Cannot Understand Bulgar Retirement.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 22, 1912:
Ashmead-Bartlett Says Their Action at Tchatalja Is a Mystery—Turks Amazed.
TURKS' COURAGE IS REVIVED
They Are Receiving Reinforcements and New Spirit of Hope Pervades Camp — Commissariat Improved.Special Cable to The New York Times.
    LONDON, Friday, Nov. 22.— Ellis Ashmead Bartlett, special correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, has returned to Constantinople after three days at the front. In a dispatch dated Thursday he says:
    "The Bulgarian retreat from Tchatalja has taken the Turkish Army completely by surprise, as for three days past they had been expecting a decisive assault on the main line, between Hademkeui and Tasoren.
    "To meet this expected attack they brought up all their reserves, but even then were not confident of being able to hold their position, and had made preparations for a general retirement, should the necessity arise.
    "Now, without any apparent reason, the enemy abandons the positions he won, burns the railway station at Tchatalja and all the surrounding villages, and retires, occupying the high ground, facing the right wing of the Turkish line, where he is reported to be strongly intrenching himself.
    "What is the reason for this sudden abandonment of the offensive by the Bulgarians? No one can answer the question for certain, least of all the Turks, who are absolutely amazed, and only reply, 'Inshallah,' ('God knows,') when asked.
    "It may be that Sunday's and Monday's attacks were merely intended as a reconnaissance in force to sound the strength of the line and to test the state of demoralization of the Turkish Army, but this can hardly be the case, because every available gun was brought into action and advanced Turkish works were captured and held for forty-eight hours.
    "It may be that the Bulgarians are staggered by the strength of the position are afraid to risk a general assault on it, or, what is still more likely, they have been unable to concentrate a sufficient supply of ammunition for a long drawn out battle of doubtful issue.
    "Maybe they, too, are suffering from the terrible cholera, and prefer not to attack a position which would only land them in a hotbed of it.
    "All points to the fact that the real causes are political, and that the order came from Sofia to suspend all further hostilities pending the issue of the negotiations for an armistice.

Turkish Spirit Revives.
    "The effect of the retirement of the Bulgarians on the Turkish troops has been magical. They passed from almost excessive gloom to equally excessive optimism, and to hear the soldiers talk one would think they had just won a decisive victory.
    "To-day when I rode round the lines of the second and third army corps I found I was in an altogether changed atmosphere. There was an air of gaiety and self-confidence about them which had been lacking throughout the campaign. They were being drilled behind the line of forts and bands were again playing for the first time since the debacle at Lule-Burgas.
    "It is very unlikely that the Bulgarians win make any further attempts against the position even if the reported negotiations fail, because they will find that task ten times more difficult in the future, as every day the Turkish army is being strengthened by the arrival of some of the best troops from Smyrna, new entrenchments are being dug, the men are being better fed, and above all the morale of the army has been raised by the withdrawal of the enemy.
    "It is to be hoped that excessive optimism will not cause the army to believe it is now in condition to take the offensive, because that would only mean an endless prolongation of the war and almost certainly a fresh disaster.
    "Unless by chance the Bulgarians have merely retired pending the arrival of fresh supplies of ammunition and reinforcements, which seems extremely unlikely, war in this quarter of the field is now in a state of 'stalemate,' and neither side can hope to attack the other successfully.
    "The Bulgarians have missed their opportunity. With a speedy pursuit after Lule-Burgas they could have occupied the lines almost without resistance.

Aeroplane Astonishes Turks.
    "An aeroplane made its first appearance at the front at a great height and started on a reconnaisance of the Bulgarian position. Its appearance caused an immense sensation among the Turkish troops, most of whom had never seen a flying machine before,
    "For some time there was great uncertainty among the men as to whether they should fire on it or not, as most of them were under the impression that it belonged to the Bulgarians."