A REVIEW OF THE CAMPAIGN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 224, 21 September 1877, Page 4

A REVIEW OF THE CAMPAIGN

A well-informed contributor to the Auckland Herald, who writes under the name of " Austria," furnishes that journal with the following: — The mail brings news of the war up to the 29th. July from home, and to the 15th August, from America, nnd being of so much moment, I have endeavored to trace briefly the operations from the orosßing of tbe Danube to our latest date, and by a brief resume to show the train of events which led to the important battles fought on. the wavy plains of Bulgaria and in the Balkan ranges. I have also carefully selected from various foreign papers the opinions of their military men, as their ideas and ways of expression may throw some light on the disasters that have subsequently occurred. On tbe 29th of June the Russians crossed the Danube, and advanced in three columns into the heart of Bulgaria. The centre column moved in a direct, line forward to Tirnova, the right column, diverging to the westward marched through Plevna to Lovaca and Selvi, the left column moved to the eastward on Bella, a town of some little importance on the Jantra. A separate corps was despatched along the banks of the Danube to reduce Nicopolie, which object was easily effected. On the 4th of July Tirnova was reached, and the Grand Duke Nicholas appears to have arrived on the following day. From Tirnova a corps of 15,000 infantry and 4000 cavalry, under General Gourka, crossed the Balkans at Sbipka and Hum Boghaz, arriving at Jeni-Saghra on the 18th July, and from thence they proceeded to Jamboli, on the Marit za river. This is the great advance of the Russians, the apparent success of which filled most men's minds at home with the.belief of the utter impossibility of any actual Turkish resistance. It moreover created a panic at Adrianople, as the retreating Mussulman peasants, — mcD, women, and children — were ruthlessly murdered by the^ advancing . Cossacks and tbeir confederates, the Bulgarians. The resistance offered by the Turks during the first three weeks in July, was considered so slight by Russians that the telegrams from, tbe army forwarded to Moscow and St Petersburg, announcing thier rapid advance, caused in those cities an amount of jubilation which almost approached to frenzy. Their newspapers began to discuss the terms of peace which should be offered — but then only after the occupation of Constantinople — the attitude of the Austrian Government was ridiculed, and England was absolutely defied. Let us see what was the resistance offered, and whether there was any reason for .such self-glorifications. The resistance at the passage of the Danube was so slight that barely 800 men were put hora de combat. On the march to Tirnova, there was absolutely no resistance. In the Shipka Pass, works which excited the admiration of the Russian Engineers, and stated to have been. held, by some 10,000 regulars, were shamefully abandoned, the pasha in command losing his head, and being the first to flee. Still severe fighting did take place between the advancing and retreating armies. The loss of the Pass is one of the points which we in this country could . not understand, as we were led to believe that every, inch of ground would be disputed. Such seems to have been the intention of tbe Turks, but the cowardice of one man caused a gap in the Turkish line, which even at, this time haa not been made good, although thousands of lives have bean lost in (he attempt. The Ham Boghaz track, close to the Shipka, seems to bave been occupied but by one battalion, which retired as the Russians advanced. The advanced guard of the left Column of Russians from Sistova, seems to bave reached Beila on the river (Jantra on the 3rd July, and to bave immediately engaged the Turks, who occupied tbe Bridge, and were retreating towards Rusichuck and the Quadrilateral. They immediately laced about and inflicted a very severe blow Km the Russians. There is no absolute detail of tbis engagement, but the Turks state that the loss of the enemy Was over 1000 whilst their own wae insignificant. However, Beila whs Officially anoounceJ as beiog in occupation of the Russians on tbe lOib July, and we find some days later on, that the railway between Rustchuck and

Rasgrad waa cut. The right column from Sistova passed through Plevna oa the road to Lovacs and Selvi, and seems on ita march to the Balkans to have met with no impediments. The corps despatched under General Krudener along the bank 3 of the Danube attacked and took Nicopolis oo the 16th July, when two pashas and 6000 men, witb 40 guns, fell into the hands of the Russians, most of the prisoners being Baahi-Bazouks, Circassians, and irregulars. . The guns were old smooth-bore ones, nnd of different patterns. The majority of the regulars, with their Krupp guns, escaped under cover of the night, and retreated to the west across the Osma. Still the Turks gave a good acount of themselves, and fought with courage. Oaman Pasha, who was hastening up from Widdia to relievo the place, was about four days too late. However, he immediately took up a position at Plevna, and witb the aid of the troops lhat escaped from Nicopalis, entrenched himself. He was attacked on the 21at July, for he telegraphs through Vienna on the 23rd that he had had two days' fighting, capturing 14 wagons of ammunition, which the enemy had abandoned in their retreat. This was the first engagement at Plevna, and ends the operations in the field, when the mail left England. Tbe resistance experienced by the Russians waa slight, considering the amount of ground their troops had traversed. Still they experienced two reverses, and these reverses, both heavy, should have been a lesson to them; but such does not seem to have been the case, for, in the August dates of the American files, a detailed account of the now celebrated battle of Plevna, fought on the 3 1st July, occurs, in which an entire Russian army of nearly 50,000 men, under Generals Krudener and Schaskoskoy, were almost annihilated; 24,000 man are stated to have been killed or wounded. As yet there are no detailed aocounts of this battle from Turkish sources ; but when they do come from the foreign correspondents with the army we shall find thafc (he Russians lost a great part of their artillery, correspondents with the Russian army being prohibited from giving any detailed loss. The company under General Gourka, which penetrated acrosa the Balkans and had arrived at Jamboli, waa defeated on the 2nd of August at Eskii Saghra by Sulieman aud Raou Pashas — the former advancing from the east by valley of Tundacha. The. loss of this army was 12,500 men, including its guns and material. It is very remarkable that, from the commencement ol the war, the corresreapondentß of the English Press have viewed the position of Turkey as hopeless. Ail their letters tend to the same object. Even after tbe defeat of Plevna, some of them adhered to the same line of policy, Bui how. different are the eeotinaents of the German aud Austrian officers, and some Americans! In order to illustraie this, I will quote from the Army and Navy Gazette and the New York, times the following passages. Tbe Gazette of tbe 14th of July, seventeen days previoua to the battle of Plevna, says: — "The German officers consider that Russia should have waited .three or four years before declaring war, in order to complete her armament and her reorgaoisatioa. The artillery was not ready, the clothing incomplete ; the officers have not got their men well in hand, and the nonconamisioned officers are defective in the way of instruction. Aa regards tactics, it ia pointed out that the Russians do not appear to. have taken a lesson from the Franco-German war, and that the infantry is given to rushing forward impetuously with the bayonet in the old Zouave fashion. The impression of the staff in Berlin is that the Russians are still a lobg way from Constantinople." The New York Times correspondent says :— " Tbe Russian troops can no more be compared to the Germans than the greasy warriors of King John, of Abyssinia, to the French. Strategiaily and practically, every conception of the Russians generals is faulty, and th«ir execution defective. An army of 300,000 soldiers crossed the Pruth, and there are 240,000 of these men on Turkish soil, and with what result ? This epleudid array bas moved aloag in eccentric and diverging lines, wbep each step forward removed each fraction further from ita base, and from the possibility of mutual support. Another defeat will render ber present position uateDable. VVitb lio organ ised commissariat, no money, no general capable

of oommandiog a brigade, I prophesied that if 150,000 Russians reached the second line of Turkish defence, riot many of them, woiild ever get back to the Danube." Hard hitting thia, but it. is true nevertheless. Other letters of similar import are to be found, and one especially mentions the utter want of attention to all sanitary regulations, consequently fever has been making sad havoc amongst the troops.