Cited:

“From the theater of war: Sad news regarding the Serbs has arrived from the eastern front along the Timok River. The Turks crossed the Timok two hours’ march upstream from Zaječar and occupied the strategic points of Grljan and Vratarnica, which command the crossing—or so, at least, is the report telegraphed to the Wiener Tagblatt from Kalafat on the 6th.

Regarding Grljan—located one hour upstream from Zaječar on the western bank of the Timok—Hassan Pasha attacked the Serbs yesterday near Prlita (two hours upstream from Zaječar but on the eastern bank) with 8,000 men, mostly irregulars; he defeated them, set fire to Prlita, crossed the Timok, and took Grljan by storm. Grljan, Prlita, and three other Serbian villages were looted and are in flames.

Osman Pasha is bombarding Zaječar, though only the fortifications are being targeted. The camp at Adlie—three hours east of the Timok on the road to Vidin—has received marching orders; Lešjanin is gathering reinforcements. Another telegram states: Following Horvatović’s retreat through the Klissura Pass, the Prince appointed Chernayev yesterday at Deligrad as Commander-in-Chief of the combined Timok and Morava armies; his Chief of Staff is Komarov. Russian Colonel Becker assumed command of the Zaječar troops.

In the engagement at Tresibaba, Chernayev led the left wing, Jovanović the right, and Djordjević the center; Horvatović, instead of protecting Knjaževac, retreated against Chernayev’s wishes. Lešjanin took no part in the fighting. Today, Chernayev attacked the 45,000 Turks under the command of Abdul Kerim Pasha near Knjaževac with his entire operational army; Serbian losses amount to 400 dead and wounded. Thus, poor Serbia is now enduring a war of annihilation, with all its horrors, on its own soil.”

Source

Nr 48 Klagenfurt Samstag am 12 August 1876 I Jahrgang. Volksstimme Kärntner. Vom Kriegsschauplake.