Year: 1878

BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENT.


How the Russian Imperial Guard Captured


n Redoubt Mt Gorny :Dubnik.-A Rain OF


Bullets and a Desperate Hand-to-IIand


Struggle.


A war correspondent of the London
Daily Ne,o8, writing from General
Gourko's headquarters in the Balkan
mountains, gives this vivid account OF
the battle of Gorny Dubnik, one of the
most desperately fought engagements
and brilliant victory of the Eastern war


It is no wonder that the traces of the
fight at Gorny Dubnik are still visible,
for it was one of the bloodiest engage
ments of the war. Out of three regi-
ments 154 officers we're placed hors de
combat, and of these about thirty,
believe, were shot dead. The capture
of the great redoubt was rare feat OF
arms, because it was the individual en-
terprise of the private soldiers that ac-
complished it. It was on foggy day
and the dispositions of the troops having
been taken the night before, the fight
was opened by brisk cannonade d.
rected toward the two redoubts, situated
on either side of the chaussee, the larger
to the westward. Three regiments OF
infantry, one of them grenadiers, were
ordered to attack from the east, west and
south, and about eight o'clock in the
morning the advance began all along the
line.


The Turks poured down upon the
moving masses a terrible fire, which
rapidly thinned the ranks, caused the
lines to waver and seek shelter. but the
smaller redoubt was carried q short
time afterwards witn a rush. Pell-me1
the men piled over the low embankment:
all the Turks who did not scamper across
the chaussee to the large redoubt were
bayoneted on the spot. A Turkish
officer leaped upon the parapet and
waved his sword to attract the attention
of those who we're in the other redoubt,
but not man was sent out; he was shot
with revolver by one of the officers
near, and the place was carried In two
minutes. All the time there was the
fearful rain of bullets that is so demoral'
izing. To show q head over the parapet
of the small redoubt was to attract 8
hundred balls. The fire was incessant,
and all further advance seemed impossi.
BILE. The colonel of the regiment which
took the small redoubt, twice wounded,
at last went to the rear to have his
wounds dressed, and other officers gave
up at last the attempt to bring the men
against the large redoubt-a proceeding
which would have resulted in a terrible
loss of life, and one which the men,
brave enough as individuals, refused, OF
rather hesitated to undertake. The dead
and wounded numbered many hundreds,
the only two line officers who got into
the small redoubt were mortally wound.
ed, and it seemed as if the attack must
fail, for every time the men tried to &c
forward they either fell struck by 9
Turkish ball or sought cover at once
from the fendish hail that was thrown
in their faces from the parapet of the
great redoubt. Now began a kind OF
fight never conceived of by the officers,
but which the men found, naturally
enough, was the only thing to do. They
had been ordered by the general when
they advanced to go into that great
square mound Of earth that crowned the
hill and they never thought for moment
but the order must be obeyed : they
only hesitated and delayed when they
were told to do what every man OF them
felt was sheer folly.


As the day went on a few bold fellows
stole out from the captured earthwork
lodged behind first one and then another
natural bit of cover, crept along the
ditch of the chaussee, and got into lit
tie house which stood on the west side o.
the chaussee, and still does stand there
all riddled with bullets. A straw stack
near by afforded shelter for one or two
other soldiers who Had followed the exam
pie of the first. Now it became the smar
thing to do, in full sight of all, to jump
from the little redoubt into the ditch
then rush into the little house or behine
the straw stack. One soldier dared tht
other the enterprising spirit OF the frs
one spread like contagion among TIM
rest, and in an hour or two the little
house was 30 full that those who came
last all out of breath could find no cove
there, and were obliged to 60 on further
and did 20 on, and threw themselves
into the very ditch OF the great redoub
those who reached there. OF course
the artillery had long ceased firing fol
fear of injuring the attacking parties
but the musketry kept up q continua
rattle, which swelled and diminished as
the little knots of men showed them
selves here and there. As late as fv'
o'clock in the afternoon q hurrah wa
made, and general attempt to carry th'
great redoubt failed again, because NJ
no man would face long the fire of tn
Turks. The few who got into the ditct
found it the only place where there wal
perfect shelter, much to their surprise
and beckoned and called the others t.
follow them, which they did as opportu
nifty offered, until there was quite
force under the very noses of the enemy
The Turks could not fire on them be
cause to hit them they were obliged Il
stand up on the parapet, and this wal
certain death. Beams and stones wer'
thrown over into the ditch, and the Rus
slams responded playfully with lump
of earth and pebbles but all the tim
they stayed there they were not idle, TO
they diligently dug in the steep bank o
the ditch steps by which they coult
mount to the parapet. The number o
men increased rapidly as night ap
preached, and at last they with one &C
cord clambered up the bank, sprang upor
the parapet and bayoneted the de
tenders of the redoubt with resistless
energy.


Who gave the signal for that assault
no one can tell, but the brave fellows
went ND like one man, and primed to the
full with an eagerness to revenge tht
comrades they had seen go down tha
day, they fell upon the Turks and
slaughtered them like sheep. Within
the narrow enclosure of the redoubt mel
fought hand to hand in one corner. an(
the white flag was faunted in another
only to give the enemy time to assemble
there for desperate charge. BY sever
o'clock the only sound on the battle: :fel'
was the groaning of the wounded q larg
part of whom lay on the ground neglect
ed all night long and bled away thei
lives, many of them, because they ha'
no attention. Incidents of persona