THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 192, 15 August 1877, Page 2

THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

(DATES VIA SAN FRANCISO TO JULY 18.) (From the own correspondent of the 2V. _T. l^imes.) • ' San Francisco, July 18. The campaign in Europe has definitely opeued afc last, as your advices by telegraph will doubtless have informed you briefly, bufc long before you receive this communication. The delays in forwarding supplies and material of war, which, as I noticed lasfc month, had as ifc were " hung up ?' the Russian forces in Roumania, came to an end, and during the lasfc days of June; • , . -THE RUSSIANS CROSSED -THE DANUBE in force from. Simnitza to Sistova. Tbe following account of the crossing, from a correspondent who was an eye-witness of the important event, has been published :— With darkness General Dragorairoff Began his dispositions. His first; work was to plant a row of field guns all along the "edge of the flats lining the river, to sweep the opposite banks. This was done while infantry was being marched over the flats under cover of the willows. The darkness and natural obstructions of the ground were so great -that all was not ready until the first glimmer of dawn. There was no bridge, but a number of river boats, capable of holding from fifteen to twenty men each, were used. These were t dragged , on carriages ,through the mud;' and 'launched in 'the darkness. Boats put off singly, rowing across for a little cove on the Turkish shore, and later, the services of a small steam tug were brought into requisition. The T .rksimmer. diately opened fire both. on the boats^d the troops'" which were waiting" to " cross. ' Tne leading boat contained Major-Gendral Rolfiur. The Turkish riflemen were in position about fifty yards from the shore. The Russian: general landed his handful of mdn;and bade'i them lie down in. the mud, and then-.opened a skirmishing fire tb cover the landing of fche boats that followed. One "by "one these ' lauded theiiS freights,' who followed 'the 1 example of the first boatload. At lerigtK enough men had accumjilfifced,\and .among them were General Skobalo ff and his son. Geiieral Yolchine bade His men fix bayonets^ stand up, aud follow their officers. There was a rush, and the troops of the Tsar made for those of the Sultan with cheers. The Turks fired one effective volley,, but did not wait to fire a second.. General Yolchine's skirmishers followed them some short distance up the slope of the river bank proper, but fpr a time could nofc press on far frotn' their base. Meanwhile the Russian guvs from across the river and. the Turkish artillery were firing briskly. Tprkjsh shells i kept falling into the water, • , whistling through fche willows and bursting among tbe columns on the flats. One sheir'from a mountain gun fell into a boat containing two guas, their gunners, and fche commandant of fche battery. The boat was swampbd, and all on board perished. This was the only serious casualty in crossing; but many Russiau soldiers were falling oft' 'both sides of the river. The Turkish gunuers cluh£ fco their guns with wonderful staunchness, amid clouds of dusfc thrown up by the shells which burst around them. A Turkish monitor, which might have disputed the passage, had been hemmed in by a cordon bf torpedoes'" within the channel south of an island opposite . Wadini, and the Russian battery bn the Roumanian side shelled her vigorously. After their first repulse from the landing-place the Turks rallied and concentrated on- the upper slopes of tbe river banks in front of their - batteries, and then came dowu on the pickets of the Russiaus and made them give way; but only for a moment. Soon after noon the Russian infantry had crossed the heights \ bordering the river on the Bulgarian side, aud a Turkish infantry detachment tried to work around and come down upon Sisfco\Qj but this was thwarted by an intercepting skirmish. The loss in crossing was estimated afc 1000, bufc ifc is probably ihucti "greater Bridges will be laid at Simnifcza, which will be the main thoroughfare for the Russian army. 1000 men will march in tho column which is now crossing. The Russians (wisely drew a thick veil ground their movements at the lasfc moment placing sentries on fevery road, and suffering no man to .pass* l^hey

.passed highet up tha river than was expected. sThe Russians also crossed afc-PretacanLtipon rafts, a son of the Grand Duke Nicholas going oyer on fche -firs lt one. The Grand Duke Nicholas crossed at three o'clock in the morning at Pretocenj, .and officially sstated that there .yere<,;_ .-A \~ - \ x PlFir THOUSAND RUSSIANS ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE DAMUUE on the 27th, opposite the Simnitza and Pefcroceni line. The Russians were surprised afc the comparatively little resistance they met with in crossing. Nothing is. known Of 'the' Turks' disposition of their troops, excepfc that the had-quarters remain in Shumla, where Redif Pasha, the Minister of War, has joined Abdul Kerim, and a council of war was established, under" whose direction the campaign will be prosecuted, possibly with more vigor than heretofore, as the only good quality generally conceded to Redif Pasha is energy. - - T - ■ - THE TURKISH DANUBE FLOTILLA remained inactive during the crossing and ' afterwards supine', while a single pontoon qridgfe, subse4uently thrown across the river j at Sjktova, wa^permifct'ed to supply the large '» Russian force on the south bank with pro- i visions and war material. The bridge is re- ' "ported to Be sd weak that it has broken of j its own weight several timbs in a week. One ! ironclad in determined hands might place : fche Russians in a desperate, strait, for fche • country aiong the Turkish side of the Danube would not maintain them many days if de- < prived of their commissariat. Ifc was reported ! that. Hobart Pasha contemplated an opera- ! , tion of: t^is nature on' the Danube under bis ! personal direction, but was . restrained by i jealousy outhe parfc of Turkish Pashas. The ' roji^ary • and; civil. commandants of Sistova, i Tirhbva, and Osinku Bazar, iwere summoned -i» Constantinople f or- triaLby court martial. - AbduliKerim Pasha deoianaed sixty thousand i . more troops. It was anticipated that he and ! Eyoub Pasha would be- superseded. The next step in the war was THE CAPTURE OF NICOPOLIS. A- New York Herald special correspondent, : glviffg au accpurit^of this, saysi— " As soon i as tqe Russians came Wife ..ineffective range ' -9l tl i c Tark^h position, ihex-were met by a severe artillery firei which, however, did nofc ctysck fcheir advance, and to which they re- I :sKed'tfifch a^tillimbre formidable fire. The ! Turks being posted on a commanding posi- I tion, had a considerable advantage, and as • fhe.Russians approached frightful gaps were ' -made in their ranks by the Turkish artillery. •■ With surprising valour, however, they con- . timied to approach the heights, and as soon > r as fchgy. came: wifchin rifle-range they opened ja terrible fire on fche Turks, and for half an jhour this military duel, was continued with i [unabated vigor; Abont kid-day on Sunday ; the order for an assualt was given, and the whole -of the Russian linef supported by I several batteries of artillery, stormed the ! heights pec apied by the Turks. During the : atff u 1 olimi^ ih the face of a deadily fl&, the j (Russians suffered terribly, while the Turks, ! stubbornly defending fcheir. -position, sus- ! tamed an equal loss. After obtaining pos- | session of the heights commanding the town, at terrible' cost; the Russians virtuiilly had; Nicol)olis_at their. mercy.l The Turks, find-' L ing Iheir line of retreafc, threatened, aban-i the town; which >a 4 fil'led^witli Turk-i J!b_dead. ... Many wounded were found in thel streets and, in .houses, where theyhjad been! abandoned by the^Turks in ttie retreat. £) ne ', correspondent says. £! Nicbpolis was occupied , bya^garrison.of 6COO men and forty guns,; iwho- surrendered;.. with ttieirj commander ; " ! # ut . aI L '^.her accounts represent t .at r the ;Turks. evacuated the place before the Rus- ' isians entered it.* After this, j j i j ' tiie almost Unopposed advance oi? the | ; RUSSIANS ' j in Bulgaria was afc first almost unaccountable. : Despatches from The Tima correspondents at Shumla and Bucharest describe the briijlianfc onward movement of the .invaders in jEurppe, which were tarnished by atrocities committed by tbe_Btilgarians,' unhindered by '. . .the Russian troops. Like theifambusiUhlans ; ;in the " Franco-German war, the jcavalry ! [pushed their --way -ahead, their sabres flashing ' in the defiles of the Balkan mountains, far ! beyond the niaihjbbdy of Jhe jarmy. ] « They j spread terror in every "direction in fchb country through which they r pasi Mussulman families, fly before them terrified and panicsfcricken, and the savage Bulgarians fall on > the helpless crowds of these [ fugitives, and hiassacre-fchem iv cold blood. ■ Fugitives are pouring into Shumla and Varna, with terrible tales of .death and suffering. : ; Thb country is alive with Russian troops.;- Hill and dale echolo the noise of the [martial! hosts. Theyrhqld the>b^d from Vie a to Tbslinik. They-are-marchißg-by-fche way of fehe-Semir Papu Pass to Aados.and damboli. -.(Ehey fbmtften > Rasgrad, where the. Turks are posted. hey afe, while. lam sending; this, despatch, in the midst of no ' ;. j j J " ;: * : A. tfES&JEATE ENGAGEMENT "•".'' !i ' with the Turks afc c Dretidva? battling fiercely ' * ° .^h c possession of fche jirbad tb kesahlik hy way>bf the' Shipka v Pass. ' Thfe' Turks have^ fled before the victorious standards "of their enemies at Biela, a&d tie' 'latest 1 news pt^cq. therehgles triumphiirifc on the fortifications' of ,i In fact everything seemed to ,£o on> swimmingly for the .Russians, who speedily had a flying column through one of • of fche Balkans. t -i. 'isn. .-;<. ih>: 1 :