On the 11th, however, the Roumanians, with whom were three battalions of Russians, made their ‘demonstration’ against the Grivitza simultaneously with the Russian attacks on the other redoubts.  Little attention appears to have been paid to them in the slaughter of that terrible day, but on the following the correspondents narrated the result of their operations, and as those not only substantiated the title of the young army to elan and bravery, but really constituted the turning point in the war, we will endeavour to follow their brief descriptions of the events.

‘It appears,’ writes one of the chroniclers, ’that at half-past two p.m. the redoubt was attacked by two Roumanian brigades each consisting of four battalions, and three battalions of Russians.  The Roumanians attacked from the east and south-east, the Russians from the south and south-west.  The attack was made in the following manner:—­First a lino of skirmishers with men carrying scaling ladders, gabions, and fascines among them.  The latter had their rifles slung on their backs, and were ordered in no case to fire but merely to run forward, fill up the ditch, and place their ladders behind.  Then followed the second line in company column formation for the attack, followed by the third line to support the assault.  At half-past two p.m. the attack was made by the Roumanians, and it is said that by some mistake the Russians arrived half an hour too late.  Be that as it may, the assault was repulsed, and all retired except two companies of infantry, which rallied, and, keeping under cover, maintained a brisk fire against the work.

’At half-past five the attack was renewed by a battalion of the Roumanian militia, followed by two Russian battalions of the 17th and 18th regiments.  The redoubt was then carried, and the Turks withdrew to the other redoubt a little to the north of the captured work.  But it was soon apparent that the redoubt could not be held without reinforcements, and three Roumanian battalions with a battery of artillery were ordered forward.  They lost their way, however, in the fog, and were thus precluded from rendering the required assistance; consequently, when the Turks returned to the attack, the allies were driven out.

’The third assault soon followed, and the work was finally captured at seven p.m.  Four guns and a standard were the trophies of the feat of arms.  More than once during the night did the Turks advance with shouts of “Allah,” but no serious attack was made.  Thus, to my surprise, when I reached the Plevna valley this morning, I beheld a flagstaff up defiantly exposing the Roumanian flag in that hitherto dreaded Grivica Redoubt.’[187]

How sanguinary had been the struggle which is here described in a few commonplace sentences is manifest from the subsequent appearance of the captured redoubt.