BATTLES BEFORE PLEVNA.

Bruce Herald, Volume X, Issue 955, 6 November 1877, Page 7

BATTLES BEFORE PLEVNA.

The Russians bombarded the position from daylight on the 11th till 11 at night. An assault was made on the redoubts taken by General Skobeloff and General Rodioneff, carrying a redoubt in the centre of the Turkish line of defence and fronting Plevna, General Rodioneff was wounded, and one general and several superior officers were killed. Six Russian battalions and one Roumanian took part in the assault. Two standards and five guns were captured. At daybreak, on the 12th. a vigorous artillery fire was opened. Osman Pasha directed the main attack against the double redoubts held by General Skobeloff, keeping the Russians engaged at other points. Six asaanlts in force were directed against Skobeloff during the day, who asked in vain for reinforcements. He held the redoubts 24 hours, when the Turks re-occupied them, and lost two cannons. General Levitsky refused to send Bupport, thinking Skobeloff had enough men to hold the fort. General Kernlnffsent on his own responsibility the remnant of his shattered regiment. The regiment, after being repulsed at the lower redoubt near Plevna, was wholly unfit to go into battle, and these arrived too late, and then the regiment sent from the head quarters staff arrived after Skobeloff had retreated, and he entrenched himself opposite the Turks, holding new ground. Skobeloff lost 200 men in attacking and 3000 men in defending the redonbts. the possession of which with Gravica would enable the Russians to assume the offensive irnme diately. An immense number of officers under Skobeloff's command were killed and wounded, and only one commander of the regiment is alive. Be scarcely has a battalion left. Two officers of the staff were killed. A war correspondent saw Skobeloff on the night of September IG. He was calm and collected, and said, " I have done my bent and could not do more. My detachment is half destroyed ; my regiments do not exist. I have no officers left, and have lost three gu is." The correspondent—" Why did they refuse you reinforcements? Who was to blame?" " I blame nobody. It is the will of God." Colonel Wellesley, the British Commissioner visited Skobeloff and Gravica Redoubt. Later he reports that- it is crammed full of dead Russians and Roumanians, and is so dismantled as to be nearly untenable. Tbe Turks iti the attack on Gravica neither ran away nor asked for quarter. The Russians entered, thinking it was abandoned, but the garrison had only retired into casemate galleries and Btood at bay. The fighting^in the redoubts was all with bayonets. The; Turks tried to retaks it, and immediately threw a large number of men into the adjacent intrenchments, and poured an incessant rijie fire at 200 yards into the Russians, who bombarded them from the redoubt. The Turks, armed with repeating riges, had an enormous advantage over the Russians, and were equal to 18 to one in rapidity of fire, while exposing only one life. The effect to retake G-ravica was fruitless, and the Turks withdrew from the entrenchment. Osman Pash* paid little attention till the 12th to the bombardment of Plevna (which caught fire from the E uasian batteries), directing big whole efforts against Sfcobeloff on the left, who threatened his rear. Up to 4 p.m. five Turkish assaults were repulsed, and the sixth he was unable to resist. Two days subsequently Osman attacked the Russians in great force on the line of .communication tp Sophia, defeating the enemy- on tbe open road. He also defeated the Roumanian force operating i» the rear. Osman always attacks with superior number pince the le»3oi> before Plevnjj,.

The Kussiaus commenced sapping Turkish works after Skobeloff's defeat. On September 23 Osman made a night a- tack on Gravitza Bedoubt. which was well sustainod, but he was repulsed, with heavy loss. Meanwhile Haffia Pasha, with 20 bat taiions of infanlry, two batteries, and a regiment of Cavalry, aided by the garrison, succeeded in revictuailing Plevna. The Russians acknowledge 10,000 infantry, supported by artillery, cut through the opposing cavalry, and entered Plevna. The allied Josses before Pievna on September 24th are estimated at 25,000 killed and wounded. On September 25, all the troopß at Orchani were ordered to relievo Plevna. They are commanded by Chefkefc Pasha, author of the Bulgarian massacres. Another immense convoy of provisions and munitions of war, escorted by a division, is on the point of starting from Orchani for Plevna. The Turkish losaas before Plevna wero as heavy as those of the Russians. 4000 wounded remained in town, and the Turks were unable to remove them. A. Hountianian division assaulted the second Gravitzi redoubt, and were repulsed with severe loss, although they fought bravely. Set* via demands an explanation from Turkey for the concentration of troops on its frontier. Rain has rendered the mads nearly impassable, and there is a great deal of sickne36 among the Russian troops. The wounded from Plevna crowd the hospitals. There were 24 000 soldiers at Odessa.