TURKEY. 



741 



occasion were estimated at 75,000 to 80,000 

 men, with more than 400 field guns, while Os- 

 man Pasha's forces hardly reached a strength 

 of 50,000 combatants and 150 guns. On the 

 18th, the Roumanians, starting from the Grivi- 

 tza redoubt, attempted to storm the great cen- 

 tral redoubt lying next to it, but were repulsed 

 with considerable loss. After this decided re- 

 pulse, the Russians proceeded to a regular 

 siege of Plevna. They had completely sur- 

 rounded the Turkish positions, and were daily 

 drawing their lines closer around it ; a relief 

 corps was advancing on Plevna from the di- 

 rection of Sophia, under Shevket Pasha. It 

 had been assembled in the middle of Septem- 

 ber at Orkhanie, between Plevna and Sophia, 

 and was composed of troops from Nissa, Wid- 

 in, and Sophia. The Russians by the middle of 

 September had, on the road from Plevna to So- 

 phia, not only a body of cavalry, but also some 

 infantry ; and Shevket Pasha, in a dispatch 

 from Orkhanie, dated September 22d, stated 

 that this Russian force consisted of 15 battal- 

 ions, 3 cavalry regiments, and 8 guns. In 

 spite of this body, however, the Turkish force 

 under Hifzi Pasha, consisting of 20 battalions, 

 a cavalry regiment, two batteries, and a train 

 of provisions and ammunition said to number 

 1,200 wagons, reached Plevna on September 

 23d, while Hakit Pasha covered his rear and 

 Shevket Pasha had occupied a fortified camp 

 at Orkhanie with his newly formed corps. In 

 the last week of September, General Todleben 

 was appointed the military adviser of Prince 

 Charles, clearly indicating that the Russians in- 

 tended to proceed to a regular siege of Plevna. 



After Suleiman Pasha had nearly exhausted 

 his strength in the latter part of August, in 

 trying to secure the Shipka Pass, and the 13th 

 Russian Corps had maintained itself in its posi- 

 tions, the Turkish general employed the last 

 days of August and the first weeks of Septem- 

 ber in the reorganization of his forces. While 

 Radetzki was completing his fortifications and 

 his roads, Suleiman was actively engaged in 

 erecting new batteries and bringing up heavy 

 artillery. The first half of September was there- 

 fore filled up with cannonades and small en- 

 gagements between the outposts. But on the 

 night from September 16th to 17th, after a con- 

 tinuous cannonade of five days, the Turks sud- 

 denly and unexpectedly attacked the Russians 

 along the entire line. After having lost sev- 

 eral outlying works, the latter, after a struggle 

 of nine hours' duration, forced the Turks down 

 the declivities, and completely defeated them. 

 The Russians lost during this struggle 31 offi- 

 cers and 1,000 men killed and wounded, while 

 over 3,000 Turkish dead covered the hill-sides. 

 After this repulse the Turks continued to bom- 

 bard the Russian positions. 



Although Mehemet AH crossed the Lorn on 

 September 8th, the greater part of his army 

 did not get over until a week later. In order 

 to prevent the Turks from gaining a firm foot- 

 hold on the left bank of the river, a part of the 



Twelfth Russian Army Corps advanced on the 

 14th in the direction of Kechlova, and at- 

 tacked the force of the enemy that had passed 

 this place the day before, at Sinankoi. These 

 troops were under Assaf Pasha, and afterward 

 received reinforcements from Sabit Pasha. 

 The Russians were severely repulsed on this 

 occasion, and in consequence retreated beyond 

 the Banicka Lorn, a branch of the Kara Lorn. 

 In the course of the 14th, there were numerous 

 trifling engagements between reconnoitring 

 bodies along the whole front. On the evening 

 of the 14th, four Russian battalions marching 

 from Tcherkovna made an attack on the Turk- 

 ish outposts to the west of Vodica. After an 

 engagement lasting till midnight, the Russians 

 retreated. On September 21st, Mehemet AH 

 attacked the right wing of the Czarevitch's 

 army under the command of General Tati- 

 tcheff, at Tcherkovna, and was repulsed after 

 an engagement of five hours. On the follow- 

 ing day he retreated a short distance, and on 

 September 25th fell back with his whole army 

 to the Kara Lorn, and during the following days 

 recrossed this river, occupying the same posi- 

 tions that he had left on August 20th. This 

 complete failure brought about an entire re- 

 vulsion of feeling throughout Turkey, and 

 Mehemet Ali, who, upon his appointment to 

 the supreme command, had been generally 

 hailed as the deliverer, was now as bitterly de- 

 nounced. He was removed, and Suleiman 

 Pasha appointed in his stead. 



With the beginning of August, it was de- 

 cided in Constantinople, in consequence of de- 

 mands made by Mehemet AH, to send a large 

 part of the troops in Asia to the seat of war in 

 Europe. Therefore the troops which had aid- 

 ed the insurrection in the Caucasus were aU. re- 

 moved and sent to Varna, while at Batnm 

 Dervish Pasha also embarked with part of the 

 troops stationed there. At the same time troops 

 stationed at Bagdad received orders to proceed 

 to Europe. 



The operations in August were as follows : 

 On the extreme right wing, General Oklobjio 

 remained in his positions, without attempting 

 any forward movement. He was, however, 

 attacked several times by Dervish Pasha: thus, 

 on the 13th, on his right Sank, with the co- 

 operation of some Turkish monitors, and again 

 on August 24th, this time along his entire 

 front. On both occasions the enemy was re- 

 pulsed. At Ardahan everything remained 

 quiet. The brigade which had occupied this 

 fortress, after leaving a sufficient garrison, 

 joined Loris Melikoff' a army, and, on August 

 12th, arrived on his extreme right at Zaim, in 

 all four battalions cavalry and artillery. Gen- 

 eral Loris Melikoff, commanding the Russian 

 centre, ordered on several occasions cavalry to 

 advance against Mukhtar Pasha's positions on 

 the Aladja Dagh, southeast of Ears, and be- 

 tween Visinkoi and Ani, and skirmishes took 

 place frequently between the cavalry of the 

 two armies. On August 13th, the Russian 



