Year: 1877

A correspondent of the London
Daily Neaos, who dates his letter
from the lett wing OF the Loftcha
road, writes:


The redoubt Skobelef was at
tacking was a double rcdnubt in
the bend of the Loftcha road down
near Plevna. He had advanced
his troops down the slope of the
mountain to within easy range. AS
the Turks Immediately opened fire
upon him from the .redoubt he re-
turned the fire with steadlness
and precision, putting his men
under cover as much as possible,
his cannon pouring a steady stream
of shell and canister into the re-
doubt as well. For three hours he
kept up this fire, aid just after
krilotf's second repulsc, the Turk
ish fire having somewhat relaxed,
dominated by the Russian, he
thought the moment had come for
making the assault He had four
regiments of the line, and four bat.
talions of sharpshooters. Still keep
ing mp his murderous fire, he formed
under its cover two regiments, the
Vladimirski and the Zooxclski, in
the little hollow at the foot OF the
low hill on which was built the re-
doubt, together with two batta.ions
of sharpshooters, not more than
twelve hundred yards tom the
scarp. Then, placing himself in the
best position for watching the result,
he ceased fire and ordered the ad
vance. He ordered the assaulting
party not to fire, and they rushed
forward with their guns on their
shoulders, with music playing and
banners fly ing, and disappeared in
the fog and smoke. Skobelcf is
the only general who places him
self near enough to feel the pulse
of a battle.


The advancing column was in
distinctly seen, a dark mass in the
fog and smoke Feeling, as it were,
every throb of the battle, he saw
this line begin to weaver and hest
tatte. Upon the instant he hurled
forward rival regiment to sup
port, and again watched the result.
This new force carried the mass
further on with its momentum, but
the Turkish redoubt famed and
smoked, and poured forth such a
torrent of bullets that the line was
again shaken: Skobeletf etood in
this shower of balls unhurt. All
his escort we're killed or wounded,
even to the little Kirghiz, who re-
csivcd a bulletin the shoulder
Again he saw the line hesitate and
wayer, and he flung his fourth and
last regiment, the I6bausky, on the
glacis. Again this new 7waYc car
ried the preceding ones forward,
until they were almost on the scarp;
but that deadly shower of bullets
poured upon them ); men dropped
by hundred, and the result still re
fnained doubtful. The line once
more wavered and hesitated. Not
a moment was to be lost, if the re-
doubt was to be carried.


Skobelef had now only two bat
talions of sharpshooters left, the best
in his detachments. Putting him
seff at the head OF these, he dashed
forward on horseback. He picked
mp the stragglers he reached the
wavering, fuctuating mass, and
gave it the inspiration of his own
courage and instruction He picked
the whole mass up, and carried it
forward with rush and a cheer
The whole redoubt was a mass of
flame and smoke, from which
screams, shouts, ard cries of agony
and defiance arose, with the decp~
mouthed believing of the cannon,
and, above all, the steady, awful
crash of that deadly rifle fire
Skobelef's sword was cut in two in
the middle. Then moment latter,
when just on the point of leaping
the ditch, horse and man rolled
together to the ground, the horse
dead or wounded, the rider un


touched. He sprang to his feel