‘Russo-Turkish War, 1877. Operations in Asia.’ [‎45r] (23/42)

accordance with that General’s orders. These battalions were, it is said, among
the best and most reliable under Ismail Pasha’s orders, and their withdrawal,
together with the disappearance of the greater part of his irregulars, now quite
precluded any idea that General might have had of assuming the offensive,
if indeed such had ever been his intention at any time.
On the other hand, on the 9th or 10 th, a Russian force consisting of 4
battalions, 2 sotnias, and a field battery, w r as detached under General
Tsytovitch, via Hadji Bairam, to Digor, there to join General Lazareff (see
page 78). This movement was, it appears, noticed by Ismail Pasha’s head-
quarters, and the Turks were fully satisfied that the Russian centre was being-
reinforced from the left wing.
On the 14th a demonstration was made along the whole front by the
Turks, with the avowed intention of attracting the Russian troops from their
camps and showing their strength. The following was the general disposition
of the Russian outposts:—3 advanced pickets of from 10 to 12 men each
with about 60 men in support, were posted in the ravines between the Turkish
right wing and Khalifalu, the latter village being occupied by a reserve of
1 battalion and 1 squadron or sotnia, reinforced at night by an additional
battalion and a field battery (8 guns). The disposition of the outposts in front
of Tcharekliger was much the same, with the exception that the reserve—usually
consisting of 1 battalion, 2 squadrons or sotnias, and 4 guns —was pushed
forward along the Mussin road to the ravines on the extreme left of the Turkish
position.
The Turks about noon on this day began by pushing forward a line of
skirmishers towards Khalifalu from the 6 battalions occupying entrenched
positions on the slopes in their front on the right of the Zor ravine, to oppose
which the Russians sent forward a line of skirmishers from the village, with a
squadron of cavalry on each flank. At the same time the Turks threw forward
their left wing and occupied the ground which had been the scene of the
conflict on the 27 th; this wing consisted of 12 battalions of infantry, 1 regi
ment of regular cavalry, and 3 batteries of field and mountain guns, and had
some desultory skirmishing with the Russians, but without inducing the latter
to attack or make a corresponding advance on their right. In the course of
the afternoon, the Russians moved 1 battalion, 2 squadrons and 4 guns from
Tcharekliger towards the Turkish left. As soon as the supporting force
of the Turkish right wing (10 battalions, with 2 field batteries, and 1 regiment of
regular cavalry covering the flank) had pushed forward down the slopes some
1,000 yards or so, a Russian battalion with a field battery issued from Iguyr,
and took up a position across the Igdyr—Khalifalu road, where they remained
during the remainder of the day, being subsequently reinforced by another
battalion and 4 squadrons.
In the meanwhile, at about 2*30 p.m., 3 Russian battalions and a field
battery advanced from the Russisn right at Igdyr ; the battery pushed forward
over the plain towards Khalifalu, preceded by a battalion with 2 companies ex
tended in two lines of skirmishers (one in support of the other) and the remaining
two covering the front of the battery. The latter was halted at about 800 yards
from Khalifalu, the remaining 2 battalions were formed up in support, and the
leading battalions entered the village in extended order. The latter now
came under the fire of the Turkish artillery, and soon swarmed from the
village to avoid the shells, and, forming an extended line some hundreds
of yards in front of it, out of rifle range of the ’lurks, crept cautiously
forward, taking every advantage of the rifle pits, stone screens, and
natural cover formed by the rocky nature of the ground; they were soon
indeed almost entirely out of sight, for, ow ing to the continual skirmishing that
had taken place between the Turkish advanced positions and Khalifalu, the
ground had been thickly studded with every kind of artificial cover, from
which the skirmishers, both Turkish and Russian, were in the habit of firing
at each other with a minimum amount of damage to either side. IJoth sides
now kept up an incessant fire till night fall, in which the links decidedly
carried off the palm for wasting ammunition—their batteries in fact firing some
100 rounds at the Russian supports without, it is said, doing any damage. ^ 1 owards
evenin 0 *, the Russians moved 3 squadrons and 4 guns from Igdyr to Ichaiek-