THE SECOND BATTLE OF PLEVNA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 5228, 21 November 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SECOND BATTLE OF PLEVNA.

' The well-known war correspondent of the Daily If net is also employed by the Melbourne Argtu, and from bis letter descriptive of the disastrous attack on Plevna in September, the following is taken:— " On the following week (here was every Indication that the grand attack on Plevna, to long expected and so much talked of, would goon be made. Troops arrived daily, and two batteries of 20 large siege guns had been * brought up from Simnjtsa to pound the earthworks which the Turks bad been so busily constructing around Plevna. The event of the early part of the week woe the arrival of Prince Charles of Bonmania as commanderid ehief of the army of Plevna, while on the following Thursday the Grand Duke Nicholas and the Emperor changed their quarters at Qorny Student to Potedin and Badiiovo in order to be near the scene of operations. That evening Prince Charles bad a long interview pith (he Grand Duke, making final arrangements for (he attack, and when darkness set in General Zotcff superintended the march of the troops forward towards Plevna. Before proceeding further with a description of the eventful seven days’ battle at Plevna, it may be well to describe briefly the position there Plevna is a picturesque town, situated at the lower end of a deep valley shaped something like a oatifel letter TJ. The northern ridge of the ellipie stretohse from the precipitous sides of Plisja eastwards from Grivioa, and turns in front of S-g'lince west, the southern arm being the ridge which terminates in the heights of Bsdisovo. A minor ridge rone down the centre of the great valley, the minor ridge being broken np into little knolls towards its western or Plevna extremity, Vanning north-east and south-west. Beyond Plevna and Badiiovo, (here are two eoarped ridges, along one of which rani the Hovea and Plevna road. Now, the Turks bad in (he first place fortified the cliffs of Flisj*, (ben along the Grivioa ridge had constructed three entrenched camps, eastwards from which were three redoubts, the last, or the Gravitsa redonbt, being a very strong work originally erected tD bar the advance of Kmdener in July from Nikopolis. Every little knoll on the minor ridge immediately to the east of Plevna had been made into a redoubt or had been fortified by lunettes, each connected with the other by covered ways or shelter trenches. The most formidable of these was what has been. called the Plewja redoubt, to (he south-tost of the town, * and facing the ,R«Hiovo heights. Erom Plevna towards the iyinc-olad hills whieh border (he Hovea rpkd, there rnns a bog's book, which strengthened 'lfith ®atsesoli®Bfttsafid which was crowned -■ C ”fe». ' ■

with a double redoubt,,known a* the Sofia forti while etilUoilher westward, and dominating this work, wan the Keiienredoubt. After giving in detail thi cumber* and division* of the combatant*, whom he place* at, Turk* 70,000, Butsiane 97,000, the norrespondent describes a preparatory attack, in which the Turks were worsted. This was merely a preliminary to the great effort that was to be made. Then there, m s lull for a day or two, till Anally " The sun rose resplendent over tbo amphitheatre of hill* on Monday, Bept 10, and tinged with golden glory the crests whose green carpet was so soon to be dyed a purple red. As the morning advanced, however, rain fell, and the weather thereafter was gloomy and threatening. Still the battle was confined to an artillery duel, and all along the line the doll rosr of cannon mingled with shrieking shells or the sharper whistle of the explod ion shrapnel. In the afternoon General Skobeloff was ordered to advance on the left flank, snd occupy the hill overlooking the Sofia redoubt. For this purpose he took with him two r«gi* mente of the 18th division, and a battalion of tirailleurs. The latter advancing into the vineyard*, opened a brisk fire upon the Turkish sharpshooters, and drove them from the hills, whioh was taken possession of by the mpporta, and a moment thereafter three batteries of artillery came thundering along the Ljftoha road, under a heavy flro from the Krisin redoubt, and established themselves on the brow of the eminence. The Turk* maintained for ao hour and a half a cannonade against Skobsloff’s guns and infantry, but this did not dislodge them, and when darkness set to they were left in undisturbed possession of the important position. Daring the night a thunderstorm of unusual violence swept over the battlefield, and for several hours (he cannonade of 100 guns sounded feeble in comparison i|itb the rolling of Heaven’s artillery over head. Bain fell also in torrents, and the poor fellows who hod been lying inert and exposed in the dip* and hollows of tho valley and under cover of the Indian porn, must have been thoroughly soaked through.

“ This was indeed but a miserable preparation (or the grand assault, which had been ordered for Tuesday afternoon, the anniversary fSte day of the patron saint of the Emperor. Though with daybreak the rain ceased, a chill penetrating mist swept down the valley, soon obliterated every prominent feature of the landscape, and deadened even the sullen roar of the siege cannon and the sharper reports of the field artillery. At 9 o’clock, when the infantry were being moved up to take their final positions before the assault, the mist was in a great measure dissipated,- but exactly at 11 the soft grey impenetrable curtains of vapour rapidly descended over hill and valley, end justat that moment the rattle of musketry was heard away to the left rolling eastwards towards Baditovo with ever increasing volume. What was it ? The assault was not to take place for tour hours yet, and only by a mistake could the battle have commenced so eoon; or, on the other hand, the Turks had turned the tables of their enemies and attacked them. Probably the truth lies between the two. Fearing attack under cover of the mist, the Turks had come out of the redoubts and entrenchments ready for an emergency, which the too eager troops on the Bussian left flank, Interpreting as the beginning of an attack on their positions, rushed down the elopes and met them pore than halfway. Through the rolling, trailing, curling mist little of the straggle could be seen. The volley appeared like the crater of a vast volcano, where smoke and fire swayed and' leaped, wreathed, and darted in angry volume; while the sullen, passionate ories of the armed hosts and the muffled din of the fusillade resembled the crash of lava against the precipitous sides of the hellish cauldron. By and by a thin black stream, trickling over the nearer heights, was seen through the dimness—a stream increasing in volume as the minutes went on. It is the return of the wounded—a painful, melancholy sight—halting, 4 crippling, crawling, leaving a track of blood on every inch of the grasscovered slope. The heart bleeds at the eight of these poor wretches, who, with hearts beatiug light, marohed into the valley of death to leave their comrades, whom they shall see tfo more, and return maimed for life. Aronad the ambulances the stream widens Bud broadens until the doctors in charge thereof fairly sicken with anguish at the thought that so many of their fellow-countrymen demand their service while so few can commend them. But while this pitiable scene is bung enacted at onr side, the eyes wander down into the volcano below to our left Five times have the Turks charged up the slope against Skobeloff's division, while the western elopes of Badisovo have been three times cleared of the redoubtable Moslem. At half past one, however,the fusillade begins to die away, and at two the attack has ended in the defeat of the Turks, under the supposition that they are the assailants, and a drawn battle supposing the Russians to have endeavoured to capture the Turkish positions. The loss daring this part of the engagement could not on the Russian side have been under four or five thousand men.

• There was a lull for nearly an hoar in the rage of battle, bat about 3 o'clock a furious cannonade from the Buaiian batteries along the whole libe indicated the resumption of hostilities, and that the real attack on Plevna was about to commence. In order to make a continuous narrative, it may be well to commence with the left flank, which the Turks themselves seemed from the first to have believed the key of the position. A little after 3 o'clock, Skobeloff advanced his artillery to the crest of the hill in front of the Bo9a redonbt, and the infantry down in the valley went with a rush up the opposite slope towards the glacis of the fort. His first and attacking lines he supported with relays of troops, who, when the former wavered, pnshed onwards. They were, however, met with a withering fire from the Sofia redoubt , and the Banian fort which dominated the position. The moment was critical. Skobeloff put himself at the head of the two battalions he had held in reserve. They advanced with a cheer, earned their comrades before them, surmounted the glacis, cleared the ditch, leaped the parapet, and the redonbt was theirs, the general himself having his horse shot under him, and biseword shattered in two by the splinter of a shell. Hot so fortunate was the attack on the Plevna redoubt. There the 16' h division was ordered to the attack, supported by a nortion of the 30th. They marched over the Badiiovo heights with a cheer, reformed on a road in the valley, and extending their front, stormed the redonbt on either flank. The fire of the Turks was something terifio. Men were mowed flown like grass. Some reached the glacis of the fort; the supports came slowly out, but at that moment two long columns of fresh Turkish troops marched up from the town of Plevna to the redoubt, opened fire at short range, and the devoted assailants bad to a retreat, leaving the elopes covered with dead and dying. Half an hour later another attempt was made to storm the fort, but it, too, was repulsed with great slaughter. Meanwhile, away to the right, the Boumanians and the Banians had conjoined forces for an assault upon the great Grivioa redonbt. It bai been arranged that the Boumanians should attack on the north and south-east, and that the Bassians should come up on the southwest. The Boamanian militia formed the storming party, with scaling ladders, the second line consisted of Boumanians, and the third of Boumanians and Bassians. The allies fought with a heroism seldom exhibited, but under a terrible rifle fire, added to a cannonade ‘of shrapnel, they were compelled to beat a retreat. On a second attempt, the brave fellows secured possession of the redoubt, but their support* having lost their way in the mist, they could hot hold the dearly bought advantage, and a second time retired. Beinforoed, however, by two Russian battalions, a third time (hey went at (he desperate assault, and on this occasion they drove cat the Turks, capturing three cannons and one standard. Night had now set in, at.d for a time the battle ceased, the result being a nominal victory for the allies on the right and loft flanks, but a complete repulse in the centre. Daring (he night, recognising the importance of (he Gririer redoubt, the Turks made Coos

desperate attempt* at it* rscapture, but wet* foiled. , - . , i . . "Wednssday morning dawned iatv ana clew. With the earliest daylight, the J nrk* madeA desperate ssionlfc on tne Sofia redoubt ia posiession of Bkobeloff, who, in addition to three guns he had captured, had brought into position four Russian cannon. The Unit assault 'mi repulsed with great lot* to the Turks, but Are time* they renewed it with additional reinforoemenle, while on the Bkobeloff’s devoted heed fell the concentrated shell Are of the Srisen end Plevna redoubts, and the entrenched camp on the other side of the rid go. Time and again be sent for reinforcements, but these not being forthcoming, ho wo* compelled, after losing 8000 menand the whole of hie staff, to evacuate the fort, having previously blown up the three Turkish gune which he had captured, and three of hi* own whioh he hod not time, to take away with him. He retired, and the Turks re occupied the SoAo redoubt. That same afternoon the Rjumanian* and Russians twice attempted the capture of the Snd Grivioa redoubt and the entrenched camp to the west of it, but were beaten book with great slaughter. On Thursday the Russian field batteries kept up a feeble cannonade upon the Turkish position ; but it was evident in the afternoon that the commander-in-chief recognised the (utility of an assault upon the almost impregnable position of the Turks with the troop* at his disposal, for the siege batteries were dismantled and the guns taken back to Poredin. Since Thursday, up to the date of writing, the Grivioa redoubt has still been held by the allied troops, who have endeovonred twice to capture the centre redoubt, 859 yards distant, whioh practically dominates the large one, but have failed. Further, the allies have retired upon their old lines; between Pelisat, Segalinoe, and Vebioe, though (be Aeld artillery still maintain* a position midway between Plevna and these points.