Driving The Turks Out At Tchatalja.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 14, 1912:
Principal Bulgarian Attack Is Progressing Favorably, Says Lieut. Wagner.
DELAY CAUSED BY RAIN
Transportation Difficult — Story of a Wounded Turkish Officer from Adrianople.
By LIEUT. WAGNER,
The Only Correspondent at the Front on the Bulgarian Side.
Special Cable to The New York Times.
By arrangement with The Vienna Reichspost.
    HEADQUARTERS OF THE BULGARIAN ARMY, Nov. 13.— Fighting around the chief Turkish positions on the Tchatalja line has already lasted three days, and is exceedingly bloody.
    The Bulgarian First Army is attacking positions between the north of Lake Tchekmedche and Nakashkeul. The Third Army is pressing toward the line from Deliyunus to Derkos and against the commanding heights of Yazi-Euren.
    The Turks are fighting most stubbornly, but their resistance is gradually weakening.
    During the last few days the Turks have been driven from all their advance posts, but the beginning of the principal attack was delayed for two days. The cause of this was the difficulty of transporting ammunition after several days' rain and the difficulty of bringing up reinforcements from Adrianople.
    The artillery fighting hag been extremely fierce.
    I had a conversation to-day with Major Nahil Bey, whose chest was torn open by a splinter of a shell at the defense of Adrianople and who is now being cared for in the Austrian hospital. This is his story:
    "I was commander of reserves in the last sortie from Karageuz Fort on the Bulgarian artillery position in front of the Ekmetchoi farm. During the previous few days the fire of the heavy Bulgarian Krupp guns had become unbearable. Our artillery could not obtain the upper hand, so a night attack was ordered. In the afternoon a demonstration lasting till nightfall was made at Marash, while fourteen battalions made ready to deliver an attack from Karageuz as soon as darkness set in.
    "The night was pitch dark, following a day of rain. All through the afternoon the men lay in the wet and mud awaiting the order to advance.
    "Twice the order came, and twice it was rescinded. It was a terrible strain on the officers' nerves, for the men, who, since they had been detached for operations to the northeast two days previously, had had nothing to eat save biscuits softened with hot water, were crumbling.
    "When, finally, for the third time, the order to advance was given whole companies of men remained where they lay, in supreme indifference to the officers' commands, turning a deaf ear to all exhortations.
    "It was only on the intervention of two military imams that the men were stirred from their indifference. At last, about 9 o'clock in the evening, we were on the move, while our searchlights played on the west front. After an hour's march we encountered the Bulgarians' advance posts to the right and left and in front of us,
    "At first a few shots fell here and there, but in a very short time we found ourselves exposed to a long line of fire. Presently the Bulgarian artillery chimed in, shooting as admirably as if they had had long preliminary range-finding practice.
    "The night was appalling. We knew nothing about the strength of the enemy, and in this roadless plain, in the darkness of the night, some detachments got completely out of touch and lost all sense of direction.
    "The reserves advanced from the rear to the front and were thrown into the firing line. Frightful confusion ensued. In the inky darkness we did not know whether we were shooting at the enemy or at our own men, but the Bulgarian batteries pitilessly assailed our ranks with a deadly hail of projectiles.
    "After two hours of this we found ourselves retreating in an inextricable tangle. Suddenly we were terrified by the raucous cheers of the Bulgarian infantry, charging on us from the right and left. It was as if all the wicked Djinns had been let loose on us,
    "I was standing in a knot of men on a narrow footpath when the rain of the Bulgarian shells fell in our midst. I felt something hot in my left breast, took a few paces forward, and knew nothing more till I awoke from deep unconsciousness a captive of the Bulgarians,
    "From the bottom of my heart I thank them for their humane treatment, and am particularly grateful to them for having respected my rank as an officer."
    The Turkish Major was very reserved in his answers to questions regarding the state of things in Adrianople, but when the victorious advance of the Bulgarians was explained to him on the map, he said.
    "We were told the opposite, but we did not believe it. We officers were told that Mukhtar Pasha was advancing victoriously on Kirk-Kilisseh and that Adrianople would soon be relieved, enabling us to execute a great forward movement on Philippopolis. "How our catastrophes came about I cannot understand. Allah abandoned us. It is the punishment of Allah for our sins!"
    With a mournful glance he gave me his hand to say farewell, exclaiming:
    "You Austrians were always our friends, but now, in the hour of stress, no one wants to remember past friendships. This is very sad for us."