The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-18 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 18, 1854. at its base, and causing an extensive explosion in the rear of a strong redoubt in our immediate front ; the enemy, notwithstanding, answered to the iast from a number of guns along their more extended line. The fire was resumed this morning at daylight by the British sailors and artillery, and responded to, though in a somewhat less degree, by the Russians ; but the French troops, being occupied in the repair of their batteries, and in the formation of others, have not contributed to the renewal of the attack, except from a work on their extreme left ; they expect, however, to be able to do so to-morrow morning. I beg to lay before your grace a return of the loss sustained by the royal navy, and the army under my command, between the 13th and the 17th inst., and to this lam deeply concerned to add that of Colonel the Honourable Francis Hood, commanding the 3rd Battalion Urenadier Guards, an excellent officer whose death in the trenches this morning has just been reported to me. The English, French, and Turkish fleets moved towards the mouth of the harbour about noon, and kept up a heavy fire upon the enemy's forts for several hours. I am not fully acquainted with the details of the attack, or its result, but I understand that Rear- Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, with the Agamemnon and ' Sanspareil, assisted occasionally by the London, Queen, and Albion, gallantly approached to within six hundred yards of Fort Constantine, the great work at the northern entrance, where he maintained himself till late in the afternoon, and succeeded in exploding a magazine, and causing considerable injury to the face of the fort. Since I wrote to your grace on the 13th, six batta lions of Turkish infantry and three hundred Turkish artillery bare been added to the force in front of Balaklava. These troops have been sent from Constantinople and placed under my command by the Government of the Porte, and I feel greatly indebted to her Ma jesty's ambassador, Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, for the ability and energy with which he brought under the notice of the Sultan the importance I at tached to an immediate reinforcement of the imperial troops. RAGLAN. Before Sebastopol Oct. 28, 1854. The enemy attacked the position in the front of Balaklava at an early hour on the morning of the 25. h inst. The low range of heights that runs across the plain at the bottom of which the town is placed was protected by four small redoubts hastily constructed. Three of these had guns in them, and on a higher bill, in front of the village of Camara, in advance or our right flank, was established a work of somewhat more importance. These several redoubts was garrisoned by Turkish troops, no other force being at my disposal for their occupation. The 03rd Highlanders was the only British regi ment in the plain, with the exception of a part of a battalion of detachments composed of weakly men, and a battery of artillery belonging to the third di vision ; and on the heights behind our right were placed the marines, obligingly landed from the fleet by Vice-Admiral Dundas. All these, including the Turkish troops, were under the immediate orders of Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, whom I had taken from the Ist division with the 93rd. As soon as I was apprised of this movement of the enemy I felt compelled to withdraw from before Se bastopol the Ist and fourth divisions, commanded by Lieutenants-General his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and the Honourable Sir George Cath cart, and bring them down into the plain; and General Canrohert subsequently reinforced these troops with the first division of French infantry and the Chasseurs d'Afrique. The enemy commenced their operation by attackir the work on our aide of the village of Camara, and, after very little resistance, carried it. They likewise got possession of the three others in contiguity to it, being opposed only in one, and that but for a very short space of time. The farthest of the three they did not retain, but the immediate abandonment of the others enabled them to take possession of the guns in them, amount ing, in the whole, to seven. Those in the three leiser forts were spiked by the one English artilleryman who was in each. The Russian cavalry at once advanced, supported by artillery, in very great strength. One portion of them assailed the front and right flank of the 93rd, and were instantly driven back by the vigorous and steady fire of that distinguished regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel Ainslie. The other and larger mass turned towards her Majesty's heftyy cavalry, and afforded Brigadier- General Scarlett, under the guidance of Lieutenant- General the Earl of Lucan, the opportunity of in flicting upon them a most signal defeat. The ground was very unfavourable for the attack of our dragoons, but no obstacle was sufficient to check their advance, and they charged into the Russian column, which THE PRESS. soon sought safety in flight, although far superior in number. The charge of this brigade was one of the most successful 1 ever witnessPd, was never for a moment doubtful, and is in the highest degree •creditable to Brigadier-General Scarlett and the officers and men engaged in it. As the enemy withdrew from the ground which they had momentarily occupied I directed the ca valry, supported by the fourth division, under Lieu tenant-General Sir George Cathcart, to move forward and take advantage of any opportunity to regain the heights ; and, not having been able to accomplish this immediately, and it appearing that an attempt was making to remove the captured guns, the Earl of Lucan was desired to advance rapidly, follow the enemy in their retreat, and try to prevent them from effecting their objects. In the meanwhile the Russians had time to re• form on their own ground, with artillery in front and upon their flanks. From some misconception of the instruction to advance, the lieutenant-general considered that, he was bound to attack at all hazards, and he accord ingly ordered Major-General the Earl of Cardigan to move forward with the light brigade. This order was obeyed in the most spirited and gallant manner. Lord Cardigan charged with the utmost vigour, attacked a battery which was tiring • upon the advancing squadrons, and, having passed beyond it, engaged the Russian cavalry iu its rear ; but there his troops were assailed by artillery and, infantry, as well as cavalry, and necessarily retired after having committed much havoc upon the enemy. They effected this movement without haste or con • fusion ; but the loss they have sustained has, I deeply lament, been very severe in officers, men, and horses, only counterbalanced by the brilliancy of the attack, and the gallantry, order, and discipline which distin guished it, forming a striking contrast to the conduct of the enemy's cavalry, which had previously been engaged with the heavy brigade. The Chasseurs d'Afrique advanced on our left, and gallantly charged a Russian battery, which checked its fire for a time, and thus rendered the British cavalry au essential service. I have the honour to enclose copies of Sir Colin Campbell's and the Earl of Lucan's reports. I beg to draw your grace's attention to the terms in which Sir Cohn Campbell speaks of Lieut.-Colonel Ainslie, of the 93rd, and Captain Barker, of the royal artillery ; and also to the praise bestowed by the Earl of Lucas on Major-General the Earl of Car digan, and Brigadier-General Scarlett, which they most fully deserve. The Earl of Lucan not having sent me the names of the other officers who distinguished themselves, I propose to forward them by the next opportunity. The enemy made no further movement in advance, and at the close of the day the brigade of Guards of the first division and the fourth division returned to their original encampment, as did the French troops, with the exception of one brigade of the first division, which General Canrobert was so good as to leave in support of Sir Colin Campbell. The remaining regiments of the highland brigade also remained in the valley. The fourth division had advanced close to the heights, and Sir George Cathcart caused one of the redoubts to be reoccupied by the Turks, affording them his support, and be availed himself of the op portunity to assist with his riflemen in silencing two of the enemy's guns. The means of defending the extensive position which had been occupied by the Turkish troops in the morning having proved wholly inadequate, I deemed it necessary, in concurrence with General Canrobert, to withdraw from the lower range of heights, and to concentrate our force, which will be increased by a considerable body of seamen, to be landed from the ships under the authority of Admiral Dundas, immediately in front of the narrow valley leading into Balaklava, and upon the precipitous heights on our right, thus affording a narrower line of defence. RAGLAN. The following are the enclosures referred to in Lord Raglan's despatch : LORD LUCAS'S REPORT.-TIIE CAVALRY CHARGE. Balaklava, Oct. 27, 1554. I have the honour to report that the cavalry divi sion under my command was seriously engaged with the enemy on the 25th inst., during the greater part of which day it was under a heavy fire ; that it made a most triumphant charge against a very superior number of the enemy's cavalry, and an attack upon batteries, which for daring and gallantry could not he exceeded. Tho loss, however, iu officers, men, and horses, has been most severe. From half-past six in the morning, when the horse artillery first opened fire, till the enemy had pos sessed itself of all the different forts, the cavalry, constantly changing their positions, continued giving all the sapport they could to the Turkish troops, though much exposed to the fire of heavy guile and 1085 riflemen, when they took post on the left of the se cond line of redoubts, by an order from your lordship. The heavy brigade had soon to return to the sup port of the troops defending Balaklava, and was for tunate enough in being at hand when a large force of Russian cavalry was descending the hill. I imme diately ordered Brigadier-General Scarlett to attack with the Scots Greys and Enniskillen Dragoons, and had his attack supported in second line by the Fifth Dragoon Guards and by a flank attack of the Fourth Dragoon Guards. Under every disadvantage of ground, these eight small squadrons succeeded in defeating and dispersing a body of cavalry estimated at three times their number and more. The heavy brigade having now joined the light brigade, the division took up a position with a view of .supporting an attack upon the heights, when, being instructed to make a rapid advance to our front to prevent the enemy carrying the guns lost by the Turkish troops in the morning, I ordered the light brigade to advance in two lines, and supported them with the heavy brigade. This attack of the light cavalry was very brilliant and daring ; exposed to a fire from heavy batteries on their front andtwo flanks, they advanced unchecked until they reached the batteries of the enemy and cleared them of their gunners, and only retired when they found themselves engaged with a very superior force of cavalry in the rear. Major-General the Earl of Cardigan led this attack in the most gallant and intrepid manner ; and his lordship has expressed himself to me as admiring in the highest degree the courage and zeal of every officer, non-commissioned officer, and man that as sisted. The heavy brigade advanced to the support of the &Week under a very galling fire from the batteries and ii}cao in a redoubt, and acted with the most perfect steal.ness and in a manner to deserve all praise. The losses, my lord, it grieves me to state, have been very great indeed, and I fear will be much felt by your lordship. I cannot too strongly recommend to your lordship the two general officers commanding the brigades, all the officers in command of regiments, as also the divisional and brigade staffs; indeed, the conduct of every individual, of every rank, I feel to be deserving of my entire praise and, I hope, of your lordship's ap probation. The conduct of the royal horse artillery troop, first under the command of Captain Maude, and, after that o;icer was severely wounded, of Captain Shake spear, was most meritorious and praiseworthy. I received from those officers every possible assistance during the time they respectively commanded. LuCAN. silt COLIN CAMPBELL AND THE HIORLANDERN. Camp Battery No. 4, Balaklava, Oct. 27, 1.051. I have the honour to inform you that on the morning of the 25th instant, about seven o'clock, the Russian force which has been, as I already reported, for some time amongst the hills on our right front, debouched into the open ground in front of the re doubts Nos. 1, '2, and 3, which were occupied by Turkish infantry and artillery, and armed with seven 12-pounders (iron). The enemy's force consisted of eighteen or nineteen battalions of infantry, from thirty to forty guns, and a large body of cavalry. The attack was made againt No. 1 redoubt by a cloud of skir mishers, supported by eight battalions of infantry and sixteen guns. The Turkish troops in No. 1 per sisted as long as they could and then retired, and they suffered considerable loss in their retreat. This attack was followed by the successive abandonment of Nos. 2,3, and 4 redoubts by the Turks, as well as of the other posts held by them in our front. The guns, however, in Nos. 2,3, and 4 were spiked. The garrisons of these redoubts retired, and some of them formed on the right and some on the left flank of the 93rd Highlander", which was posted in front of No. 4 battery and the village of Katichioi. When the enemy had taken possession of these redoubts, their artillery advanced with a large mass of cavalry, and their guns ranged to the 03rd Highlanders, which, with one hundred invalids under Lieut.-Colonel I)aveney in support, occupied very insufficiently, from the smallness of their numbers, the slightly-rising ground in front of No. 4 battery. As 1 found that round shot and shell began to cause some casualties among the 93rd Highlanders and the Turkish batta lions on their right and left flank, I made them retire a few paces behind the crest of the hill. During this period our batteries on the hills, manned by the royal marine artillery and the royal marines, made most excellent practice on the enemy's cavalry, which came over the hill ground in front. One body of them, amounting to about 400 men, turned to their left, separating themselves from those who attacked Lord Lucan's division, and charged the 93rd High landers, who immediately advanced to the crest of the hill and opened their fire, which forced the Rus sian cavalry to give way and turn to their left, after which they made an attempt to turn the right flank of the U3rd, having observed the flight of the Turks