A curious incident is related in his next letter:
"Yesterday evening at nine o'clock (October 8), as I was at work with General Todleben and Prince Imeritinski, the aide-de-camp on duty rushed into the room to report that an alarm had been given along the whole line: large watch-fires were seen and guns were heard in the distance! The two squadrons of my escort saddled at once, and aides-de-camp and orderlies galloped up from all sides. I did not allow myself to be disquieted, and declared at once that it was a false alarm, for the night was so dark, the weather so terrible, and the roads so impassable from the downpour of rain, that it was impossible for the enemy to adopt the offensive. Several officers, who had been sent out, soon returned with the news that the Rifle Brigade of the Guard had lost their way, and had called for guides. Count Woronzow, the Chief of Staff of the Guard, at once rode to meet the troops; but small detachments of the Brigade wandered about the whole night, and did not assemble until this morning, stiff with cold and wet. The fires, which had appeared so large in the mist, were only those of our own bivouacs.... I am now rather more comfortably furnished; since the last few days I have managed to obtain windows and doors, straw mats on the floor, and had the roof repaired, so that the rain no longer falls into my bedroom....
"The weather has been terrible for the last eight days, and the troops have suffered much in consequence: their boots simply rot on their feet in the melting snow: many have lost limbs through frost-bite, and the hospital tents are not sufficient to receive all the sick—more than 2000 men in the Army of the West!
"... I visited the Roumanian troops in the trenches, where they are standing knee-deep in mud and water! The breastworks have fallen in in many places, so that they are exposed to the musketry of the Turks, and many men have been wounded during the last few days."
The sufferings of the troops were still further increased by the destruction of the bridges over the Danube, and to the discomforts of cold and wet was added the terror of starvation. A number of disputes occurred between the Russian and Roumanian foraging-parties, which culminated one day in a party of Russians being marched past the Prince's quarters as prisoners!
The second Grivitza redoubt was taken, after a first unsuccessful attempt, by the Roumanians on October 19, but the Turkish reserves eventually forced them to retire, with a loss of 300 killed and 707 wounded. The Russians, however, succeeded in gaining possession of the great redoubt at Gornji-Dubnik under cover of night on the 24th, and thereby completed the investment of Plevna, from which Osman could now only escape by forcing his way through the lines of the Allies.
The course of the investment proved uneventful until November 10, when General Skobeleff took the Green Hill by a night attack, with the comparatively trifling loss of 200 men. This important point commands the town of Plevna, and its capture could not fail to hasten the end of the siege. Every attempt, especially by means of night attacks, was made by the Turks to drive the Russians out of this position, but each attempt was defeated by the stern valour of Skobeleff's veterans. In reply to the Grand Duke's summons to surrender, Osman Pacha sent the proud and soldierly answer that he had not yet exhausted all his means, and therefore could not capitulate: that his honour as a soldier required him to hold out to the last.
The whole Russo-Roumanian line investing Plevna was now divided into six sections under separate commanders. The first and largest, consisting of some thirty field works connected by shelter-trenches, extended for nine and a half miles from the right bank of the Wid to the Griwitza redoubt, the second ran from thence to the Plevna-Rustchuk road, the third to the Tutschenitza Ravine, and the fourth to Krtuschab, the fifth to the line of the Wid, and the sixth completed the circle to the west of that river.
The difficulties of his position were thus described by Prince Charles, November 17, 1877:
"The command here is no easy task, for the General Staff often alter the dispositions, and the Imperial headquarters interfere directly on every occasion, thereby causing confusion. This has, however, been amended after some representations, and we are now left alone. The expression, 'under my immediate command,' in my last General Order, marks the altered conditions, and prevents any direct interference. It sometimes looks to me as though the Russians found me in the way!...
"A few days ago I visited the Roumanian right wing opposite Oponetz, and ordered a heavy bombardment to be commenced against the redoubts. The Turks did not reply, which proves that their ammunition is running short; our outposts then advanced and occupied the nearest heights without resistance. We only lost two men. Plevna can only hold out for another fortnight at the most; we expect Osman to attempt to break through any day, which will be the sign that his supply of food has come to an end. The position held by Skobeleff is continually attacked by the Turks, especially at night; they hope to find there a means of escape. Skobeleff has been slightly wounded twice; it is a miracle that he has not met his death, for he is always in the thick of the bullets...."
A Roumanian detachment, under Colonel Slaniceanu, after a hot engagement took the Turkish works at Rahova, with a loss of over 300 men, on November 20, and two Turkish guns and 140 ammunition carts fell into the hands of the victor. This success was followed up by the occupation of Tzibar Palanka and Rasgrad-Mahala, whence an attempt was to be made on Lom-Palanka.
Another period of stormy weather followed December 5 and increased the already enormous difficulties of supply by carrying away nineteen pontoons of the bridge at Nikopoli. The roads became quite impassable; hundreds of horses succumbed to privation and overwork, and lay rotting by the roadside.