Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/438

396 terrible loss of men, the ground was covered with dead and wounded, the Peabody rifles in Turkish hands poured out volley after volley so rapidly that it was literally a rain-storm of bullets that fell upon the Russians. The bravest troops in the world could not live in such a storm, and in disorder the late assailants fell back across the undulating ground, over which they had advanced. Schahofskoy's column was completely broken, and though he brought up his reserves and made another attempt, it was evident to all that the capture of Plevna on this side was hopeless. On the other side of the Russian line, Baron Krudener had begun the attack with his artillery, and followed it about two in the afternoon with an advance of the infantry. When they were fully a mile distant from the Turkish redoubt the men began falling before the bullets of the Peabody rifles, and the column was obliged to advance in this way until it had reached a point where its own Krenk rifles could be made to tell. By the time it reached the foot of the redoubt the ranks had been terribly thinned, but the Russians with a loud cheer carried the first line of works. They would have been driven out immediately had it not been for the rush of the 2d battalion, which came to their support, and not a moment too soon. The Russians carried the second line in the same way as they had taken the first, and drove the Turks up the slopes of the Grivitza redoubt. From this redoubt a furious fire was opened and prevented a further advance of the now greatly weakened Russians. Nay, more, it turned the advance into a retreat, and the retreat left behind it great numbers of dead and wounded. Later in the day another assault was made, but to no purpose, other than to add to the number of the killed and disabled. It was a useless slaughter of brave men, with scarcely a hope of success. Meantime Skobeleff had pushed his reconnaissance