Year: 1877




Tactics of ekobelrT In she Assault Z
OF ~epIeInber I2th BefOre FleVna.


He had four regiments of the
line, and four battalions Of sharp
shooters. Still keeping up his muir
derous fire he formed under its
cover two regiments, the Vladi-
miraki and the Zoozolski, in the
little hollow at the foot of the low
hill on which was built the redoubt,
together with two battalions Of
sharpshooters, not more than 1900
yards from the scarp. Then plac-
ing himself in the best position
for watching the result, he ceased
fire and ordered the advance. He
ordered the assaulting party not to
fire, and they rushed forward with
their guns on their shoulders with
music playing and banners flying,
and disappeared in the fog and
smoke. SkobeIeff is the only gen.
eral who places himself near enough
to feel the pulse Of a battle. The
advancing column was indistinctly
seen, a dark mass in the fog and
smoke. Feeling, as it were, every
throb of the battle, he saw this
line begin to waver and hesitate.
Upon the instant he hurled forward
a rival regiment to support, and
again watched the result. The new
force carried the mass further on
with its momentum, but the Turk.
ish redoubt famed and smoked, and
poured forth such a torrent of bul-
lets that the line was again shaken
Skobeleff stood in the shower Of
balls unhurt. All his escort were
killed or wounded, even to the little
Kirghiz, who received bullet in
the shoulder. Again he saw the
line hesitate and waver, and lie
flung his fourth and last regiment,
the Iibausky, on the glacis. Again
this new wave carried the preceding
ones forward, until they were al
most on the scarp; but that deadly
shower of bullets poured upon
them men dropped by hundreds,
and the result still remained doubt.
full. The line once more wavered
and hesitated. Not a moment was
to be lost, if the redoubt was to be
carried.


Skobeleff had now only two bat
talions of sharpshooters left, the
best in his detachments. Putting
himself at the head of these, he
dashed forward on horseback. He
picked up the stragglers; he reach.
ed the wavering, fluctuating mass
and gave it the inspiration of hi;
own courage and instruction. He
picked up the whole massand carried
it forward with a rush and cheer.
The whole redoubt was mass Of
flame and smoke, from which
screams, shouts and cries of agony
and defiance arose, with the deep.
mouthed believing Of the cannon,
and above all the steady, awful
crash of the deadly rifle fire. Skobe.
left s sword was cut in two in the
middle. Then a moment later,
when just OH the point Of leaping
the ditch, horse and man rolled to-
gether on the ground; the horse
dead or wounded, the rider un-
touched. He sprang to his feet
with u shout, then with q formida.
bic, savage yell the whole mass oI
men streamed over the ditch, over
the scarp and counterscarp, oyel
the parapet and swept into the re-
doubt like a hurricane. Their
bayonets made short work of the
y
Turks remaining. Then a joyous
cheer told that the redoubt wal
captured, and that at last one of The
deienses of Plevna was in the hands
of the Russians.


Having seen as much rs ] have
seen of tho Turkish infantry fr(
from behind trenches and walls,
thought it was beyond flesh anC
blood to break it, a belief which wal
strengthened by Kirlof's repulse
which | had just witnessed. Skobe
left proved to the contrary, but u
wi at sacrifcel In that shor
ruth of few hundred yards, 3OOt
men had been left on the hillside
! on the placis. the scarn and th,