and
coolly manipulated. was the first
great revelation OF the campaign. and
the second was how. In the hour OF
hopelessness, his desperation arous.
ed the old qualities OF the Turk.
Every situation, every development
in the war reverted to AdrIanople. II
was the nut to crack In the frs. plan
OF strategy Of the campaign. II hoy.
cred over the first army before
Tchntalja as nightmare. It stood
IN the way Of the prompt supplies OF
bread and bullets for the first army:
II delayed the signing OF the armls.
tice for ten days; It has been the
main subject OF contention before
the London peace conference: II was
responsible for the treatment OF the
military attaches. who saw nothing OF
the war, and OF the correspondents
who saw little.
War Hinges on AtrIsnopIe.
Even our phlegmatlc little English.
speaking censor assistant at Musta.
,pha would lose his temper at the
very suggestion OF any peace terms
with Adrlanople still in Turkish DOS.
session.
I'VE shall have revolution n we
don't get Adrianople." have heard
many officers say.
I'VE shall not 20 bone withou,
AdrIanople." the wounded soldiers
returning from the front kept rcpeat.
ing.
Such were the instructions which
DIR Dancr, the Elihu Root of the Bal.
kans, took with him to London. Ad,
rianople was craven on the minds O,
his countrymen. BY diplomacy he
must ret fortress which was not
yet taken by force OF arms.
Glance Rt n map and you will see
that the whole success OF the allies
depended on bottlIng up the Turk on
the peninsula, so that all the other
Turkish forces from Scutari to AdrI.
nnople. from Kumanoya TO Hassona.
should be cut of from communIca.
ton The Greeks, Serbs, and Mon.
tenegrins were the backs. The Bul.
garlans undertook TO buck the line.
Bulgaria did not have to consider
n reserve army European public
opinion and the jealousIcs OF the pow.
ers acted as efficient substitutes, for
the Bulgarian military craftsmanship
understood that II Bulgaria were beat
en- the powers would never permit
Turkey to take an inch o, Bulgarian
soil. II was case OF Heads win,
tails I Iont lose.
Turks Awake TO crlsle.
Tho Turks knew this. too. II was