The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-09-04 00:00:00

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

THE importance of this action is less to be estimated from
the results immediately following it, than from the indication
it offers of what maybe expected from the Russian efforts during
the remainder of the present campaign in the Crimea. From
time to time rumours and threatening demonstrations of an in-
tended movement of importance in the direction of the Tcher-
naya were made; till these had assumed a tangible shape it
was no easy matter to estimate. Now, however, the long-
threatened attack has been made and defeated; and from the
magnitude of the force employed and the obstinacy with
which it was maintained, there seems no reason to doubt that
the action of the 16th was by them intended as decisive of the
campaign. In accordance with this view the Russian com-
mander made his dispositions with skill, and displayed no
want of conduct in his endeavours to carry them out. The
allied armies occupied a place of great strength, which if
forced, would have enabled the enemy to seriously disturb, if
not entirely to disorganise the operations connected with the
siege of Sebastopol, and every effort on the part of the Rus-
sians was brought to bear, and concentrated in the attempt to
effect this object. The struggle in its sanguinary and glo-
rious details will be learned from the graphic though brief
narratives of the action contained in the official despatches of
Generals Simpson and Pelissier ; but the following account of
some of the incidents connected with the conflict possess
sufficient interest to command an attentive perusal. The
attack (made by the Russians, in great force, in the first
instance, was stedfastly met and gallantly repelled by our
brave allies, the French and Sardinians; but the beaten foe,
being joined by a fresh body of their comrades, returned to
the assault, and with such vigour that for a moment it almost
seemed as if victory would crown their effort. A determined
and brave resistance on the part of the French, however,
checked the advance, repulsed it, and, aided by the well-
directed bravery of the Sardinians, converted the assault into
a complete rout. One desperate endeavour was yet made on
the part of the Russians, to retrieve the fate of the day, who,
concentrated once more all their forces, collected the scattered
remains of the column which had been routed on the right of
the French position, and brought up all their reserves to
attempt one more attack. They again crossed the river, and
the aqueduct too, and tried to take the heights—but in vain;
the French were now thoroughly prepared, and the tenacity of
the Russians served only to augment their losses. They were
soon seen flying in all directions, followed by the French.
This last attack was decisive, and immediately the usual Rus-
sian preparation for retreat—namely the advance of the artil-
lery—showed clearly that the Russians acknowledged them-
selves defeated and were on the point of retiring. Three bat-
teries, each of 12 guns, which during the greatest part of the
attack had been nearly silent, began to open their fire while
the scattered remains of the infantry columns rallied behind a
rising ground leading up towards the plateau of Akyer, or
Mackenzie's height, and thus abandoned further efforts to
attain an object for which such exertions and sacrifices had
been made.

If the allies did not deem it expedient or even prudent to
follow up the victory by a pursuit of the enemy, the importance
of the victory achieved was nevertheless marked and decisive.
"One look," says the correspondent of the Times," was suffi-
cient to convince any one that the allies had won a real battle
on the Tchernaya. Although not quite so obstinate and
sanguinary as the battle of Inkermann, which this affair re-
sembled in many points, it was a pitched battle. The Rus-
sians, as in the battle of Inkermann, gave up manoeuvring, and
confided entirely in the valour of their troops. The essential
difference was in the manner of fighting. At the battle of
Inkermann the great mass of the Russians fell under the file
firing and the bayonets of the infantry, while on the Tcher-
naya it was the guns which did the greatest execution. Most
of the wounded and dead showed frightful traces of round
shot, grape, shell, and canister, so that as a battle-field one
could scarcely imagine anything more terrible. Nearly all the
wounds were on the legs and the head. On the banks of the
aqueduct particularly the sight was appalling; the Russians
when scaling the embankment of the aqueduct were taken in
flank by the Sardinian batteries, and the dead and wounded
rolled down the embankment, sometimes more than 20 feet
in height.
RUSSIAN BARBARITY.

The French made every possible despatch to collect the
wounded. They were laid on the open space about the
bridge until the ambulances arrived. While there the Rus-
sians, who could see plainly that the French were engaged in
bringing help to their own wretched countrymen, suddenly
began to open with their guns upon them, repeating the bar-
barous practice which they had already often previously shown
to the troops. A gentleman who was with me at the moment,
and who speaks Russian, asked one of the poor fellows who
was trying to trudge along with deep flesh wounds on both
his thighs, what he thought of the behaviour of the Russians
in firing among their own wounded ? He answered," They are

accustomed to beat us when we are with them, and there is no
wonder that they should try to ill-treat us when we are on the
point of escaping their power."
MILITARY TROPHIES OF THE FIELD.

After the battle many trophies of victory, as might have
been expected, fell into the hands of the victors. The corre-
spondent of the Daily News, in reference to these, says :—As
tisual, after all these conflicts, the spolia ossirna are in great
demand, but Russian decorations have never been such a drug
in the market as at present. An order of St. George may be
had for about five francs (at the taking of the Mamelon they
sold for forty). Hungarian and Transylvanian medals sell for
a franc a piece, as almost every soldier that fell had something
of the sort on him. As for guns and swords they lie for those
who wish to pick them up, although both of these articles are
of a much superior workmanship to any we have yet found in
the hands of our enemies. One of the commonest trophies is
a small tablet of wood or brass, with a cover attached with a
hinge; on the inner side of the tablet and cover is embossed
(either in silver or brass) some scenes from the Legends of
the Saints. The outside of the lid bears always the same de-
vice—a crucifix, with a lance and mace on either side. Every
Russian soldier, almost without exception, bears one of these
about him. The workmanship is very rude and the design
very antique. It seems almost to be the same subject, and
they only differ from each other in the material or the shape
of the tablet. There is a short inscription in Roman charal-
ters, which would seem to show that they are not manufactured
in Russia, for it is not unreasonable to suppose that the Greek
priests would take every means to keep them ignorant of
everything connected with the Latin faith.
INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.

In connexion with the battle, the same correspondent, writ-
ing on the 18th, says :—We hear that Gortschakoff com.
manded in this last attack. If so, his military experience on
the Danube has been of little service to him. It was, in fact,
another Inkermann for the Russians, without even the merit
of having any plan, which the first had. If this enterprise
was merely intended for a reconnaissance in force, it has sadly
been blundered, for he has lost a great number of soldiers
without having gained any additional or compensating infor-
mation. The prisoners and deserters inform us that the grand
attack was to have taken place this morning. This is very
probable, but the loss he has sustained has most probably
altered his plans of operations. Report also says that one of
the Grand Dukes was present. A regiment of cavalry in
scarlet made themselves very conspicuous out of range, but
did nothing more during the day. The French Artillery of
the Guard suffered very severely in men and horses, and they
had to bear the brunt not only of the greater portion of the
enemy's fire from the heavy guns across the river, but also
from the batteries established on the spurs of the hills stretch
ing out from Inkermann. One battery of 32's, now tried
for the first time, succeeded to admiration, astonishing both
friends and foes. It remains to be seen, however, if it will
prove equally efficient at the end of a day's march or a
summer campaign. We hear it mentioned that, had we
made more use of our cavalry, the results might have
been more satisfactory; there was, certainly, one battery
of Russian artillery, which looked very tempting, as it was
quite isolated and might have been carried off by a squadron
of Dragoons. Although the success has been most complete,
yet the results should have been greater. We always show
too much caution in the field, and seem to dread a defeated
enemy more than a triumphant one. A body of Sardinian
Bersaglieri, after the grand repulse of the Russians, pressed
on after them in a most daring manner, and without looking
to see if they were supported, continued to follow up for some
distance from the main body. A battery of Russian artillery
opened on them with round shot, but these gallant fellows,
nothing daunted, used their rifles with such effect that the
gunners were quickly obliged to limber up and seek a safer
position. At length two heavy columns of infantry were sent
against them, and not until then did they condescend to retire,
which they did in good order and with very slight loss.
Another gallant feat of our allies is worthy of admiration, as
more especially showing the confidence they place in the
prowess and determination of their brothers in arms. On
the centre of the army being driven by the Russian columns
across the river, the Sardinian artillery on the right centre
was left unsupported. Calculating on the speedy repulse of
the Russians they refused to leave their ground, but turning
their guns to the left, they poured heavy volleys of shot and
shell into the masses of the enemy, rendering his subsequent
defeat comparatively easy. All the enemy's soldiers support-
ing the skirmishers carried a small raft, probably to form
a portion of a bridge over the river or the acqueduct, most
probably the latter, as the river is fordable in many places,
whereas the acqueduet is very deep, and far too wide to be
jumped by a Russian soldier in a great coat and long boots.

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.