Turks Retreating To Uskub.

New York Times 100 years ago today, October 26, 1912:
Said to Have Lost 5,000 Men in Desperate Fights at Kumanova.
    BELGRADE, Oct. 23.— A dispatch from Vranya on the frontier declared that the Servians now hold an important position between Kumanova and Uskub, and that the Turkish army is falling back on Uskub. It is supposed here that the Turks are retiring on account of the advance of the allied Servian and Bulgarian armies from Egri Palanka under the command of Gen. Stephanovich.
    The two armies will soon join and take a short rest before making a concentrated advance and attack on Uskub.
    Reports from Servian sources say that a great victory was won over the Turks at Kumanova, the Turks losing 5,000 men, 12 guns and an enormous amount of ammunition.
    The fighting is reported to have been of the most desperate character. The Turks are said to have had 25,000 men engaged and the fighting continued three days, with only short intervals, when darkness prevented the working of the guns.
    The Turks are said to have made several vigorous attacks, which were repulsed by the Servians.
    The Crown Prince of Servia had charge of the artillery during the battle.
    During the fighting a company of Servian infantry charged the Turks with the bayonet. The hand-to-hand struggle developed into individual combats, in which many of the soldiers dropped their rifles and drew knives, with which they hacked and slashed one another.
    Another Turkish force yesterday captured two towns, Vuchitrin and Gilan, on the road between Mitrovitza and Vranya.