‘The Russo-Turkish War. 1877. Operations in Europe.’ [‎19r] (37/66)

37
MAY 1st to SATURDAY, MAY 5th.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
I. Narrative .. .. .. .. ..37
II. Mobilization of the Russian Army .. 39
III. Russian Army Details .. .. • • 40
IV. Movement of Troops, Stores, War
Material, &c. .. .. .. .. 40
V. Railways, Roads, Bridges, &c. ..
VI. Roumania, Servia, &c. ..
VII. The Turkish Army
VIII. Turkish Fortresses, Stores, &c...
IX. Miscellaneous
PAGE
41
41
42
42
42
I.
NARRATIVE.
Up to the 5th of May, as far as the general situation was known, there May 1877.
was little change since the end of last month.
The left wing of the Russian Army rested on, and was strengthening its
positions on, the left hank of the Danube from Braila to Galatz and Reni; and
this position was prolonged through Ismail and Kilia, as far as the mouth of the
river, by a division from the Coast Army, the 36th, from the 7th Army-Corps
of which the Head-Quarters were at Odessa.
Prince Schahovskoi’s 11th Corps held the positions from Braila to Reni,
inclusive of Galatz and Sherbesti and intermediate villages.
No further movement other than across the Danube was to be anticipated
from this part of the force, which became a pivot round which the rest ot the
active army was believed to be wheeling to the left to take up, as quickly as
difficulties of bad roads and other obstacles would allow, positions along the
north bank of the river.
Army head-quarters were to be transferred successively from Jassy to
Buzeo and Ploesti, but as yet were not advanced beyond Kischinev. It is difficult
to arrive at a correct estimate of the number of Russian troops actually in
Roumania, as the figures given vary from 40,000 to 250,000. It is probable
that the strength was not less than 60,000 up to the 5th of May, including the
troops in position on the Lower Danube and those moving up the river.
Hobart Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , the Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Navy, who was on
the Danube when the war broke out, successfully ran a blockade down the
r- river under the Russian guns, and having joined the fleet was credited (by
newspaper report) with the intention of bombarding Odessa. No collision ot
much importance had as yet taken place on the Danube between the lurks and
the Russians.
The above is a general summary of the state of things in Roumania
according to such intelligence as was to hand up to the 5th of May.
The following detals of this intelligence are, of course, liable to contra
diction by later news.
The Russian position on the Lower Danube was being made one ot great
strength. The various villages were secured by field-works, heavy guns were
placed in position in batteries on the hanks of the river and torpedoes sunk in
the bed of the stream. Between Galatz and Ismail a camp of 3,000 huts ot
wood had been erected by the troops, and six Russian gunboats were being
concentrated near the mouth of the Sereth for the protection ot the Barbosi
Bridge. A portion of the Black Sea squadron also was expected at the mouth
of the Danube.
A quantity of bridging material was being collected at Galatz and
Sherbesti. . ,
This was required to bridge the Sereth (over which two additional bridges
had been thrown), to repair an already existing, rather u rotten bridge over
the Pruth, and to throw over the Dauube a bridge which should strike the right
bank at Isaktchi.
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