THE TURKISH STRUGGLE.

Evening Star, Issue 4232, 19 September 1876, Page 4

THE TURKISH STRUGGLE.

The following thrilling incident in the action at Bjelina is communicated by the correspondent of the ' Standard,' ■when, mentioning the part taken by the Turkish women in the defence of the town, a sergeant related to me:— "We advanced, with bayonets fixed, into the narrow streete, often with a mud wall on each side of us. Heaps of slain, both Turks and Servians, formed a barricade; but as fast as we killed the Turks fresh men took their places—it seemed as if they grew out of the earth—and rushed upon, ua with sword and bayonet. Suddenly a Turkish woman stood in our midst, between Turks and Servians. Her yashnaaek (veil) had fallen down, her bosom ■was bare, and with a wild staring look jjhe regarded the child in her arms. ' Oat of the way, out of the way,' we eried on both sides, and for a second the fighting ceased. '.No, no/ she exMaimed, 'l-rWill not move; you have killed my husband, kill us too." A moment later both . fell beneath a shower of shots, and .sometimes we, sometimes the enemy, trod on their corpses."

BATTLE OF TAITCHAN. - Oa the Ist July the Minister of "War'gave orders t* Colonel Leschjanin, commanding the army of the Timok, to attack the Turkish troops encamped % tfofe "Widdin, to prevent them from reinforcing the troops at In ish, attacked by Tchernayeff. Leschjanin ordered fire to be opened by companies. Then was clearly to be see a that courage and love of country are not everything, and that QDly troops .pan keep the'field. ; cries, what unneces"jsary movements, "what useless com-

mands, from the general down to the I youngest sub-lieu tenant. A veritable Tower of Babel I Finally, when the fire commenced, the soldiers were found not to hare been provided with a supply of cartridges. The Roumelian chasseurs attacked with the bayonet to the cries of "Allah!" and dashed at the " sacred legion," which could not support the shock, and im- | mediately disbanded. The irregular cavalry cut down the fugitives, though they begged for quarter. The Servians would have been annihilated if the fourth battalion had not at last succeeded, in a certain fashion, in forming a square. The Turkish horsemen, the bridle between their teeth, the sword in their right hands, and revolver in the left, dashad boldly at the hedge of bayonets, but could not break it, and the retreat was effected in something like order. That fatal fight cost the Servians SOO killed and wounded, three flags and one mountain gun with itß accessories. The Turks, owing to the excellent weapons of the Servian Volunteers, experienced losses almost as great. The next morning Osman Pacha gave the signal for assault. The Turkish troops, in spite of their bravery, were repulsed. But the Servians, fearing to be cut off from Zaitchar, were forced to retire on that town. Eor the fourth time the Turkish chasseurs charged with the bayonet, but without success. The Servian losses for the two days are estimated at 1,700 or 1,800 killed and wounded. Those of the Turks, owing to the numerous attacks, must be at least half as many more.

THE BATTLE OF BELINA. The next important action of the war, up to the end of July, was the battle of Belina, A correspondent of the ' Daily News,' who, writing from the headquarters of the army of the Drina, says :—" The attack on Belina was made by the Servian troops, under the oommand of General Olympics. At 4 a.m. on the 4th July, the whole army was in column, ready for the march to the spot selected for the crossing of the Drina, the boundary line between Servia and Bosnia. The force consisted of about 10,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry, and six batteries of smooth-bore field pieces. In about one hour after the first shot 'was fired, the Servians had sucoeeded in landing and deploying a sufficient force to drive back the Turkish line. At half-past 12 a rattling disoharge on the right announced that the Servians had encountered the enemy, who were strongly posted on a ridge covered with heavy timber. The infantry pushed on, gradually outfltnking the Turkish position, on account of their superior numbers; and by the time the centre began to feel the enemy, the right had turned back the Turkish line in the form of their national emblem the crescent. The centre pushed rapidly forward, and the Turks gave way, retreating in good order towards the town. The Servians followed them as closely as possible, and, having succeeded in bringing up some artillery, commenced to shell the retreating enemy ; but tie artillerymen being engaged in service for the first time in their lives, the re- ! suit was principally noi.se and smoke, ;as far as they were concerned. The Turkish artillery now reached the scene of action, and while falling back with the supporting infantry, kept up a cannonade upon the Servians, and their guns being rifled and very well served did considerable execution among the advancing Servians, especially in the left wing, where the open country gave the artillerymen better opportunities. The Turkish artillery is by far the most effective branch of their ser> vice, and is generally very well handled. Next morning, the Tnrks, reinforced, rallied and attempted to re-take the lost position, but the Servians held their own under a severe fire, and finally succeeded in penetrating far enough into the place to set fire to the houses in the suburbs. The Turkish artillery was very destructive here, and evidenced its vast superiority over the muzzle-loading smooth-bores of the Servians. By ten o'clock it was evident, from the slackening fire in the centre, that the Servian attack was unsuccessful, and that they were withdrawing the troops under cover of the wooded ground near the outskirts of the town. Thus ended the first real battle of the war for the independence of the Turkish Sclavonian provinces. The Turks held their position, but the town was nearly destroyed.

THE TURKISH FORCES. At the present moment Turkey has something like 130,000 men in the field fully equipped, and the second class of the rediffs, -or reserve, are being called in, so that in a short time if necessary, there will be 300,000 men under arms. Of arms the Turkish War departnwat has more than sufficient, but the ammunition is rather short. Groat eflorts are being made, however, to answer the demand. The factories ab Constantiuople are fully employed night and day in the manufacture of Martini-Henry rifle cartridges, and a contract has just been fngned with an American house for 40,000,000 of the same, to be delirered in eight weeks. At Nissa, or Nish, a town near the southern frontier of Servia, there are at the present time 00,000 regulars and 20,000 Circassian Bashi-'oazouka, all fully equipped, with ammunition and military stores complete. On the Bosnian side, sta- j tioned near the frontier, are 58,000 regulars, and this force is to be strengthened with a corps of 40,000 Albanians now being organi&ed, i