Show HEROIC NOMADS the russian defeat in the country of the Tur comans the battle of beok tape in which the russians received a glicck by a large force of is thus described by a correspondent of the of st petersburg 11 is the only graphic account of the battle which has yet appeared s on the ath of september having received orders to move forward afi ter the advanced guard we on until we came to the only aul collection of ki bUkas or tents which had not been deserted by its inhabitants though it turned out afterwards that all the young men capable of bearing arms had gone to bengil leaving only the old men women and children behind in the village on the ath of sept wo joined the advanced guard that night for the first time the made their appearance pe arance stealing up to our picket line and wounding one dragoon on he ath preparations were mado for storming bengil where wo learned the fortifications were very strong and that they not ieng than ir fantry and cavalry it was decided to advance aa lightly laden as possible taking a lesser number of camels 25 to a battalion while the remaining transports under cover of six mixed companies acro to go on separately keeping near tho main body be sides this the advance guard under prince was ordered to move ai in tho morning and the guard at but to the astonishment of everybody the entire advance guard started at am en the ath while the main force only left at in order to cover the ahola of the transports although the trompa for the antof sleep during the night they acro in excellent spirit tho buggers buglers inspiriting tunes tho regimental casira bang favorite ballads and the soldiers sol diera conversing among remarked with regard to the that iiii they had thrashed the turks so they would biake short work of old met officers began to dream of taking aitery the mecon of the wo proceeded in full order of battle troied like a square in one corner of which were the transports before we had gone kix on ho road toward the point where wo were to make the attack a not was re from tho chief of the staff to the that the fekkes were then showing in largo force there was general delight at this information and wo began to look to our arms abo commander of the column cautiously sent forward a of cossacks and a wilder he well known robber chief homata tomata to follow the movements of the enemy appearing on the moun tain tide buick as lightning the s on their swift dashed upon our cavalry line and after a band to hand fight retired leading the cam on our own lino of infantry tho OF TUB fc arlesly galloped on como 1300 feet transport laager ant forced them to recoil thirty bodies on hie ground our loss was only inu killed and thanks to the commander fount laager was saved it was a striking acene mareci of tho ek aca sn variously colored robes with or heap kin capa scimitar in hand tand antiquated blung crow backli thaw la A WILD GALLOP apon our cavalry shouting madly ind preceded by remarkable horsemen who careered about before the eyes of our arc aps ops liko circus riders but vanished ho tho t moment they perceived aba danger of alu vir daring feats this occurred at morning it WA then that another note wi received ii tho Cuie fol ahr staff asking us mako hasto as it was most urgent ing therefore tho exhaustion ol 01 the troops TO hastened forward at a quick march an d almost at a run as toon as wo perceived inns of tho advance guard tho ea gerness of tho troops fop the fray was increased when half way on the come across a cossack of iho pollara who had been as messenger to count barcli and baj been down imagine this picture a naked and headless human body in the breast of which a square aiole had been cut and a shoulder dej strap of the Pol tavia botni showing the rank and nation aly of the victim stuck in the wound this sight drew tears from the of some of he soldiers and imprecations from the mouthy of others tho advance guard was then attacking the outworks out works of aib position approaching tp within paces tho arm ed with alt kinds of weapons and throw ingup their capi with SALLEH advanced to within paces of our men prince ordered two of daues an agi and two squadrons of dragoons with a rocket battery to atack oh the left and dislodge tho anomy from a mill in which they biad taken up a position this was don donland cand the fekkes biad to abandon the fiill an several of their dead on abo arrayal the main body at ahe enemy took refuge in tho fortress tho out works were already ia alie possession of our troops but the raire and arail acry fire was stronger thaneY cr trio front facade of tepa was fortified by a high wall in front of which was a deep defended by masses of the enemy in advance stood the tokko riflemen correctness ness of aim was proved by iho largo number fit our killed and wounded officers the front facade wis attacked from iho left by the sappers and the kurin regiment choso whoso firo was directed partly on the auland partly on the fortress to their right full of and partly surrounded by tho fekkes on tho rear stood a mountain battery shelling the aul from 11 distance of 2100 feet the attack vencial lomakin was present waa commanded by alio cavalry at aliis moment stoob op the eastern side of the fortress under the command of prince wittgenstein in to cut retreat of the enemy at about clock tho women and children tried to make cef escape but acro prevented by otise chief tho staff at tho sama time however strict discipline was maintained and no one fell a victim to military license the outworks out works of alio fortress of bengil tape were thus captured by the preliminary attack and at about all tho troops arre divided into two columns alio firest commanded by count borch the second by prince both being under the superior orders of general lomakin A OF was then decided upon and count borch was directed to affa k the northern facade of tho fortress with artillery in tho fear arriving at the appointed placa the battalions were le two lines of companies with two companies in each anda skirmishing jino was then thrown out to within two hundred and fifty paces of abo wall where it met with a strong efflo hrc reaching beyond the second ano to the batteries the lino halted and took advantage of a ditch or trench whence it could return tho fire such was the situation at a quarter to when the order aa given to begin a general on the stronghold alio signal ivas given and forward went alio men with loud shouts of Hur rahl I have never before seen such a ahl officers and soldiers rushed bravely on the artillery fire increased and the cries and noise quite drowned the voice of the men who stood in the minaret avith a green flag in his hand encouraging tho true believers tho crucial had arrive when suddenly appeared before our battalions a largo trench about seven fcc wide and n high wall in spite ortho parapet our soldiers by supporting aup porting na another biad already in mounting the breastworks al that decisive moment a though they had sprung out of th chevery every earth several thousand desperate des petate leapt into view our ht ed by this unexpected onslaught and looking behind tharo i yot IS before thia mass tharo fore they genvo ariy tho enemy who bad twenty men to each one of u and ho had yet moro strength behind tho wall over which even the women threw stones and boilini boil water ou us seemed invincible the fekkes headed by noor khan and others leadora lead cra foughty foug hta hand to hand fight against somo of iho bravest regiments of the caucasus tho struggle was fearful we all thought tho daiy diy was lost but to bell our lives dearly with bayonets sword and revolver we went to work of the sappers by name who had bayoneted two was disarm oil and then closing with a ahmod only with a sword ho him to thu aad was about to lve alie coup do grace when he was killed by the surrounding enemy to my right a couple of foldier cr carrying back a wounded lieutenant and as goon as they tat thai tho biad got up to them alicy placed wounded man on alio ground anil set themselves to him on our right at this tho battalion advanced dying colors tho commander of he battalion dangerously wounded in the breast being carried on in front but the ammo fate wailed them alio wounded commander major wa cal to and four lo 10 defend him were seriously leriou sly wounded by sabre cuts the enemy already lahti arty scarf batler leg buta retire further than tho artillery hulling before the gensin all instant we formed reformed re into column and with loud hurr abt again advanced to the attack many colored robea were now seen to make way boford us and the enemy lied to take in the fortress tha cuemy not only came out of their fortified position at one point but on every side the number of our troops in tho attack waa than 1400 men while the enemy numbered no fewer than and in spite of this disadvantage our bravo troops encircled by the Tek keson all sides checked their retreat quick ay iy re and again upon tha enemy throwing him back into mhd fortress the soldiers fought bravely and not a single trophy wa allowed to fall into ane hands tho evening was all as in tho lager and there learned thy extent of our losses which were lul men and officers killed with men and 17 officers wounded it is said that there wera about 2000 fekkes killed and about as many again wounded among the killed were daveral remarkable personages noor verdi khan for instance nl the celebrated brave kaaa batari Ba tiri about the ot september we had received information that noor verdi khan had brought cavalry from Ask habata to the re eliof of their brethren |