Year: 1877

There are perhaps already Cossacks at the
summit Of the Balkan. Indeed, it is mat
ter of almost inevitable inference, from the
facts known of the progress of the Russian
operations and the supineness Of the
Turkish defence, that practicable road over
this vaunted barrier is in possession of the
invader. It is now confirmed from official
Russian sources, as we conjectured two or
three days since to be the case, that the Rus
SLAMS passed the river at Sistova with COM
paratively little loss. They had no occasion
to vaunt their heroism by braggart statements
of the carnage through which they had
moved to victory, and they recount the
event as it was. But the Turkish commanders
north Of the Balkan, from Abdul KERN
down, are in u different position. They
must justify themselves at Constantinople
for their failure to prevent the passage Of
the Russians by declaring the impossibility
Of moving down the innumerable masses Of
the enemy with the artillery on hand and
these stories, exaggerated at Constantinople
in their passage from hand to hand, become
the staple of Turkish reports Of the war.


AS the Russians passed the river without
real difficulty they also found open to them
the whole line of the Jantra, than which
there is no more satisfactory route to the
Balkan. They have seized Bjela, and re-
ports now three days old tell of flying col
umn at Trnova. This place is about
thirty miles from the summit Of the Balkan
by one good road (as good as any in that
country and between fifty and sixty by
another. It is an oversight on the part of
the Russian commander if his cavalry
is not already on both those roads,
particularly as roads from Shumla
reach the latter, and his operations
hitherto have shown such well considered
regard to all the possibilities that there is
no reason to suppose he will be caught nap
ping in so plain a case as this. From the
Danube at Sistova by the Jantra line to
the headwaters of the Tundscha, south of
the Balkan, the distance by the road is
about hundred miles, and from what we
hear Of the dispersion Of flying columns of
Cossacks on the northern slope Of the Bal
kan it is likely that every point necessary to





tions is now occupied by the invader. The
passage of the Balkan at the point thus indi-
Gated is not On operation of great difficulty.
On the southern slope the mountain is cul-
tivated to its summit, and axes to cut away
the brush or other wood are all that are
necessary to make roads that artillery can
pass with facility, for the soil is in great
part broken down limestone that macad-
amizes under the wheels of heavy vehicles.
This has been proved by Russian operations
in the same district


From what is reported of the Ottoman
movements and intentions it will be seen
that Abdul Kerim apprehends his enemies
purpose to give the 'quadrilateral" the
go-by and pass the Balkan west of Silimno,
covering his left by holding the Jantra line
with large force. Hence the Significance
of what is said of a probably deci-
sive battle to be fought near Bjela.
Bjela is the point at which the road from
Rustchuk to Tirnova passes the Jantra.
No other road approaches that line from the
eastward except the road at the edge of the
Danube II it is the intention Of the Turk
ish commander to stake the fate of cam
paign on decisive battle in the present
state of the case, that is the point at which
he must fight it. 1t is not easy, either, to
show that he could do better. His troops are
as good now as they ever will be. He is
near his base, and his troops are of little
use for any sort of campaign but a fighting
one. If he should whip the Russians badly
he greatly retards and may completely up
set their schemes, while, if beaten himself,
he has the fortresses near, to which he can
run and give his men a chance to recover
their morale. It is, therefore, not improb-
able that for these reasons and under the
pressure of orders from Constantinople he
will endeavor to force a great battle at once.
In this contingency Bjela will, as we
have said, likely be the point of contact,
as it is the only point at which he can get
ceeding behind the Jantra. Indeed, the
latest dispatches from the East report
Russian repulse at Bjela following at attempt
to cross the River Jantra. All the fight
ing reported as having occurred for some
days past below Sistova is, perhaps, pre-
limnary to this battle-the collision OF
minor forces in the maneuvres for position.
Neither commander will immediately urge
matters, as each will naturally desire to
concentrate as many men as possible, SO
that the maneuvres may continue for some
days yet But battle Mt this point may
prove Of great consequence.