726 



TURKEY. 



studded with earthwork batteries facing in 

 every direction, so that they could sweep the 

 whole broad bosom of the Danube so thor- 

 oughly that a row-boat could not run the 

 gantlet of their iron hailstorm. Behind the 

 low bluff along the bank there was an undulat- 

 ing plateau, about two miles broad, extending 

 backward to a continuous rising ground, hav- 

 ing a series of knolls upon its surface. On 

 each of these knolls was an intrenched work, 

 while the ridge above was " a great in- 

 trenched camp, with an elaborate earthwork 

 redoubt on each flank and another in the cen- 

 tre." 



Silistria, another strongly-fortified Turkish 

 town on the Danube, with about 20,000 in- 

 habitants, is a very ancient city. Its fortifica- 

 tions are said to be among the best military 

 works of the time, and are considered pretty 

 nearly impregnable. Varna, with about 20,000 

 inhabitants, lies on the northern side of a small 

 bay of the Black Sea. It is also a very ancient 

 town. The sea-side is defended by three power- 

 ful batteries, and as ships of large size could 

 not approach nearer than for bombardment 

 purposes, these batteries are considered suf- 

 ficient for the defense of the harbor. On the 

 land-aide the city is completely inclosed by a 

 wall, and at every favorable place bastions have 

 been thrown out, and are heavily armed. The 

 remaining corner of this quadrilateral, Shumla, 

 a town of about 40,000 inhabitants, is also one 

 of the strongest fortifications in Turkey. Roads 

 from Varna, Constantinople, Rustchuk, and 

 Silistria, meet there. The town lies on the 

 north slope of the Balkan, about midway be- 

 tween its crest and the Lower Danube, in a 

 gorge, horseshoe-shaped, and inclosed on three 

 sides by mountains. In all the wars between 

 Turkey and Kussia, it has been the point of 

 concentration for the Turkish forces. In the 

 vicinity is an intrenched camp, capable of ac- 

 commodating from 40,000 to 60,000 men. At 

 the summit of the cliffs which surround it is a 

 wide table-land, covered with brush and under- 

 wood, intersected by narrow, confined paths. 

 The fortifications which crown the heights are 

 of great extent. Besides the strongly-bastioned 

 wall, there are numerous detached works, mas- 

 sive barracks, and hospitals, built since 1830. 

 The most accessible approaches are guarded 

 by strong forts. The Russians attempted to 

 take it in 1774, 1807, 1810, and in 1828, but 

 without success. Besides these four, the Turks 

 have the two other important fortresses of 

 Widin and Nicopolis, on the Danube. This 

 river would thus form with its fortresses the 

 first line of the Turkish defense. If the Rus- 

 sians effected a crossing, and pushed on, the 

 Turks would have to fall back on their second 

 line, the Balkan range. This is the main de- 

 fense of Central Turkey, a great rampart, which 

 the Russians would have to scale before they 

 could reach Adrianople and Constantinople. 

 These mountains are 5,000 feet high at the west- 

 ern extremity and 2,000 feet high at the sea. 



The distance from the Danube to the top of the 

 passes is about 50 or 60 miles, across a rough and 

 broken country, and the declivities of the moun- 

 tains themselves are clothed with forests. The 

 climate is very cold and bleak. Between the 

 Balkan range and the Danube there are two 

 of the fortresses just mentioned Shumla and 

 Varna one of which commands all the roads 

 from Rustchuk and Silistria to Constantinople, 

 and the other the coast road from the Dobrudja 

 and the Lower Danube. The Russian troops 

 would be exposed to the fire of the Turkish 



unboats and monitors on the coast road, and 

 humla is the strongest fortress in Central Tur- 

 key. Beyond the Balkan range is an undulat- 

 ing country sloping toward the Sea of Marmora. 

 From Adrianople a railroad runs to Constanti- 

 nople, a distance of 70 miles. Within a few 

 miles of the Bosporus there is a range of hills 

 which would form a third line of defense if 

 the Turks were driven from the river and the 

 mountains. 



In the Dobrndja the two principal points of 

 defense for the Turks are Tultcha and Hirsova. 

 The town of Tultcha was originally the tete de 

 pent of Ismail when both places belonged to 

 Turkey. It is situated on the right bank of 

 the Danube, and at an angle of the river near 

 to where it branches into three channels. The 

 two southern outlets were at one time defend- 

 ed by Tultcha. The ground surrounding the 

 place is very unfavorable for defensive works, 

 being low and swampy, and commanded by 

 some elevated points in the rear of the town. 

 Since the improvement of the Danube naviga- 

 tion, considerable importance attaches to Tult- 

 cha as a position de passage. Hirsova derived 

 its sole importance from possessing a perma- 

 nent bridge of boats, the only one on the Dan- 

 ube in 1809. This led the Turks to add to its 

 defenses and construct around it five bastioned 

 fronts, surrounded by a ditch. Hirsova, how- 

 ever, holds a position of control over the Dan- 

 ube that is important in the attack or defense 

 of the Dobrudja, as it represents the terminus 

 of a defensive line across that territory which 

 might be utilized by the Turks before the Rus- 

 sians could seize it. 



In Turkey the army has been organized un- 

 der regulations issued in 1871. Its ranks are 

 entirely supplied from the Mahommedans, ex- 

 cept in certain privileged districts, such as 

 Albania and Bosnia, which furnish special 

 corps of their own. In the rest of Turkey 

 every able-bodied Mussulman of 20 years and 

 upward is bound by law to serve ; but, not- 

 withstanding this law, a young Turk of the 

 wealthier classes can always obtain exemp- 

 tion. The term of service is 20 years, of 

 which 4 are spent in the active army (nizam), 

 2 on furlough (ichtjat), 6 in the reserve (redef), 

 and 8 in the mustehafiz, corresponding to the 

 German Landsturm. 



The total military forces of Turkey, exclu- 

 sive of the sedentary army formed of those 

 who have served 12 years, are as follows : 



