Year: 1877

BADLY Bitten-The Russian Piercing the


Ottoman Empire is Stung Ia the Quick


Graphic description Of Tucsdny's


Battle and the Shattered Con.


dillon Of the VanqUished.


A correspondent sends from Poredin,
near Plevns, a graphic account Of Tues
days battle, which conveys a vivid idea
of the extent of the Russian disaster.
The correspondent is with Prince
Schko.koyski's command, and says that
now all hope of success anywhere was
dead, nor did the chance offer to make
the best of the defeat Prince Schkes.
koyski had not man left to cover his
retreat. The Turks struck without stint,
they had the upper hand for once, and
were determined to show that they knew
how to make the most of it. They ad-
vanced in swarms through the dusk upon
their original first position, and captured
the Russian cannon before the batteries
could be withdrawn. Turkish shells once
more began to whistle over the ridge
above Radshova and fall into the village
behind now crammed with wounded.
The streams of wounded vending their
painful way over the ridge were incessant;
the badly wounded mostly lay where
they fell. Later on in the darkness Il
baleful sort of krankeutrager swarmed
over the battlefield, in the shape of
Bashi- Bazouks, who spared not. Linger.
ing there on the ridge until the moon
rose, the staff could hear from below on
the still night air cries of pain
and entreaties for mercy, and yells
of bloodthrsty, fanatical triumph. 1t
was indeed an hour to wiring the sternest
heart. We stayed there to learn if it
might be what troops were coming out
of the Valley of Death below; were there
indeed any at all to come. The Turks
had our range before dark, and we could
watch the flash of the flame over us and
then listen to the scream of the shell as
it tore by us, The sound of rihe-bullets
was inces5ant, and the escort and retreat
ing wounded were often struck. De-
tachments at length began to come
struggling up, but it will give an idea of
the disorganization to say that when a
company was told off to 60 and recover
some of the wounded in Radishova, it
had to be made up of men of several
regiments. About nine O'Clock the
staff left the ridge, leaving it Uttered
with groaning men, and moving gently,
lest we should tread on the PROSTATE
wounded, we lost our way as we had lost
our army. We could find no rest for the
soles of our feet, by reason of alarms of
the Basl Bazouks swarming in among
the scattered and retiring Russians. At
length, at one o'clock in the morning,
having been in the saddle since 6 O'Clock
on the previous morning, we turned
into stubble field, and, making beds OF
reaped grain, correspondent and Cossack
alike rested under the stars but we were
not even then allowed to rest before four
alarms came that the Bashi-Bazouks
were upon us, and we had to rouse and
tramp away The only protection of the
chief of what in the morning was fine
army was now handful of wearied Cos
sacks General Krudener sent word in
the morning that he had lost severely
and could make no headway, and had
resolved to fall back on the line of the river
Osma. There had been talk, his troops
being fresh, of reviewing the attack
to day, with his cooperation, but it is a
plain statement of fact that we have nc
troops to attack with. The most moder'
ate estimate is that we have lost two
regiments lay five thousand men-out
of our three brigades-a ghastl y number,
beating Eylau or Friedland. This takes
no account of General Krudener's losses
We, too, shall retire on the Osman river,
about Bulgarenl, and, to the best of our
weak strength, cover the bridge at Sis.
tova. One cannot, in this moment of
hurried confusion, realize all the possible
results of this stroke 80 rsshly courted.
Not Russian soldier stands between
| Tirnova and the victorious Turks in Lo-
tia and Plevna, and only weak division
of the eleventh corps stands between Tir.
nova and Shumla. The army look on
Schkokoyski's force as wrecked and nc
longer for the campaign to be counted on
! as fighting material. 1t is not ten days
since the thirtieth division crossed the
Danube in the pride of its superb condi


ton. Now, what of it is left is demoral.
lied and shattered So on this side Of
the Balkans there remains but the ninth
corps, already roughly handled, once at
Nikopolis and once at Plevna, one divis
ion OF the eleventh corps, and the Rust
chuk army. Now, if the Rustchuk army
is marched TO the west against Plevna
then the Turkish army of Rustchuk il
let loose on the Russian communication,
to Tirnova. One cannot avoid the con
clusion that the advance over the Bal
kans is seriously compromised. The Rus
sian strait il so bad that scattered detach
ments have been called up from out o
Roumania, and Roumanisn division
commanded by General Mauna which
crossed day or two ago at Nikopolis
has been called up to the line of the Os
ma river. An aid. .de-camp of Crane
Duke Nicholas was present a
the battle. and at once started 70
Tirnova with the evil tidings
We are Just quitting this bivouac ant
falling back on Bulgarepi with all speed
leaving the Bulgarian villages to tn