Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1877 — THE RUSSIAN DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

THE RUSSIAN DISASTER.

Same Details of the Kecent Series of Bat- - ties Between Ixrfteha and Plevna—The Causes that Led to the Bussian Defeat. [From the Chicago Tribune.] Close upon the serious disasters to the Russian arms in Asia comes the news of a crushing defeat in Europe, which has apparently ended in a rout. The Russians, beaten in a two days’ battle Plevna, hajp? no£ only beep compelled to retire-phut haft been ..driven fairly over tho Danube into Rotimanin, so tLaftmeir plans for the present campaign have been thrown into the utmost confusion. The reports of the two days’ battles at Plevna are conflicting in many of their details, especially as to tho numbers engaged and the extent of the loss, but they all agree in the essential point of a decided Turkish victory. As far back as the 19th of July, the Ninth corps of the Russians was attacked in the vicinity of Plevna by Osman Pasha and so severely handled that it had to fall back and await reinforcements. The Eleventh corps was sent to its relief from Rustchuk, and, after making a long forced march, effected a junction, the small force which had been garrisoning Nikopolis also joining them, its place having been filled by a contingent from the Roumanian army. It was over a week before the army could re-‘ sume the offensive. Marching southward again, it encountered Osman Pasha’s forces, 50,000 strong, securely intrenched near Plevna, the Russians numbering 60,000. The battle commenced July 30 with a terrible artillery duel, in which the Russians, being in the open field, suffered severely. Under cover of their artillery, the infantry attempted to storm the intrenchinents, but without success, and at nightfall the Turks held their position, having recovered. some of their outworks from which they had been forced. The next day the Russians resumed the attack, but, although they fought with the utmost desperation and performed prodigies of valor, they were defeated in a hand-to-liand engagement, and compelled to retreat with a loss, according to Osman Pasha’s bulletins, of 8,000 lulled and 16,000 wounded, besides a heavy loss in war material. The Russians have fallen back to Sistova in disorder, and it is reported arc pouring back into Roumauia, while the Turks hold their position awaiting reinforcements. At last accounts the Roumanians wore ordered across tho Danube, but they will add nothing of consequence to the Russian strength. Had the Turks been powerful enough to have followed up their advantage, they might have crushed the Russian right wing/and perhaps ended the campaign for this summer. It never rains but it pours. On the same day of the defeat of the Russians north of the Balkans, the Russians south attacked Raouf Pasha, and after seven hours’ fighting captured Eski-Saghra, but Suleiman Pasha, coming up with a fresh force, defeated the Russians with heavy loss and recaptured the place. The crushing defeat in Bulgaria will now more than ever jeopardise the small Bussian force in Roumelia, as they are hemmed in by two powerful Turkish armies, which may cut off their supplies and retreat. It is not a cheering outlook for Russian success this summer. In searching for the causes of this surprising series of defeats, it seems as if the Russians had made the same mistake, in underestimating the numbers and strength of the Turks that the North made in the first two years of the war with the Southern Confederacy. The North did not achieve decided successes until it realized the actual strength and fighting quality of the South, and Mri Lincoln called out “the6oC,ooo more,” who overcame the Southern forces by overwhelming weight of numbers. . The Russians have all along affected to despise the Turks and their ability to fight, and have disposed their forces as if they expected that the Turks would not dare to meet them in the open field, but would gradually fall back to Constantinople, where they could bwattacked eu masse. The statement made some time since by the London Times, that tlie actual force of the Russians in the vicinity of the Danube only numbered about 200,000 men, is undoubtedly correct. This force, which would have been powerful in concentration, has been weakened by constant division. There is one small force in the Dobrubscha, another at Rustchuk, another in the vicinity of Widin, another south of the Balkans, and the last was in the neighborhood of Plevna, until it was dispersed the other day by the victorious Turks. The latter have also been compelled to divide their forces to observe the Russian divisions, but in every case they have met them man lor nave ii<wv tional advantage of fighting on the defensive, some of their divisions holding almost impregnable fortresses and the others fighting behind strong intrenchments, armed with the very finest American long-range rifles, and their works protected by heavy Krupp guns. Events have shown that the Turkish soldiers are as desperate fighters as the Russian; that they are just as well if not better armed; that they are led by experienced German and Hungarian officers in many instances; and that they have English military men for advisers. Under such circumstances, it seems almost incomprehensible that the Russians have not attacked with superior force if they have it. We have all along been informed that they have over half a million men under arms, but where are they, and what are they doing ? At the present time the Turks have half a million men opposed to 200,000, a large part of whom, of course, are engaged in holding the quadrilateral, but it will not require many more such victories to release them and cut off the Russians in detail. The only hope for Russia now is in speedy reinforcements. These she has. In the number of men and in tlie resources of the country she is superior to Turkey, but if they are utilized in driblets she will meet "with certain defeat. Her only salvation is to go into Turkey as Germany went into France, with overwhelming numbers, and with a force so large that defeat in detail will be impossible.

The Russian military authorities have lately been making experiments in lighting. fortresses by electricity, and have decided to supply all the principal fortresses with the requisite apparatus.