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A Bulgarian with the Boers 3 years 4 months ago #77710
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Philippopolis is now called Plovdiv, and is the second largest city in Bulgaria.
Views of a Bulgarian Transvaaler.
.....A Reuter's correspondent at Philippopolis writes, under date 4th inst., as follows :—The Transvaal war is agitating public sentiment even here, and on the eve of the fetes the Russophil and Russophobe factions follow with the greatest interest the fortunes of the British soldiers Of course the Russian parties air their views very freely as to the downfall of England and her loss of military prestige, so that it is quite refreshing to come across some of our young officers who boldly stand up for England. A few days ago, at a Russophil's house, a Bulgarian captain, after listening to some disparaging remarks on England, said that the Bulgarians ought never to wish ill to befall the country which helped them in the union of North Bulgaria with Eastern Roumelia, and has always been the champion of the oppressed, and with all lovers of the human race they ought to wish success to its arms. The "Mir," a Russophil newspaper, publishes a letter from a Bulgarian ex-officer now serving in the Transvaal army. It is written to a friend, who has inserted it in the newspaper :—
Farmer's Kopje, Natal, December 2.
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....Dear friend,—Look at the heading of my letter, Natal. Can you imagine that I should write to you from South Africa, whereas you thought me to be in Chicago? I am now in the entrenchments of the Boer army before Ladysmith. As soon as war was declared I made up my mind to go as a volunteer, and at New York presented myself to the Dutch Committee there, who paid my travelling expenses, and I embarked on the Sidoni fit. We were bound for Madeira. On November 4 we landed at Lorenzo Marquez. On the 6th I was in Pretoria, and on the 7th already here. I had a company of 110 soldiers entrusted to me, and as a pioneer officer my task is very important. Bearded, stalwart, hardy fellows are these Boers ; they obey, understand, and carry out all orders as though they had been soldiers for 20 years. How do we understand one another? I speak English, and that with the Boer is the universal language. They can't understand what a Bulger means ; they never heard of this people before. Had I called myself a Russian, they would understand at once ; but I do not wish that, and will always remain a Bulgarian—Bulger in Dutch. The soldiers, for convenience, already call me "Burger," and thus, you see, I have become at once a Transvaal citizen. Their national motto is the same as ours—"Union is strength." Good people, but how terribly they hate the English. We never hated the Turks so much. All of them are good.shots, good horsemen, and good Christians. Those of them who have finished their tasks of digging, sit down and rest with their Bibles in their hands. They know no other book. They believe in God and their rights. Our tactics here and everywhere along the fighting line are—keep in your trenches ; we get ourselves entrenched and wait for the enemy. The English make their attack in the open, thinking that they fight the Soudanese. We fire volleys at them, and make havoc in their ranks. Hundreds are left on the battlefields, and the others retire. We captured eight of them, with a correspondent, and, oh, how proudly they hold themselves. As we are all mounted, we do our movements quickly. The hardest things we have to endure are the terrible heat, which keeps us in our shirtsleeves all day, and the Siberian cold of the nights, the heavy downpours of rain and the duststorms. So far we have been the victors all along. General White is shut up in Ladysmith, and we wait. We are forbidden to make any storming, as that would cost us men, and the Transvaal has but a handful. There are officers of different nationaities in our army—French, German, Russian, Belgian, &c. I met only once the Commander-in-Chief, General Joubert, and he said, "I respect the Bulgarian people and know of Slivnitza." The war is carried on with terrible venom. I am determined to remain to the end. There are many things in this people that remind me of home—their agricultural habits. &c. These days we are expecting a general attack from the English—but this is enough for the present. My head is nearly scorched by the burning sun, and the digging calls for my constant attention.
Glasgow Herald, Wednesday 10th January 1900 |
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