766 



TURKEY. 



Horvatovitch again entered Gurgussovatz. 

 They then concentrated all their forces at Nis- 

 sa, for a combined attack on the positions 

 Alexinatz-Deligrad, on the southern Morava. 

 These operations were under the chief com- 

 mand of Abdul-Kerim Pasha, the Minister of 

 War. On August 19th Ali Sahib attacked the 

 Servian positions on the left bank of the Mo- 

 rava. His object was to gain ground close to 

 the left bank, so that a bridge could be built 

 across the river, and thus establish an easier 

 mode of communication between his army 

 corps and that of Achmet Eyub than that pre- 

 viously used by way of Nissa and Mramor. 

 At first he was successful, and drove the Ser- 

 vians back ; but on the following day the Ser- 

 vians not only held their own, but attacked 

 the Turks. On the 21st, Achmet Eyub attacked 

 the Servian positions on the right bank. This 

 forced the Servians to divide their attention, 

 and on this day the Turks held the town of 

 Teshitza. On the 22d the Turks began to build 

 a bridge at this place ; and although the Ser- 

 vians attacked the Turks during this and the 

 following day, they were unable to prevent 

 the completion of the bridge, and on the morn- 

 ing of the 24th the Turks began the main at- 

 tack on Alexinatz. The infantry succeeded in 

 taking several Servian trenches, but were here 

 so exposed to the enemy's fire that they were 

 soon forced to retreat, with great loss. On the 

 left bank, both the Servians and Ali Sahib 

 kept very quiet during this day. On the 

 evening of the 24th Abdul-Kerim received the 

 news that Horvatovitch, who had occupied 

 Gurgussovatz on the 18th, was on his way to 

 the scene of action, and would in all proba- 

 bility attack the Turkish right wing at St. 

 Stephan on the following morning. This, it is 

 said, induced him to give up the operations 

 against Alexinatz on the right bank of the 

 Morava ; and on the same evening the Turks 

 retreated upon Katun. The losses of the Ser- 

 vians in the six days' battle of Alexinatz were 

 9 officers and 371 men killed, and 38 officers 

 and 1,195 men wounded; in all, 1,613 killed 

 and wounded : that is, 3.1 per cent, of the en- 

 tire army. The losses of the Turks, although 

 not definitely known, exceeded those of the 

 Servians considerably. After the failure of 

 these operations, Abdul-Kerim determined to 

 unite his entire army on the left bank, effect a 

 greater extension toward the west, to pass by 

 Alexinatz and Deligrad, and, if possible, to de- 

 scend into the valley of the Morava on the left 

 bank. Achmet Eyub was therefore ordered 

 to cross over to the left bank of the river on 

 the bridge at Teshitza, while on the right bank 

 there remained but a few bodies of irregular 

 troops. These, in order to cover the crossing 

 of Achmet Eyub, attacked Alexinatz on the 

 28th, and then retired again. On August 30th, 

 Abdul-Kerim had gathered his main army on 

 the left bank, near Teshitza. On the morning 

 of September 1st he began to move forward, 

 surprised some advanced Servian positions at 



Zitkovatch, on his right wing, but particu- 

 larly strengthened his left wing, so that hie 

 intention to seize the pontoon-bridge of Bogo- 

 viste, and thus interrupt the communication 

 between Alexinatz and Deligrad, became ap- 

 parent. This he did not accomplish, although 

 the Servians were forced to retire to the right 

 bank of the river. Tchernayeff then reen- 

 f orced the exposed , outposts Djunis and Kao- 

 nik, and at the bridge which covered the road 

 from Krushevatz to Deligrad. At the same 

 time he occupied the entire right bank of the 

 Morava, from this bridge to Alexinatz. The 

 retreat of the Servians to the right bank had 

 been attended by considerable disorder, so that 

 at the time it seemed that the Servians had re- 

 ceived their death-blow. But the Turks hav- 

 ing, according to their custom, burned all the 

 villages on their way, with the provisions in 

 them, and not having money to procure any 

 from without, were forced, against their will, 

 to allow Tchernayeff to reorganize his forces. 

 This he did, and, leaving but a few battalions 

 in Alexinatz, concentrated his main force on 

 the road from Deligrad to Djunis, with his 

 headquarters in Deligrad. After having let 

 th week pass by quietly, the Turks, on Sep- 

 tember 7th, 10th, and llth, made four different 

 attempts to obtain a strong position on the left 

 bank between Korman, Adrovatz, and Bogo- 

 viste, and there to gain the right bank be- 

 tween Deligrad and Alexinatz by erecting a 

 bridge. All these attempts failed; and the 

 same was the case with an attempt of Colonel 

 Horvatovitch to cross to the left bank, in the 

 rear of the Turkish forces, and attack them. 

 At the other points, on the Drina, Ibar, and 

 Timok, comparative quiet prevailed during this 

 period, the only operations of any importance 

 being those of Colonel Despotovitch and 2,000 

 Bosnians, who, having been sent out by Alim- 

 pitch from Popovo to revive the insurrection, 

 gathered about him the remaining bands of in- 

 surgents, and captured the fort Petrovatz, be- 

 tween the Unna and Sanna, on August 14th, 

 and, on September 8th, the city of Glamosh. 



When the Montenegrins began their retreat 

 before Mukhtar Pasha, on July - 20th, they 

 went by the way of Nevesigne, Gatchko, and 

 Korito. Mukhtar Pasha, who followed on 

 more westerly courses, intended to get ahead 

 of them and cut off their retreat to Montenegro. 

 At the same time, the Turkish corps of Alba- 

 nia was to attack the southern border. On July 

 27th Mukhtar Pasha arrived at the Convent 

 of Plana, twelve kilometres north of Bilek, 

 and from there intended, on the 28th, to march 

 to the left and attack the Montenegrins in the 

 rear. He therefore ordered the commander of 

 Bilek to take a position to the east of the city 

 and to await further orders, so that he might 

 be able to assist Mukhtar Pasha, if necessary. 

 At the same time, the commandant of Trebigne 

 was ordered to send up a train of provisions 

 which was certainly a difficult order to fulfill, 

 considering that he had very scant provis- 



