‘The Russo-Turkish War. 1877. Operations in Europe.’ [‎31r] (61/66)

61
On the evening of the 23rd and morning of the 24t f h ’ ‘"° nfX ^
boats shelled the village of Jalomtza, on the left hank of the Dan
opposhe^helowHhsova.f and crossed the Danube at
Tchernavoda and having captured six prisoners and some cattle retreate
across the river. The exchange of fire between the batteries at Oltenttza an
new Turkish ones at Turtukai was in progress on the 24th ^he same day
eima-ement took place in the Matschin canal between the Russian batteries
and a small gunboat on one side, and a Turkish ironclad, sent to destroy the
RUSS TheTroncla°d succeeded in considerably damaging the Russian works and
received hut sSt injury herself. The Russian casualties are not detailed
On the 24th some of the Staff of the 11th Corps with an escort of 100
men crossed the Danube in eight boats from Galatz to Khiasett and made a
reconnaisance towards Matschin. The party came into collision with the
Turks and had to retire with a loss of two men killed and two wounded.
The Turkish ironclad, already mentioned as at Nikopohs, succeeded (ac-
enrdinf to intelligence from the latter place) in damaging considerably by her
S i. th. —it. «1. of tt. . .h,
B "T 5 K b.
Lieutenant Duhascheff, accompanied by the Commander of the Roumanian flotilla,
Maior Mur^escu^conveyed in a number of small boats succeeded m applying a
torpedo to 'the Turkish monclad in the Matschin Canal that had attacked the
Russian works on the 24th. The detachment esca^d without ^1^, 1 -
charged the torpedo, and the monitor, the “ Hifzil-Rahman, 4 guns, JlP men
sttef ship to the “ Lufti-Djelil,” already blown up was destroyed with all
hands. This is the last and only important intelligence of the vee .
II.
MOBILIZATION OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY.
There is no intelligence this week of any further Russian mobilization.
Some details given elsewhere have come to hand respecting a Bulgarian
leS10 The six Infantry battalions or “ Druschinen ” composing it were made up
offive companTes ea'ch. As yet its total strength does not exceed 5,000 foot
and 600 horse.
All its officers are Russian.
III.
RUSSIAN ARMY DETAILS.
The positions of a part of the Russian force on the Bucharest-Giurgevo
linp on the 17th of May are thus described :— , . J ^ ,
A Division of Infantry and a Brigade of Cavalry close to Bucharest, on
the heio-hts skirting the little river Sahara, extending from Jilaya, through
Vidra to Dobreni; the left near Gradiste and Gastmara, on the River Argis ,
which joins the Danube at Oltenitza. The left was m contact with another
division posted on the heights above Oltenitza, vacated by the Roumanians.
Another Russian Division was on the heights behind Giurgevo, about 20
kdometre^from Frateschta-e Qf j nfantry amo unted to Divisions.
Of the places enumerated above the following are stations on the line of
railway between Giurgevo and Bucharest, Fratesti, Gradiste, Vidia, an
Jflava. returns already given showing the Staff, &c., of the
different Russian Army-Corps, certain errors in the returns, or subsequent