The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1913-01-10

Rseord.heraId In the Balkan War.
C.
Mustapha Pasha.-The minarets OF
Sultan Selim!
Needle-iike, I have seen them rise
over the indistinct mass OF Adriano
ple 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 I could make out the
things on the dome OF the grea,
mosque itself.
The simple grace OF tha minarets
dominated town. and landscape. and
siege. Weary drivers OF the weary
oxen OF the transport and still wear.
Ter artillerymen, bringing up addi
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
10 be lost.
lnfantrymen In the advanced
trenches saw them as the goal
against a foe which had fallen back
without any adequate rear guard sec.
ton, 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 10 plant new
mnarets In the soil OF Christendom.
Rouses Old Turks Spirit
From the first In this war the Turk
took the defensive: from the first he
accepted II as his part and portion OF
the campaign.
In Bulgaria. where many Turks still
live under Christian rule. we had
seen the Terrible Turk, the great
fighting man OF the past whose soul
was supposed TO be above lowly toll.
as newer OF wood and n carrier OF
water. He did odd jobs in the alb.
sence OF the Bulgarian at the front.
The lion OF the past had been trained
10 dog harness.
All the early victories Of the Bull
garian army completed an impression
OF one.time lordly race demoralized
and encrvated. who retained only the
fatalism Of "Kismet." in its lexocon
The warriors cry. For Allah" was
lost forever. But at Adrianople For
Allah For the Minarets, For the
Padisha'" rose again TO the dignity
which abandoned bravery always com
mands.
Tho sheer. impetuous fearlessness
OF the bulgarian. we'll 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 10 Adrianople II
was the nut To crack I'm the first plan
OF strategy OF the campaign. II how.
cred over the first army before
Tchataiia as nightmare. II stood
In the way of the prompt supplies Of
bread and bullets for the first army:
u delayed the signing OF the arms.
lice for ten days: II has boon IN"
main subject OF contention before
the London peace conference; IL was
responsible for the treatment of the
military attaches. who saw nothing of
me war, and OF the correspondent
who saw little.
War Hinges on Adrianople.
Even our phlegmatic little English
speaking censor assistant at Musta'
pha would lose his temper at the
very suggestion OF any peace terms
with Adrianople still in Turkish pos
session.
We shall have revolution n we
don't get Adrianople." have heard
many officers say.
We shall not 60 home without
Adrianople." the wounded soldiers
returning from the front kept repeat
ing.
Such were the instructions which
DIR. Daneff. the Elihu Root Of the Bal
RAMS. took with him TO London. Ad'
rianople was craven on the minds or
his countrymen. BY diplomacy he
must get a fortress which was not
yet taken by force Of arms.
Glance mt a map and you VIII see
mat the whole success OF the alles
depended on bottling up the Turk on
the peninsula. 80 that all the other
Turkish forces from Scutari to Adri-
anople. from Kumanova to Hassona'
should be cut of from communica-
uon. The Greeks. Serbs. and Mon
tenegrins were the backs. The Bui'
garlans undertook to buck the line.
Bulgaria did not have to consider
reserve army. European puoic
opinion and the jealousies OF the pow
ers acted as efficient substitutes ior
tho Bulgarian military statesmanship
understood that IL Bulgaria were beat.
en- the powers would never permit
Turkey 20 take an inch OF bulgarian
soil. II was n case OF Heads WIZ
tails ! JOINT lose"
Turks Awake 20 crIs's.
The Turks knew this. too. u was
en- old situation to them. SUI ss'ui'