RUSSIAN FIELD ARTILLERY. 
301 
The wood was five or six kilos, from us, and on its N.E. boundary we 
perceived the smoke of four of the enemy's guns, which were engaged 
with two of our horse artillery batteries at a range of 2000 yds. The 
shell burst high, and did not reach the Turkish battery. Our guns 
soon ceased firing. The men of my battery took a lively interest in 
this action, and showed their sympathy with the horse artillery at 
every round they fired. 
Our men could not understand why the firing had ceased, and made 
various conjectures; but at the end of five minutes we again saw the 
smoke of the Russian guns, and this time the shell burst much more 
accurately. Punctually at eight o'clock our column passed from order 
of march to that of battle. The battery proceeded in a S.W. direction 
as far as a small copse, at about 2000 yds. from the enemy's battery; 
this we had to cross, and were to occupy a position fronting the 
large wood, from, the margin of which came the smoke of the enemy's 
guns. To tell the truth, we could not understand why we had to cross 
the small copse, and when the battery was moving at a walk in the 
direction ordered, an officer coming in a contrary direction told us that 
we could not cross the wood, and also that on the other side of it we 
should not find any good position. After this it was useless to attempt 
it, and we moved round to the left, and came into position some 
1000 yds. in front of the big wood, in a reaped wheat field, the ground 
being covered with the sheaves. The ground around this field was 
covered with maize, &c., we were therefore hidden from view, and 
could just see the margin of the wood we wanted to fire at over the 
maize. The enemy either did not notice our movements, or else the 
nature of the ground did not permit him to molest us, for up till then 
he had not fired a single round at us. 
After the battery had got into the position above-named, we soon 
saw that the field of sight was very limited. We could shell the edge 
of the wood where the enemy's battery was, but at the distance of 
2000 yds., in such unlevel ground, it would have been difficult to 
observe the effect of our shell. We therefore moved about 100 yds. 
obliquely to our left, to a better position, where we unlimbered and 
opened fire with common shell. 
The enemy replied. His shells were very wide, all falling on our 
right. We could not well tell the effect of ours, although we had a 
larger bursting charge. 
We now observed some of the enemy's cavalry on our left. We had 
seen nothing of our infantry escort, and a musketry fire was directed 
at our front. The enemy's cavalry was plainly moving towards our 
left flank. After we had fired a few shells, the officer commanding 
the 2nd centre battery gave the word case shot." The cavalry moved 
rapidly still more to the left, and finally formed groups, and took cover 
in the wood. 
This sudden appearance of cavalry destroyed the tranquillity of mind 
that up to then had distinguished our men. Expecting at each 
moment a fresh attack from another direction, we could not devote 
ourselves to the enemy’s battery ; more especially as a musketry fire 
played upon us without our being able to see from whence it came. 
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