The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-03 00:00:00

THE WAR.

THE 'SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

THE intelligence communicated to our readers last
week, from the camp before Sebastopol, announced the
first reverse of fortune which our arms have met with
since the Allies landed in the Crimea. Narratives of
other and as deadly conflicts had previously reached
us, but in all preceding instances the muster-roll of
calamity had been anticipated or accompanied bytidings
of victory, and.the notes of sorrow which theeasualties
evoked formed little more than plaintive cadences in
the general song of triumph. In the recent case, the
" Io triumphe" was absent from the strain, and the
wailing sorrow alone rung its unwelcome note
upon the ear. From the unusual and quite un-
expected nature of such intelligence, the effect pro-
duced by it, if not overwhelming, was for the
moment stunning, and excited fancy exaggerated
the real severity of the blow. The losses sustained
by the French and English armies in their simultane-
ous though unsuccessful attacks upon the Malakhoff
and Redan Batteries on the morning of the 18th ult.,
were greatly overstated, and the effect of the tempo-
rary repulse was contemplated as something much
more serious than better information, received since,
has shown it to consist of. Full details of the various
incidents connected with those sanguinary struggles
have not yet reached this country ; but official de-
spatches have furnished us with the intelligence that
the first estimate of casualties ranged somewhere con-
siderably above triple their actual amount, the whole
number of killed and wounded in both the French and
English armies being under 3,500, instead of upwards
of 10,000, as at first stated ; and judging from the
data supplied, the result of the misadventure upon the
position of either the besiegers or the besieged
amounts to nothing. The Allies have lost no
ground ; they have only, for the time, failed to secure
two important advantages they aimed at the acquisi-
tion of, and which, without doubt, they will ere long
achieve, if they have not already secured them.
According to the latest accounts, the Allies are con-
tinuing their preparations for a more effectual attack
on the important positions which they have in the
first assault failed to make themselves masters of.
The health and spirits of both armies, on the whole,
continue good, although cases of cholera are reported
in the French and English lines; still, the general
condition is such as to afford lively ground of hope as
to the ultimate result of the campaign,
Writing from the camp before Sebastopol on the
12th of June, the special correspondent of the Times

Through the occupation and arming of the White Batteries,
situated on the edge of the ridge of Mount Sapoune, the head of
the harbour is more or less in our power. These new works will
likewise be able to act against the two strand batteries which
the Russians have behind the Mamelon, and which, not being
much commanded by any of our works, could hitherto do a
good deal of harm without being exposed to much danger.
The construction of the French works on the Mamelon brings
us to about 500 yards from the Malakhoff works ; it gives us
a footing on the plateau on which these works lie ; it furnishes
us with the means of approaching the rear of them, and at
the same time of operating successfully on the annoying
batteries in the rear of the Mamelon, which, taken thus in a
cross fire, cannot long resist. The Quarry is scarcely more
than 200 yards from the Redan. The battery which it con.
tains already will work successfully on the 6-gun battery in
the rear between the Redan and the Malakhoff Tower works .
and from the advanced posts our riflemen will be able to pr e-
vent a good number of the guns in the Redan from working
Several of them seem abandoned, and not a shot is fired
from them. But, for all this, the keeping of the Quarry
was, especially in the beginning, not at all an easy thing;
not so much, perhaps, from the attempts of the Rus-
sians to retake a point of such vital importance to
them, but rather on account of the fire to which it was
exposed from other Russian batteries besides the
Redan. The Garden battery on our flank, the 6-gun battery
in the rear, and the Malakhoff works could touch it on nearly
all sides. The Russians continue to fire on the Quarry, al-
though, against all expectations, they have not renewed the
attempt to take it back. The French in the Mamelon had to
maintain themselves under a not less heavy fire than the Eng-
lish had in the Quarries. Some parts of the Malakhoff works,
the shipping, the strand batteries behind, and even some of
the Inkerman batteries can bear upon them, and they suffered
considerable loss in the first days after their instalment there.
Our position on the Tchernaya is still the same, except that
two regiments of French cavalry and some infantry have
pushed forward in the direction of Baidar, which is occupied.
Only a part of the Turkish troops is on the Tchernaya, the
other part still remains in front on the extreme right, where
they have been helping the French to construct their new
works on Mount Sapoune. They were, however, chiefly em-
ployed as covering parties. There are rumours of a large
Russian cavalry force having come down from Eupatoria, and
being in the south now, but hitherto no trace of it has been
seen, except some distant watchfires. On the other hand, it is
confidently asserted that Liprandi's corps has gone from this
neighbourhood to the north in the direction of Simpheropol.
Yesterday General Lavarande and several other French offi-
cers, who fell in the affair of the 7th, were buried.
The same correspondent, writing on the 13th of
June, in reference to Russian requests, says :
To-day a boat with a flag of truce came out of harbour; its
object, I hear, was to request the allied commanders not to
fire on some of the vessels in the harbour, as they had been
converted into hospitals. There is a strong suspicion that
several of the houses in the town on which the yellow flag has
been hoisted during the bombardments, are nothing less than
powder magazines protected in this manner, so that any con-
cession made in respect to supposed hospital ships would not
be very palatable to our gunners ; hitherto, however, no order
has been given in this respect. And in regard to the progress
of operations he continues :--If possible, the fire on both sides
was even slacker to-day than yesterday, principally in the fore-
noon; sometimes half an hour and more passed without a
single shot from either side. But if there is slackness in the
firing, there is activity enough in the works. Not only in
regard to men, but likewise in regard to material, our loss
during the last bombardment was very small indeed, especially
in the right attack, which suffered much during the bombard-
ment in April, only one gun has been dismounted ; the left
attack was not less fortunate. This speaks very much in
favour of the advanced batteries which have been constructed
since then, and which could face and subdue the fire formerly
concentrated on the right attack from the Mamelon, Malakhoff
Tower, and the Redan. The capture of the Mamelon, and the
diversion which the French batteries constructed there will
snake on the part of the Malakhoff works facing them, will
put the right attack into an even more favourable position at
the re-opening of tile fire, for it will be freed from the annoy-
ing cross fire which it had to endure hitherto from the
Mamelon. I must not forget to tell you of the quantity of
ammunition which fell into the hands of the French in the
White Batteries. These works, which had no communication
with the other Russian works except by sea across the Careen-
ing-creek and the harbour, had to be provided with a large
store, in order not to be in want of it should the communication
be interrupted. Consequently, large exceedingly well con-
structed powder magazines were found after the capture of
these batteries, and about 500 rounds of shot and shell, which
still remained after a twenty-four hours' bombardment.
On the 14th he observes still further on the slug-
gish repose which characterizes hostilities on both
sides, evidently a portion of that calm which presages
a coming storm
To-day the Turkish troops, who have been since the attack
of the 7th in front, have been withdrawn, and, with the ex-
ception of some battalions which as before remain about Omar
Pasha's head-quarters, all the rest have taken up their old posi-
tion on the heights torards the Tchernaya. There is nothing
new in front ; the fire is as slack as yesterday, and the ac-
tivity in the works greater than ever. The Russians, as you
may easily imagine, are by no means behind us in strength-
ening their position. Our late successes seem not to have dis-
couraged them, and everything shews their determination not
to give way except step by step, and to sell every advantage as
dearly as possible. They are very busy just now in strength-
ening the rear of the Malakhoff works. Besides these new
works they have entirely repaired all the old ones, which look
as if they:had been constructed but yesterday. This afternoon
a large body of Russians, about 10,000 men, were observed
from the Mamelon going into the Redan. Whether they in-
tend themselves to make an attempt to retake the Quarry, or
whether they apprehend an attack on our side, or whether
they were simply reliefs, is, of course, impossible to say. At
any rate, precautions have been taken to receive them should
they attempt anything. Most of the English and French
troops have returned from Kertch. The Highland Brigade
has taken up its old place on the heights, and the other regi-
ments have gone up to the front. The Turks and some few
English and French troops have alone remained here, besides
a part of the steamers.

He states under date June 15—
A council of war was held to-day at Lord Raglan's quarters,
in which Omar Pasha took part. In consequence, the Turkish
army received the order to be ready to march at a moment's
notice. This looks like a movement in advance on the Tcher-
naya line.

On the 16th, the special correspondent of the Daily
News, in regard to the movements of the enemy on
the north side of Sebastopol, and within the fortress,
says :

Yesterday afternoon a considerable force of the enemy was
observed to leave the north camp, and to march along the
heights towards the great roadstead. They were afterwards
seen to cross to Sebastopol. A steamer brought over a portion
of these troops, and at the same time had a barge crowded
with soldiers secured to each side. This vessel, after disem-
barking the troops at the landing-place near Cape Nicholas,
returned to the north side, and subsequently again conveyed a
similar number across. Between thirty and forty large rowing
boats also crossed with troops. No soldiers were observed to
leave the south side, so that there was no reason for supposing
this merely to be a relief of the troops in garrison, and they
were considered to be reinforcements in anticipation of an ex-
pected attack. It was calculated that five or six thousand had
one across up to the time when the darkness prevented
further observation of the enemy's movements. Just before
midnight a very sharp musketry fire occurred near the
Mamelon redoubt. It lasted about ten minutes, and was
aecompanied by a vigorous discharge from all the bat-
teries. The alarm was sounded in the French camp,
and strong reinforcements moved down to the support.
An enormous number of gabions, carried in country wag-
gons, have been brought from an inland direction, and stored
in convenient positions on the north shore. Two convoys,
apparently of grain, have also been seen to move along to the
site of the principal magazine depots below the Star Fort.
It is commonly rumoured in camp that the Russian army
near Simpheropol has q
nitted that position and moved towards
Perekop, leaving their stores of provisions to be available for
the use of the army defending Sebastopol. I have not heard
on what authority the assertion rests. Desertions from the
enemy have been rather numerous during the week, and
according to the reports of these men, the rations of the sol-
diers have been already curtailed. News had reached the