Destroying the Ottoman Empire had been the principal foreign policy objective of Russia since the reign of the  Catherina II.  Russia, after having terminated the Tatar Khanate of Crimea, a protectorate of the empire, by deceiving the local princes; coveted the Ottoman territories of  in the Balkans extending to the outskirts of Istanbul; by instigating, in chronological sequence, the Greeks, Romans, Serbs, and finally the Bulgars. 

            The Czar’s government unleashed a relentless propaganda campaign against the Ottoman Empire. They  freely exploited  the insurgencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bulgaria, and riots in Selanik, all of which had been conspired Russia. The objective of the subversive propaganda was to deal a final blow on the gradually weakening Turkish potential. 

            Czar Alexander II paid a state visit to Germany on May 12, 1876, when the Bulgarian rebellion was still going on.  His crowded entourage included Prime Minister Gorchakov. 

            Prime Minister Gorchakov was a crafty statesman.   He carried a plan to Berlin, which stipulated blockade of the ports of the Ottoman Empire by the navies of the Big Powers, on the alleged premise that the Christian subjects of the empire and the members of the foreign mission there were ill treated. 

            Bismark, the German Emperor, fully supported Gorchakov’s plan.  He added provisions, which reinforced the proposed sanctions. 

            The project was negotiated and revised, and was made public as the “Berlin Declaration”.   It was formally communicated to the Governments of the European powers for accession. 

            Italy and France acceded to the declaration, which allowed for interference with the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire.  Great Britain, however, declared that they would not regard the declaration adopted at a conference to which they were not a party as binding.  Besides, British Mediterranean Fleet was ordered to take position at the entrance of the Strait of Dardanelles as an indication reaction of the British Government. 

            The Gorchakov’s plan was thus aborted. That was not the end to the machinations of the Russian Foreign Ministry.  Russia continually played up her allegations to the effect that the Slavic Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire were maltreated. 

            Early in 1877 the representatives of the European powers in Istanbul debated the state of the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire. 

            Immediately after abdication of Abdulaziz from the Ottoman throne, Murat V was installed as the Sultan. 

            The new Sultan, surpassing the expectations of those who had helped him to power, promulgated a far reaching constitutional reforms at a juncture when the European powers were preparing to dictate their own terms. 

            The reforms envisaged a State Council or Parliament, wherein the Christian subjects of the State were also to be represented.  Under the circumstances there was hardly any thing left for the heads of foreign missions say. 

            Nevertheless Russia was not to be staisfied by the situation. 

            The Russian Ambassador in Istanbul, Ignatiev, was a fanatic panslavist,¹  a General of the Russian Army in civilian outfit, and a leading member of the Russian espionage apparatus. 

            Gorchakov and Ignatiev working together had influenced the Czar.  The two advocated that amelioration of the condition of the Christians in the Balkans depended on secession of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire.  They had persuaded Czar Alexander on the project. 

            Russia declared war on the Ottoman State in April 1877. 

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            When Abdulhamit acceded to the Ottoman throne, the Ottoman State was at war with Serbia and Karadağ,²  formerly two principalities under Ottoman rule, in the context of the rebellion in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

            At a point when the Ottoman forces were about to reoccupy the whole of Serbia,  the Big Powers, mainly Russia, intervened to secure an armistice agreement.  They also forced the Ottoman Government to negotiate with the European powers the status of  its own Christians subjects. 

            During the conference, which was held in Istanbul, Sultan Abdulhamit inferred that the European powers, while concurred on the question of the status of his Christians subject, they were in conflict on issues of national interests. 

            The French-German War of 1870 had damaged relations between the two states to the extent difficult to repaired. Besides, Great Britain opposed Russia’s advance to the south.  Their Near East policy hinged on continuance of the Ottoman State, though weakened. 

            Sultan Abdulhamit acted in the light of the same assessment.  He called a meeting of the War Council and debated the Russian ultimatum. 

            The statesmen with combat experience and capable of assessing the potential of the State at that particular juncture, were against entering into war with Russia.  Ali Rıza Paşa, who had taken part in the Crimean War; and Serdar Abdulkerim Paşa, who had commanded the military campaigns in Serbia and Montenegro, expressed views against declaration of war. 

            An important part of the populist statesmen, including the Prime Minister Ethem Paşa, and Namık and Saffet Paşas, who could not appreciate that actual war preparedness of the State, advocated declaration of war. 

            The people in general had been charged, Had been rendered sensitive by the recent developments .  The students of higher education and the religious functionaries demanded war. 

            The general public and the students of higher religious educational institutions had been influenced by Istanbul press, which was engaged in warmongering.  They stirred the religious and nationalist sentiments of the people, playing up illusory hopes of victory.  They even bragged about a general holy war in support of the Caliph of Islam, to be declared by the Muslim World, including the Khan of Kashgaria in the east and the Khedive of Egypt in the west. 

            The newly inaugurated House of Representatives and  Senate³  also recommended in favor of declaration  of war. 

            The War Council reviewed in details the resources and capabilities of the State.  The ones in favor of war estimated the war potential of the Ottoman Empire rather inflated.  While Mithat Paşa estimated available number of troops as six-hundred and fifty-thousand, Mahmut and Redif Paşas claimed it to be seven-hundred-thousand. 

            Ahmet Muhtar Paşa, regretfully tabled the factual figure.  He said, 

            -  Please let us be realistic.  At the moment the strength of our combat ready troops does not exceed  three-hundred-thousand in all. 

            No doubt it was the manpower which counted; but the provision of the material needs was also vital, Ahmet Muhtar Paşa underlined.  The organization of  logistics of the army was inadequate.  The number of medical personnel was next to null. 

            To make up for the deficiency, it was agreed to use foreign resources, and to instruct the Ottoman Embassies to  place  advertisements in the European press for recruitment of additional medical personnel on lucrative salaries. 

            The field commanding officers were designated at the same meeting. 

            Serdar Ekrem Abdulkerim Paşa was appointed Commander of the European Sector, and Müşir Ahmet Eyüp Paşa to the Chief of Operational Command. Osman Paşa, the Commander of the Vidin Region; Eşref Paşa, the Commander of the Ruscuk area; and Muşir Süleyman Paşa, the Commander of the Karadağ Army were approved to retain their command posts. 

            On the Anatolian theater of war, Ahmet Muhtar Paşa was assigned as Commander-in-Chief; Derviş Paşa as the Commander of the Batum Army, and Ismail Paşa as the Military Governor of Erzurum. 

            On April 16, 1877 Romania granted Russia free passage through her territories; and on April 24 the Russian forces marched into Romania.  The Ottoman gunboats were ineffective in stopping enemy activities in the Danube waterway.  The Ottoman forces defending Maçin fell back without offering any significant resistance. 

            The Russians advance without any rush; as they calculated that the Ottoman troops withdrawn from Maçın would concentrate to establish a defense line at the Dobruca Corridor.  They reconnoitered the southern banks of  Danube for one whole month. 

            In the meantime Romania declared war on the Ottomans on behest of Russia.  The Romanian outposts to the north of Danube were reinforced. 

            On June 26-27 another column of Russian forces crossed Danube somewhere between Ruscuk and Nığbolu.  The Ottoman forces at Ziştoy could not foil the enemy landing. 

            Abdulkerim Paşa, the C-in-C of the Ottoman Forces in the European sector, had erroneously estimated that the Russians would primarily attack the Ottoman forts.  On the same premise he had tried to reinforce a set of strongholds, including Vidin, Nığbolu, Ruscuk and Silistre.  The enemy, however, bypassed the concentration points, as if it was aware of the Paşa’s plans.  The Russians advanced in the unguarded areas. 

            On June 30 General Gurko, commanding a force composed of ten infantry battalions, eleven cavalry battalions, and eighteen artillery batteries; marched on Tırnova. He had a number of Bulgar guides at his service who were familiar with the area concerned.  The operational plan he was implementing was good enough to end the war within a short time. 

            The plan provided for the capture two major passes on the Balkan Mountains, disruption of the Edirne-Sofia railway line, and cuting off the communication lines of the Ottoman forces with the headquarters. 

            General Gurko first attacked the Hain Pass, which he estimated to be poorly defended. The Ottoman forces here were composed of untrained volunteers.  They could not stand the Russian regular army with far superior fire power. They retreated to Filibe.  Gurko next encircled Şıpka.  The fall of the Şıpka Pass, practically severed Istanbul’s link with the Ottoman forces in the north. 

            While General Gurko was engaged in capturing the major passes on the Greater Balkan Mountains,  another Russian force commanded by Baron Kründer had laid siege on Fort Niğbolu; and yet another column had crossed Danube, and was negotiating to advance towards the south. The Ottoman forces were  still guarding the forts. 

            Sardari Ekrem Abdulkerim Paşa, when reminded of the paradox,  did not budge a bit from his contention.  “I am not going to let the enemy have such an important fort!” he shouted, and repeated his orders to maintain a defensive posture.  Long before, Niğbolu fell to the enemy in the aftermath of a fierce battle.   The enemy also captured a lot of war material and several thousand prisoners. 

            In Istanbul the news was received with great sensation and fright. The Sultan and Government reviewed the military chain of command. 

            Any decision of the Ottoman High Command was bound to be  one detached from the war theater; for on the Ottoman side the war was directed from the Yıldız Palace by Sultan Abdulhamit and his Staff.  On the Russian side, however, Czar Alexander II was at the front for most of the time. 

            Serasker Redif Paşa and Serdari Ekrem Abdulkarim Paşa were court-matialed 

            Damat Mahmut Paşa was appointed as the acting C-in-C of the European Command.  Muşir Süleman Paşa was appointed as the Operational Commander, and Müşir Mehmet Ali Paşa as the Commander of the Danube Forces.  Süleyman Paşa, stationed in Karadağ, was ordered to move his forces to the Balkans. 

            In the aftermath of the fall of the Hain and Şıpka passes to the Russians, all the Bulgars in the area went into action. 

            The Bulgars attacked the villages and towns with concentration of Turkish population.  The region, which included Yeni Zağra and the Eski Zağra, was enveloped with blood and fire. Thousands lost their lives. 

            As Süleyman Paşa’s forces approached the skirts of the Balkan Mountains, the situation  began to change. The left flank of General Gurko’s troops was routed before Eski Zağra. 

            Gurko pulled back to the north of the mountrains. in an attempt to establish a defese line between Tırnova and Gabrova.
 

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            Osman Paşa was one of the commanders, whom Abdulkerim Paşa had tied up with guarding the forts.  He had been wasting time at Vidin, the far western end of Danube, to brace a potential Russian attack. 

            The Russians, exercised feeble maneuvers on and off  to keep the able commander stuck where he was.  They more than once attempted to cross Danube and would change mind. 

            To the northern bank of Danube immediately opposit Vidin there stood the town of Kalafat, where from the Russian guns pounded the outskirts of Vidin t nightly to harass the Turkish troops  and leave them sleepless. 

            Since the start of the was the garrison in Vindin had not received any supplies or reinforcement.  The food situation was precarious. 

            A small detachment of Circassians requested permission from Osman Paşa for an expedition across Danube.  They intended to strike at the prosperous Roman villages to the north. 

            Immediately after the permission was issued, the Circassians moved on.   One pitch dark night they tied inflated leather bags to the horses as lifebuoys, to support the the animals while fording the river. Themselves got on to small boats and rowed to the opposit bank, the horses tagged behind. 

            The Russians had entrusted the guard duty along the northern bank of Danube to the Romans.  The Circassians immediately eliminated the Roman guards, mounted their horses, combed the villages in the neighborhood, and herded back to riverside more than four hundred oxen and buffaloes. 

            The Circassians repeated the same exercise on a number of occasions, and fed the Vidin garrison. 

            The Russians, though made aware of the situation, did not interfere. 

            Osman Paşa had been displeased with the Circassians breaking the  rules.  Nevertheless he did not wish to dispense with them.  For they were extraordinary brave people.  At times they undertook incredible acts of self-sacrifice.  Osman Paşa was surprised at the courage manifested by crossing the river despite the presence of the Russian and Romanian troops there. 

            His aid-de-amp was a Circassian; a graduate of the War School, and a responsible officer. 

            The Paşa would sometimes complain to his ADC, 

            -  These Circassians of yours! I marvel at their courage; they now no rules. The do whatever occurs their mind. 

            Osman Paşa considered continued stay at Vidin pointless since the fall of Fort Nığbolu.  The best thing to do was to guard the roads leading to the south, and the town of Plevne at the crossroads was  a most significant place, he assessed. 

     Osman Paşa organized his army into marching columns, ensuring the safety of the supplies and medical corps by placing them somewhere in the middle of the columns.  He then ordered the march.

            There were foreign nationals serving at the Vidin garrison, employed on contract or voluntary basis.  They were mostly British.  For instance Col. Stracy was a former British intelligence officer.  Charles S. Ryan, Black, Weinberge  and Kustler were medical officers.  Frank Power and Nicholes Leader, who had come to relieve the former, were journalists.  They were correspondents for the Daily Telegraph.

                Dr. Charles S. Ryan was a young Australian physician specialized in general surgery in London. While preparing to return home, he had noticed an Ottoman Embassy advertisement in the London Times  inviting applications for service with the Ottoman Armed Forces on contract basis.  That was how he became a combat surgeon for the Ottoman army⁴ .

                  Weiberge and Kustler also were physicians from Australian as Dr. Charles was.

                  Osman Paşa’s troops was a well trained and potent force.  The had earned combat experience during the Serbian insurrection.  Two   battalions, commanded by Price Hasan, the second son of Khedive of Egypt, had joined the force just before the war⁵ .

                  Osman Paşa, before his departure,  entrusted the defense of Vidin to the Egyptian Battalions.  To make up for the loss of force, he carried along the Circassian irregulars, whom he called “Başıbozuk” .  On his way to Plevne, the Paşa recruited as many Circassian militia cavalry as available.

                Plevne was a small town of seventeen-thousand population, situated at the confluence of the streams of Vid and Tuceniçe.  The town was surrounded by hills, which facilitated its defense.  Notwithstanding such a superb strategic significance and topographic advantage, no serious defensive measure had been taken, except a few ordinary ramparts on top of the hills commanding the area.

                Osman Paşa arrived in Plevne on July 18,1877.  The corn plants had grown to a man’s height, but were still green.  The people of the beautiful town were troubled for the fear of the approaching disaster.  The well to do stratum had already departed to safety.

                The Turks and Bulgars, who once co-existed amicably, now grudged against one another.  Their neighborly relations had been reduced to formalities, totally deprived of substance.

                The Bulgars were anxious about the outcome of the approaching great confrontation.  They were scared; but at the same time were hopeful. They hoped that the Russians would throw the Turks out of their land.

                The two ethnic groups, notwithstanding the centuries long co-existence in peace under the rule of the same government, had been able to maintain their own religions, customs, traditions, and their mode of dressing.  The Turks wore wide and long coats, and wide trousers; while the Bulgars had sheep-skin hats and wore yellow drugget cloaks.

                Osman Paşa was determined to hold the Russians before Plevne.  He got trenches dug on the hills surrounding the town. Got safe ramparts constructed, and detained potential spies and subversives.

                In the meantime reinforcement units arrived from Anatolia.  It included also soldiers of Caucasian origin.  Unlike the Başıbozuk Circassian militia of the Balkans, they were trained and disciplined troops.

                The Russian staff officers had detected the build up initiated by Osman Paşa.  The Russians had been harassing him by artillery bombardment since his arrival in Plevne.

                The Russians launched their first serious attack in the morning of July 20.  A Russian force commanded by General Schilder engaged with the Ottoman side apparently to gauge its strength.

                The thirteen thousand strong Russian force, which  advanced in two columns, was braced by Osman Paşa’s troops, not yet fully organized according the their new environment, countered the attack.  They put up a bold defense.  Not long before the enemy was repulsed.

                As the battle intensified, the guns and rifles were muted, instead there began a horrible hand to hand fight, bayonets being freely in use.  The Russians suffered heavy casualty, and was forced to retreat.  The loss suffered by the Turkish side also  was considerably high.

                The only hospital of the town filled with wounded soldiers.  For wand of accommodation inside, the patients had to be lodged in tents pitched in the hospital garden.

                The hospital commanding officer, Osman Efendi, was a good surgeon.  He belonged to a Circassian family.  He was educated in Paris. Dr. Osman Efendi and Dr. Charles working together, operated the wounded soldiers.

                While treating his soldier patients, Dr. Charles Ryan frequently recalled his professor in London.  He had consulted the professor as to whether he should join the Ottoman Army or not.  The professor had remarked,

                -  You would face highly divergent cases and situations, which you would hardly encounter in a life time.
The professor was right.  The varieties of the wounds  he was to handle were incredibly high.  Some of the patients were without their arms, some others without legs.  Each strike of a sword or a bayonet would cut through a different part of the human body.  The shrapnel and  bullet would damage the body an quite a different manner than the sharp-edged weapons.
Each type of wound required a different method of operation.  It required expertise depending on the type of the weapon and the location of the wound on the victim’s body.

                He was timid, and scared during his early days. By time he was increasingly adapted to the situation. His hands and his mind were trained in due course.

                There were several hundred or may several thousand   bodies abandoned on the skirts of the hills around Plevne.  The Circassians searched through the battle ground for  one whole week.  Every night they would climb out of the trenches  to recover the weapons and valuables on the Russian dead soldiers.

                There were Circassian cavalry units in the reinforcements Osman Paşa received from Sofia.  They were assigned to keep the supply lines open.

                At their first attempt the Russians had discovered that  Plevne was not an easy prey.  They decided to take him under siege, effectively cutting off all his supply lines.  To the same end they effected troops dispositions to Lofca in the south.  The Russian task force included highly mobile Russian and Cossack cavalry as well as Bulgar volunteers.  It indeed formed a dangerous expedition. 221

                The Turkish and Circassian cavalry commanded by Rıfat Paşa carried out a surprise offensive against the Russian positions in and around Lofça.  The Russian units assigned to disrupt the Ottoman communication lines were repulsed to the north-west.  Besides, the Russian troops based at Trestenk were also pushed back to the north-west.

                The lull that followed the two consecutive Russian setbacks foreshadowed a more fierce engagements.  While the Russian side regrouped and received reinforcements, the Turks continued with consolidation of their fortifications   and digging trenches.

                On July 30 the Russians pushed forward an artillery force of seventy-five batteries, and began pounding the trenches around Plevne from all directions.  The Turkish side could not retaliate the long distance Russian bombardment.

                An infantry action directed by Generals Krudene and Shobeleff, however, ended in a retreat following a fierce battle, which cost the Russians heavy losses.

                The Circassians, disregarding Osman Paşa’s  orders to the contrary, again indulged in recovering the valuables of  the dead Russians left behind at the battle ground.  They surrendered the weapons to the army, and cashed the other items at the bazaar of Plevne.

                The Jewish traders did a good business in the process.  Some of them had come to Plevne from far away places to avail themselves of the opportunity.

                Rıfat Paşa settled down at the Lofça garrison.  Not long before, his forces were encircled by a superior Russian force, supported by artillery bombardment.  The Turkish force, in the absence of reinforcement and supplies, could not resist for long.  It was finally eliminated.

                Prior to the siege, the Circassian cavalry, assuming that the Lofça fortifications were not secure enough, had camped in the open, outside the garrison.  As a result they had escaped being encircled.  They attacked the enemy at night, and inflicted them serious casualty by employing a hit and run tactics.  Nevertheless they could not relieve Rifat Paşa and his troops; for the weapons they possessed this not permit them to exercise such an effectiveness.

                                                  O0O

                August went by while exchanging artillery fire. The Russians continually built up their strength.  They received reinforcements from Russia as well as from Romania.

                Czar Alexander II  puffed up with pride the King of Romania by appointing him the Deputy Commander-in-Chief. The Czar further boosted up the Russo-Romanian alliance by placing his generals under the command of the Romanian king.
The Russian staff command advocated that the siege be sustained, thereby forcing the Turks to surrender due to starvation; rather then suffering loss of Russian life through offensive actions.  They considered it the surest way to victory.

                So the Russian side also dug trenches and built fortifications.  Hence there commenced a prolonged and vexing period of wait and see.

                Contrary to the  tense but quiet atmosphere at the Plevne front, the situation in the south remained hot.  The Russians mainly concentrated on blocking the mountain passes of Hain and Şıpka, and thereby disrupting the Communication lines of the Turkish Army.  The Turkish and Circassian guerrilla groups, however, frustrated the enemy attempts by nightly raids at their positions.

                In Plevne medical supplied had depleted, and shortage of food had begun.  The medical personnel were facing serious problems in treating the wounded and the sick.  The hospital was filled with groaning of the inmates.
The telegraph line had been cut off for some time.  Communication was maintained by daring messengers, mostly Circassians.
The brave Caucasian highlanders could  penetrate through the enemy occupied terrain and reach Sofia across the Balkan Mountains.  They would not hesitate entering into engagement with the Bulgarian bands encountered on their way.
Communication, though delayed, was maintained by such hazardous means.  The main transportation arteries had been cut off.  Therefore, no relief or reinforcement could be delivered to  Plevne.

                When word came to the effect that a party of relief force to set out, Osman Paşa assigned Mustafa Bey to take care of its security.  A seven hundred strong cavalry detachment, including three hundred Circassians, was placed at his command.
The Australian physician Dr. Charles Ryan, volunteered to join the reconnaissance column, on the ground that there were no supplies left to exercise his profession.  In fact his nervous condition had been upset due to the past forty-five days  under siege.  Though risky, he wanted to get away from the depressive atmosphere in the town.

                A Russian cavalry regiment was on guard  in the north of  the Şıpka and Hain passes.  The Bulgarians informed the Colonel in command of the Russian regiment that a Turkish relief convoy was in motion.
The Russian colonel immediately organized his troops to lay an ambush against the Turkish relief convoy.  As soon as the convoy reached the level ground, he attacked it.

                The guards of the convoy fiercely resisted.  While the clash continued, Mustafa Bey and his cavalry men arrived at the scene.  The clash turned to a bloody battle.

                Long afterwards the Russians and the Cossacks were thrown back.  In the meantime the Russians had robbed the caravan of nearly thirty truck-loads of medical supplies.

                The person who regretted most for the incident was none but Dr. Charles.

                                                  O0O

                 The Russians had, in the meantime, further tightened the siege of Plevne, and had condemned the Ottoman forces to starvation.  During those miserable days, the Circassians, whom Osman Paşa called the “Başıbozuk, manifested incredible acts of bravery.  They managed to pass through the enemy lines,  and returned with oxens they pillaged from the Turkish and Bulgar villages in the neighborhood.  To elude the enemy,   they often covered very long distances. They organized night raids to distract the enemy attention away from their intended course.

                The Circassians did not let the Russians to establish a permanent line at the southern fringes of the town.  Thus they managed to keep open, though intermittently, the supply line.
After so long a siege, the Russians had grown confident that at the time had come to strike the final blow.  They depended on the superior force at their disposal.

                The Russians had deployed four-hundred-and-forty field guns, eighty-thousand infantry, and twelve-thousand cavalry.  In addition a sixty-thousand strong Romanian army was there in reserve, to block breaches in the line.
Czar Alexander II and   King Charl of Romania were present at the front.  They once again discussed the situation with the Commander-in-Chief Grand Duke Nicholay.

                September 7 was the Czar’s birthday.  The Russian Army was ordered to attack on that day in celebration of the occasion.The strength of the Turkish side, including the recent reinforcements, was to the tune of thirty-thousand infantry.  In addition, there were seventy-two field guns and a few hundred strong militia. Russian artillery bombardment of the Turkish trenches lasted for four days, during which period there was all quiet on the Turkish side.  Then there followed an intensive infantry offensive.  The Turkish troops enlivened as the invading Russians were within range.  The enemy forward line was decimated before it reached the trenches.

                Nevertheless the Russian infantry kept  pushing on in successive waves.  At times there was  hand to hand fight.  The bloody confrontation went on as a battle of bayonets.  The horrible fight continued for hours.  At a point  the Russians seemed to triumph.  The Turkish troops, however, soon blocked the breaches, and repulsed the enemy attack.The Russian Army had to retreat, leaving  twenty-thousand dead behind.  The scene was horrible.  The skirts of the hills surrounding Plevene had been covered with corpses.  The remains of the previous battle, which had started to decompose, were covered by those of   thousands, who fell on that day. The strong smell emitted by the decomposing corpses was intolerably repulsive.  The Circassians were, therefore, unable to repeat their usual recovery operation.The Russian C-in-C proposed  a meeting to discuss the issue of clearing of the corpses.

                Osman Paşa deputed a delegation headed by Tevfik Paşa.

                The delegations of the belligerent sides met at the hill skirts covered with dead bodies.  The scene was extremely offending. There were victims still in the throes of death, whose groaning was coming from all directions.  The delegation negotiated standing on foot. The Russian side insisted on collecting the Russian bodies themselves, even if the bodies were on the Turkish side.  In that case the Russians would have approached too close to the Turkish  trenches on top of the hills. That  was liable to expose the Turkish fortification to Russian eyes.  In effect the Russian side exactly intended the same end while forwarding their proposal.

                Tevfik Paşa turned down the Russian proposal.  He alternatively suggested that a line be drawn at equal distance from the forward trenches of either side, and that each side should clear its own  part of the battle ground.
No agreement could be reached.  The delegations returned to report to their respective headquarters.  Again a period of oppressive suspense ensued.

                 At some points the Russian dug trenched, which zigzaged upward, close to the top of the hill, and then parallel to the Turkish trenches.  At such sectores the distance between the trenches of either side was about forty to fifty meters.  The warring soldiers close enough to  exchange abuses or some time cut jokes with one another.

                These ordinary people, who have been set against one another by internationsal politics, are primarily concerned with their families and children back at home.  When the schorching summer sun sits down, most of them would be  overwhelmed with sorrow, and would a song in Turkish of Russian.  At times they would sing alternatley. The Turks would quietly listen when the Russian sung; and the Russian would listen in silence when the Turk sung.   As the night progressed, the tone of the sons would decrease.  And then the mirage of friendly feelimgs would be replaced by fear and hatred, the finger on the trigger, anf the eyes searching for shadowy image.

                In plevne there lived a poor widow.  She lived on the milk of her cow, which was her only possession. She was very much conscious of the starvation, which had gripped the town and the army.  She saved the cows mil for two days, and prepared yoghurt out of it.  She to present  it to Osman Paşa. That evening the Paşa offered his evening prayer, and  began reviewing the day’s report with this staff.  The general being physically and spritually integrated with his soldiers. had lost weight, and deep creases had appeared on his face.

                Having been half starved for the last so many days, the Paşa was moved at the sight of a bucket full of fresh yoghurt presented to him.  He and his staff officers picked the spoon to help themselves with the yughut, the Paşa remembered the soldiers in the trenches.  He droped the spoon, repacked the bucket of yughut, and ordered his aid-de-camp:

                -  Send  this to the boys in the forward trench!
                In fifteen or twenty minutes a cavallery man delivered the bucket of yoghurt to the farthest trench.  What to speak of eating fresh yughur, they boys had not tasted a spoonful of simple soup for days.
About ten soldiers sat around the bucket to help themselves.  Just as they were about to dip the spoons in to the yoghurt, some one called,

                -  Hey Turko! My Czar sends fresh cookies to the trenches.  I throw a few up to you; let your mouths have the tast of it!

                    Moments later pieces of dried-bread found their way into the trench.
The Sergeant roared, “Hold on!”, and repacked the bucket of Yoghurt.  He said,

                    -  It  is Providence!  It is a grant of God for the fellows over there!
The Sergeant got up, gazed to the tranch on the opposit side, and accosted :

                    -  Hey Moskof!  The dried bread is nothing!  Look here, our Sultan sends us fresh yoghurt. Have a taste of it; and see how delicious it is!”

                    The Sergeant, holding the bucket in his right hand, hurled it on to the Russian trench with all his might. The bucket flew up; making a curve in the air like a projectile; and dropped over the heap of soft soil at the brink of the Russian trench.  The Russian soldiers, with heads out of the trench, were whatching the instance.  The moment the bucket fell before them, they  undid the napkin that covered the top of the bucket.  The moment the Russians  inhaled the odor of fresh yogurt, the they shouted in chorus: “Impossible!”, “It is incredible!”.  One soldier with his mouth watered, remarked,

                  -  Our commanders had told us that the Turks were starving to death.  Now you see; the ones at the forefront are supplied with fresh yoghurt; God knows what goodies the ones in the rear must be eating! The incident remained topical for about several days in the Russian trenches. It stirred dissatisfaction of the Russian soldiers relevant to poor food supplies.

                The actual situation on the Turkish side was indeed much different than what had been perceived by the Russian soldiers.  Starvation had reached the peak.  In the military quarters  and as well as among the civilians, one coveted the morsel of  another one.

                Dr. Charles Ryan had a Circassian orderly named Mehmet.  He fed his master, by stealing a chicken or a goose from the Bulgars almost on daily basis.  The doctor eased his own conscience by sending cash value of the fowl to its owner.
One day an old Bulgar woman, whose fowl had been pinched and its value in cash had been sent to her, came up shouting at the physician.

                -To hell with your money!  What do you think I would do with the money under the present circumstances. It is rubbish! Where did you see one eating money and satisfying one’s hunger?

                                                  O0O

                The Russian forces, jointly commanded by the Czar of Russia and the King of Romania having failed to attain the desired result, the Russian high command grew nervous.  Czar Alexander had dreamed of breaking through the Turkish lines and capturing Istanbul in a short time.  Having grasped that the decisive victory he had hoped to achieve was yet a far cry, the Czar resorted to additional measures.

                He appointed General Totleben⁶  to assume the over all command of the siege force.  General Gurko was to concentrate on effective blockade of the southern supply routes to the Turkish forces defending Plevne.   It was planned to leave Osman Paşa without ammunition and food supply, and force him to surrender, when his stock completely depleted.
The Romanian reserve force was also thrown into   combat, raising the number of the siege force to one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand.  The artillery batteries were reinforced.

            Notwithstanding the changes in the Russian command, recent reinforcements, and the relentless bombardment; there was no trace of  slightest wavering in the Turkish trenches. The Turks reciprocated the enemy fire, and immediately repulsed small scale local offensive moves.

            The morale of the Turkish troops was high.  They maintained an incredible stamina all along the defense line
But for how long?  What would become of them with no supply of ammunitions and food?
It was feared that in the event of  collapse of  the defense barrage at Plevne, it would be impossible to arrest the  Russian onslaught.   In effect, the stubborn resistance at Plevene formed the only stumbling block on the way of the Russian forces to approach Istanbul.
            Osman Paşa, conscious of the vital significance of the role of his forces, had been desperately trying to prolong the resistance, exercising maximum conservation of the arsenal at his disposal.  In the meantime he decided to make yet another plea to Istanbul for reinforcement that would ensure the Plevne front to sustain.  The situation at Plevne, one way or the other, could be decisive on the fate of the war.

            How could he communicate his message to Istanbul, overriding the nearly half a million strong Russian siege force?
He commanded his staff officers to find a volunteer capable of undertaking the task.

            Dr. Charles, while on a stroll in the fortifications, had been hit by a shrapnel, which had slightly wounded him on the neck.  The wound, though appeared healing up in the beginning,  was infected at one point.  It caused him much pain. He wished to be sent to Istanbul for treatment and recuperation for a few weeks.

            He conveyed his wish to volunteer for the service to Osman Paşa, through Tevik Paşa, the Medical Corps Commander.  The offer was rejected.

            Osman Paşa’s aid de camp, Major Canbolat, in the meantime,  found a volunteer, a Circassian, called Çerkes Hasan.  He was a stout and healthy person in his forties.

          Çerkes Hasan had extensive exploits on the Balkan Mountains during the Bulgarian rebellions.  Therefore he was familiar with the area.  He had lost one of his eyes during a clash with a Bulgar insurgents band.  Hasan was supposed to act as the guide of  a two-man messenger-team, consisted of a Captain and a Sergeant.

            The major European newspapers maintained reporters both on the Turkish and Russians sides of the front.  Nicholes Leader of Daily Telegraph had died of dysentery in Sofia.  Mr. Gay had been sent to succeed him as the Daily Telegraph war corrspondent in Plevne.

            Mr. Gay had been seeking an opportunity, for days, to dispatch his notes to the newspaper’s head-office.  He had applied to the relevant authorities for his inclusion to the team being dispatched to Istanbul.  After prolonged deliberations his request was approved.  Before departure from Plevne he wrote down a news report, which resembled a testament, and put it into his own pocket.

            Mr.Gey’s news report reads as follows:

            “Today is the twenty-fifth of September.  The Russian artillery bombardment intermittently continues.  It seem they would not stop it till their last gun is left around here.  Nevertheless it had very  little effect on the Turkish trenches. When Osman Paşa receives reinforcement, which is hoped to arrive soon, the bombardment might cease.  As far myself;  I would be escaping from Plevene through the Russian encirclement in the dark tonight.  For the last two days  I had been looking in vain for a Circassian, who would  guide me across the mountains.  Last evening Osman Paşa has found a one-eyed Circassian chieftain.  This man has promised guide me also, if he could, along with his comrade.  We would be departing (Plevne) after dark.  Mr. Lauri also intends to come along with me.  There would be a Turkish officer and a sergeant with us. As such, our team would be consisted of two Circassians, one Turkish officer and a sergeant, my Greek personal groom from Izmir, and Mr. Lauri and myself..;  that is, a total of seven  persons good at using fire arms.  At the moment of my writing of the present report, the Circassians and my groom are out to reconnoiter  the escape route.  They are trying to test if the plan was feasible.  If possible, we would be leaving tonight.  The risk involved is great indeed.  I would reward the men as soon as I reach Sofia. It would, of course, depend on the discharge of their task successfully.  In brief, at the moment all depend on what they would say on their return from the reconnaissance trip.  I am prepared to leave from here the moment the Circassians tell me “Let us go!”  Only the time would show how things would turn up. But one thing is certain: Should you receive this  note of mine all right, that would tell you I have come out of the encirclement.”

                  The team could not depart Plevne that night, as against Mr. Gey’s estimated “tonight”. For that particular night the sky was clear, and there was fool moon, illuminating the space with its silvery light.  The Russian mounted patrols were on guard everywhere.

                The following night the sky was overcast with dark clouds.  The teams hit the road.  Notwithstanding the darkness, they were detected by the Cossack mounted patrols.  Thanks, however, to Çerkes Hasan’s ability as a superb guide and the speed of the horses, that the team escape Cossack chase.  At last they found sanctuary at Orhaniye,  a Turkish military outpost.
Traveling at a maximum speed, they reached Sofia on the third day.
There were about five-thousand wounded soldiers in Plevne, crowded in the hospital rooms and in the field tents. The coud not be medicated in the absence of  supplies. They survived only with the hope of being rescued. The medical personnel were also inadequate.  The Turkish women in Plevne nursed the patients. Şevket Paşa, the Commanding Officer in Sofia was  informed of the hopeless situation in Plevne.
He had at his disposal a reasonable stock of medical supplies and personnel, including a British medical team of experienced surgeons.

                Şevket Paşa dispatched a convoy of medical supplies and personnel, escorted by a cavallery force, supported by horse-driven light artillery.  After several successful encounters with the enemy, the relief convoy safely reached Plavne.
In the few days during which Şevket Paşa managed to keep the corridor to the south open, four-thousand-five hundred wounded soldiers were moved to Sofia.

                Dr. Ryan applied for sick leave, and got it.  He too was evacuated to Sofia together with the bulk of the sick and wounded soldiers in Plevne.  He subsequently went to Istanbul⁷ .