‘The Russo-Turkish War. 1877. Operations in Europe.’ [‎11r] (21/66)

21
and general condition of the Russian troops, whose numbers were given Feb. 1877.
variously from 140,000 to 180,000 men. Judging, however, from the scale in
which the storage of supplies were being carried on, and the quantity of
Artillery it was computed that the Russian commanders made an army of
300.000 men the basis of their calculations.
Various rumours were rife as to the sanitary condition of the troops
in Bessarabia, generally to the effect that it was unsatisfactory. This was
contradicted by an official statement from the Commander-in-Chief, from
which the follow ing details are extracted:—
The hospitals included in the statement were 34 in number, providing
19,922 beds, made up of—
Two permanent hospitals at Bender and Tiraspol, providing respectively
415 and 207 beds; the hospital at Kischinev and a sanitary station for
ophthalmia of 200 beds each ; and 30 provisional military hospitals, each
of 630 beds.
At the date of the return (January 1876), 13 of these hospitals were
in readiness and provided with beds as follows:—
The two permanent hospitals, 620 beds ; the Kischinev hospital and
ophthalmia station, 400 beds between them. Of the provisional hospitals ;—
Ko. 43, in Vinitza and the village of Strijevka, 307.
No. 44, in Balta, 200.
No. 48, in Bieltsy and the Grebovitsky Convent, 420.
No. 49, in the hamlet of Kliastitsy, 100.
No. 50, in the town of Orgeieff, 170.
No. 58, in the town of Krementchug, 630 beds.
No. 59, in the town of Tiraspol, 350 beds.
No. 60, in the town of Kischinev, 420 beds.
No. 61, in the town of Elizabethgrad, 420 beds; or a total of about
4.000 beds.
Of these hospitals, on the date of the return, 8th January, the occupation
by the sick were as follows :—
Sick.
Permanent hospitals-
—Tiraspol
• • • • • • •
297
77 77
Bender
• • • • • • •
189
77 # 77
Kischinev
• • • • • •
166
Ophthalmia sanitary
station
• • • • • •
163
Military provisional
hospital, No.
43 .. ..
42
77 77
48
29
7 - 77
>? ii
50
12
77 77
n n
58
402
57 77
n n
59
207
77 77
n n
60
318
77 77
n n
61
57
or a total of about 1,882 sick. This is not a large proportion if the strength
of the army be taken at 180,000 men. Cases of Typhoid in no instance
exceeded the proportion of 6 per hospital, and there were no contagious
diseases. In the above return there appears to be a slight increase in the
proportion of sick since the last official statement, which gave the number on
the 31st December of the preceding year as 1,624, or about three-quarters per
cent, of the whole force. Later details in February estimate the Russian force
in Bessarabia actually ready to move forward at four Army-Corps, mustering
120.000 men, 8,000 cavalry, and 430 guns; and calculate that its reinforce
ment by the two corps of the coast army would raise the total force available
to open the campaign against Turkey on the European side, to 180,000 men,
12.000 cavalry, and 720 guns.
From \ ienna, in the middle of February, the Russian total strength
towards the side of European Turkey is given at 100,000 men and 28 field
batteries, distributed on the coast of the Black Sea from Kertch to Akerman ;
besides the force in Bessarabia, immediately under the Archduke Nikolas,
distributed between the frontier of Moldavia and Odessa, and computed at
200.000 men, with 60 field batteries, and 300 siege guns.
In addition to the above the reserves are given at 75,000 men and 10,000
Cossacks.
G