The War.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2334, 8 September 1877, Page 2

The War.

THE BATTLE OF PLEV.NA

DISASTROUS RUSSIAN DEFEAT,

COUPvSE OF THE CAMPAIGN

Before the end of July, the Russians had concentrated 100,000 troops in the rieinrty of Plevna, and the Roumanian troop* which, were about to garrison Nicopeli* were deemed necessary. The investment of Rustchuk was also completed, the besiegers advancing- near enough to throw shells into the fortifications. Silistria was also being bombarded, causing .several fires in the town. On July 31st the Russian right wing. -ivyC-C/O strong, attacked Osman Pasha's entrenched army •» Plevna. London, August I.—The "Daily News; correspondent; telegraphing from Bulgarenij 15 miles from Plevna, gives a detailed account of the fighting of Monday. The Turkish force was estimated at 50,000. They occupied a series of positions which are naturally strong, and also artificially fortified hi every available spot, forming* horseshoe in front of Plevna, with both flanks resting on the river Yid. The Russian force consisted of the Ninth Army Corps, under General Krudcner ; the Thirtieth Division and Thirtieth Brigade of th« Serond Division, under Prince Shakesky, with three brigades of cavalry and lw> guns. It was" arranged that General Krudener should attack the Turkish centre at Grivica, and the northern flank of the intrenched position at Ehaova, while Shakesky attacked Eadizevo, and General Stuboloff held in cheek the strong Turkish force at Lovtza, which wus the extremity oi i\\c Turkish line. General Krndcr.er

BEGAN THE IIATTM

about half-past 0 o'clock. After a long : bombardment he succeeded in silencing , the Turkish cannon at Griviea, but could j never expel the infantry from the earth- i works, lie spent the whole afternoon un- | availinglv endeavoring to force the northern ! flank of the Turkish position, desisting ; after dark, without having gained anything j material, and having himself suffered con- | siderable loss. Prince Shakesky about j noon carried Radizevo, and planting tour . batteries on the ridge beyond, bombarded j the nearest Turkish position, which was j an earrhwork, armed with cannon, in front ; of the intrenched village. After an hour's cannonade he silenced titc Turkish guns, i and his infantry, after a long and bloody j contest, i CAMMED THE KARTIIWOKK AND THE VIL- | LAGE. The second Turkish position, consisting j of a redoubt, and a series of intrenched j vineyards strongly hold, was then attacked | and ultimately carried, but. with a terrible ■ effort and very severe loss. (.Owing to a heavy Turkish artillery fire the Russians ' were unable t<> utilise fke captured po.si- | tioji. About 4 o'clock a reserve brigade ! \raa brought up, andean r.ttack made on the ,: positions immediately covering Plevna,, i The attack continued " till nearly sunset. : The Turkish infantry was in great force in j

a continuous line under shelter of trenches. Despite the mosi stubborn efforts, no impression could '■■ iiia.de; upon that line. Two compani -n ■ of Russian infantry did work around ' i the right of the Turkish trenches, .-.■■.(i ntcred the town of Plevna, but it wv :. t impossibility to hold it. The Russian It.itteries pushed boldly forward into tho position first taken to attempt to keep down the Turkish cannonade, which was CRASHED IKTO THE lal'A:;tEV in the open field, but they were compelled soon to evacuate the hazardous sp.it. At sundown the Turks made a continuous forward movement, and re-occupied their second position. The Russian infantry made a succsssiou of desperate stuuds, and died like heroes. The Turks gradually re-took everything they had lost. The lighting lasted long after nightfall. With the darkness tho Bashi-liazonks took possession of the battli -iicld, and .'-lev,- all the wounded. The Russians had the heights above Radizcvoo, but the "Bashi-Bazouks worked aro'.md to their rear and fell on the wounded collected in the village of Radizevoo. A retreat was compelled in the direction of Bulgareui, and consequences resulting from this untoward buttle arc of ominous significance. A special dated Widdin reports that Osman Pasha is waiting fur reinforcements before making" a forward movement. The Russians have requested leave to bury their dead. The defeat had a most demoralising effect. The panic extended through the Russian army as far as Sistova, whore a few Cossacks arriving said the Turks were closely following them. Tho people of Sistova. thereupon rushed en masse across to Simnitza, followed by the Cossacks, who lied beyond.. On the road they came upon a convoy of Russia'! transport wagons, and spread panic among the drivers, who, leaving their charge, ran in Jill directions. Next morning order wa-s restored by the arrival of a large number of. prisoners at Si.-> tova, said to have been captured i;i a recent engagement by tha army of the Czarowiieir. Tho Russian killed and wounded was estimated at 24,000. but officially stated at 5,000. The defeat completely disarranged the Russian plan of operations. Reinforcements were pressed forward. Osman Pasha did not follow up his victory, awaiting reinforcements. RUSSIAN DEFEAT AT ESKI-SAGHRA. On the same day the Russians attacked Raouf Pasha at Eski-Saghra. After seven hourss''fighting, Raouf Pasha retreated upon Karabounnr, but Suleiman Pasha coming up,rcpnlsed the enemy and recaptured EskiSaghra : captuiiug several guns, and inflicting considerable loss to the Russians.

HOB ART PASHA'S MOVEMENTS. A dispatch from Sukum Kalcli dated August 2nd., says : The Turkish frigate Maumadich boaibarded the Russian batteries at Tchamtchiva on the 30th ultimo. silencing every Russian gun. The Maumadich was considerably damaged, and several of the crew wove killed ;in.l wounded. Near Tchamtchiva were 6,0005 Turks in. a critical position, owing to ;ho advance of the Russian army. Hobart Pasha embarked the entire force safely on the Ist instant, under cover of the guns of tiie fleet. This completes tho withdrawal of Turkish military from Caucasia. Hobart Pasha has command of the entire Black Sea forces, consisting of twenty men-of-war and transports. After i suffering defeat:' south, of the Balkans, the Russians strongly fortified Shipkc't Pass. Twenty-five l'hous r.rd Turkish regulars were ordered from Batoum to Varna. The Servian militia thirty-thousand, have been called out, and posted us a frontier guard. Austria mobilised ninety-thousand men. Meetings in Hungary have been held everywhere in favour of intervention to preserve Ottoman territorial integrity. Austria issued a loan of twenty-six million florins to cover the cost of mobilisation. ; Mehcmet Ali's .army, at R:i«grad, opposing tha Russian position on the river Loin, numbered 50,000 thousand.

ALLEGED RUSSIAN ATROCITIES.

The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs has sent a circular to Turkish representatives abroad,reciting the barbarous acts committed by the Russians,and says it is necessary that the civilised world should become acquainted with these horrors to express its indignation and to brand them. The inhabitants of Ternis, near Tit-nova, having on the approach of the Russians taken refuge in a mosque, were burned alive in the Jhclosurc. The Russians having met three hundred carts filled with fugitive families,destroyed them with cannon shot ; then, completed their work of extermination by massacring all the men and women they could find. In every suburb or village occupied by Russian troops, the dwellings of Musselmen were given to the flames. The Bulgarians, excited by the example of ■Hie Russians, committed against the peaceful and resigned Musselaien population acts of barbarity and outrages still more afo'oeious, more horrible, than those perpetrated by tiic invaders. TURKISH VICTORY AT SELVI. On August 6th a Turkish division from Lovatz occupied Selvi unopposed. The Turks fit Plevaa received a reinforcement of 4,000 Albanian cavalry. The Russian forces are between Selvi and Tirnova, holding strong defensive positions. General Gourko is charged with the duty of protecting the southern outlets of the Bal-

kan passes. A Vienna tele-ram says: Strategically the most important news from the seat of war v the occupation v? Selvi. ( This exposes Tirnova and tlie passes. Geueral Gourko's corps is said to be short of provisions and ammunition. Ruetuhuk is no longer invested from the .'and side, and communication with ShumJa was o}icncd. General Gourko sent word to Tirnova tkat his forces are scattereil to protect C.'hi'istians in various placas against the certainty of massacre. MONSTER CAMP AT COXSTANTfNOPLB. Ali has appointed Kascliid Pasha chief of artillery, nvA Hum ! >:i.sha cij{ii!iia:idi>r at V rama. Both are Prussians. .Much sickness {prevails in the Russian army. A camp of 70,000 men is to jibe formed at Constantinople. On August 7th, eight squadrons of Russian cavalry attacked Lovatz, and were rapulsod,ooo being killed, aud GOO wounded. A Turkish loan oc £2,000,000 and a half ha-> been floated in London. A Bucharesttc'ieyrain Au*-;u-.t 12'.h says: — An eminent persouage|iier :!i;;d Mvi-iiit^rs icy.' with <.h-cr:d Vv.ko iSiokolay yu Xhuradoy,

He admits that the troops were somewhat : demoralized, and said there was no pro- ■ bability of a resumption of operations for | three weeks, when he would have reinforcoi me.nts of 100,000 men arrived. POSITION OF THE ARMIES WHEN MAIL LEFT. ; The following were tho latest disposition: i A largo Russian army under the Czarn- ' witch is facing Eyoub Pasha on the left i and Mehmet Ali on the right. The former I is threatened from the direction of Kashgar : and the latter from Osmau Bazar. Eyoub 1 is believed, to have 4S battalions of infau- < try, G2 squadrons of cavalry, and 15 lb.it- . tones of artillery, while the army of i Mehmet Ali Pasha contains about 90,000 j men of all classes. . . 1 Shackosky's and Krudener's position is j confronting' Plevna and Dragomeroff b i division between Tirnova and Lovatz. i This force is probably sufficient for protection, but utterly inadequate fora renewal lof the offensive. It is estimated now that : from 60,000 to 70,000 Turks are on the ! Lovatz and Plevna line, and they will take a deal of beating. On the Prussian ; left flank the Czarovitch's army which as ; available for holding the line from the ! Danube to the Bulkans, about I 60,000, ami is necessarily attenuated over : tiie long front so as to leave no gap for the Turks to creep through. The Turks are i probably of about the s;une strength, but : if Mehmet Ali choose* to take the offensive I lie may concentrate at Ilnstchuk, Rasgrad 1 and Osmau Bazar. The Russians must ,be ready to face him everywhere, oonseI quently they must remain strictly on the defensive. The river Lorn still virtually ■ constitutes the line of the Rustchuk army, : but headquarter of the Twelfth Corps have been moved beyond to Kadikoi. The j headquarters of the Czarovitch with the ; Thirteen Corps, have been advanced to Knhaljcvat, 'thus comrontiug Rasgrad, while'between Osman Bazar and Tirncna the First Division stands with its head quarters in Kosarevia. The same correspondent telegraphs as follows from Sistova :—lt has been at last ■ definitely resolved to bring the Danube at Pirgo also. A correspondent with the Dohnulshii army telegraphs that malarial fever is doing its work. Hundreds of sick arriving at Tchemavoda daily, a majority are from the neighborhood of Medjidjo, where the steaming swamp poisons water! and air alike. Dyseatery counts many | victims. In proportion as the season j advances sickness increases.

A St. Petersburg letter states that 48,000 fresh troops are already on the way by railroad to the seat of war. The Cuards will follow in ten days.—These include 808!) cavalry, 5fi,000 infantry ; 250 cannon will also be sent. Of the Landwehr only picked regiments will go to Bulgaria. SHOCKING BARBARITIES REPORTED. London, July 31.—Official papers laid before Parliament contain the following : The English Consul at Slivno informs Minister Layard, under date of July 17th, that the Russians stir up the Bulgarians and arm them ; that they tore out the eyes or the Mussulmans whom they killed at Sistova and filled the sockets with bread. Minister Layard telegraphs Lord Derby, under date «f July 27th, that the Sultan has sent him a message entreating the Queen to use her influence with the Czar to stop the shocking cruelties committed by Russian troops. Men. women, and children are murdered and outraged in a horrible manner. The Sultan can scarcely believe the C/ar wishes the war to become a war of extermination and a war of brigands. The Sultan's aide-de-camp gave Minister Layard an account of the revolting atrocities he witnessed, and which, Layard Bays, are in a grout measure confirmed by advices from Consuls and other sources. Layard transmits, July 18th, several Consular reports of outrages and massacres by Bulgarians; and says there is truth in them, although they may be exaggerated Wallachians and Bulgarians accompany the Russian army in bands, calling themselves avengers. General Kimball telegraphs under date of the 26th, that the massacre at Bayazid is confirmed, but the atrocities at Ardalian arc quite untrue. A telegram from Bucharest says that Colonel Welles ty lias addressed a report to the British Government categorically denying the cruelties with which the Russians are charged.