The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-09-11 00:00:00

THE WAR IN THE CRIMEA.

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

TEE progress of events is still slow and seemingly
uncertain in its course, as far as regards the siege. The
Russians, actuated apparently by the necessities which
press them, are making demonstrations of proceeding
to field operations. Large bodies of them have been
seen to leave Sebastopol, as if about once more to
march upon the allied armies on the Tchernaya.
These 'movements have been sufficient to keep the
whole of the besieging army on the alert, as it is not
known exactly whether they are meant as a prelude
to a Aerious attack, or are merely a feint. The cor-
respondent of the Braes, writing from the camp
before Sebastopol, on the 24th of August, says :
Orders were given this Morning that no officer or man
should quit the camp. An attack is expected, and the army
is on its guard. Large bodies of Russians have been seen to
issue from the town, and it is thought they meditate an on-
slaught upon the Sardinians. It may possibly prove a false
alarm, like many others that we have lately had. On the 21st
the troops were suddenly ordered under arms, the enemy had
been observed in motion on the heights beyond the Tchernaya.
Nothing came of it, nor of other similar recent alarms, but the
qui vine is becoming our habitual state.
We are completely in the dark as to the intentions of the
commanding generals as regards offensive operations. All that
we can see is that an attack on our lines is expected, and there
our knowledge stops. Meanwhile, our artillery and naval bri-
gade are far from idle. A number of old guns have been sunk
in the earth, and make excellent practice on the town, sending
shells in all directions, and doing considerable damage. I be-
lieve it is intended to use up all our old guns in this way, and
to dig up some that have been buried. The solid 68-pounder
that was lately taken down to a battery on the left made an
excellent shot a day or two ago at the bridge across the creek,
over which a number of soldiers were passing at the time.
The bullet cut the bridge in two, killing some of the men, pre-
cipitating others into the water, and sinking a barge. On the
night of the 22nd, the sailors got another 68-pounder into No.
9 battery, Left Attack. The elings broke on the way, and it
took some time, and such dexterity and exertion as none but
sailors can displayjin a like degree on such occasions, to get the
tackle right again and complete the journey. Unluckily, the
accident took place just under fire of the Redan, which opened
a heavy fire of shells on the party, but Jack, nothing daunted,
persisted in his task, and fortunately accomplished it without
casualty. j
Great numbers of mortars are coming up both for us and
the French, and this gives additional weight to the opinion
entertained by various persons here—notably by some of the
French staff—that it is intended to crush the place under a
prodigious fire of mortars. There can hardly be a doubt that
these are- the most effective weapons we can employ against
Sebastopol. The vertical fire which Sir Howard Douglas ad-
vocated finds partisans among all practical men here. You
may convert the huge earthworks of the Russian batteries
into masses of iron by a horizontal fire, but for that the enemy
will care little. It is quite clear that his inner works, not his
outer ones, are what he reckons on, and only by a vertical fire
we can hope to destroy the former.
A meeting was held yesterday morning of officers of the
Highland Division to inspect specimens of waterproof winter
clothing, which were found excellent, and only slight altera-
tions were suggested. Sir Colin Campbell took the oppor-
tunity to read to his officers the copy of a note received by
General Pelissier from the Emperor of the French, in which
the Emperor informed him that he had positive intelligence
that the Russians would not be able to pass the winter here.
This 'would doubtless be by reason of the impossibility of
getting up stores and provisions. Several deserters who have
lately come in have agreed in stating that ammunition is
plentiful in Sebastopol, but food hard to obtain. From Kertch
we hear that the Spit of Arabat is completely commanded by
our shipping, and that nothing can pass over it. As regards
scarcity in the Russian camp, the latest " shave" current is
that Gortschakoff telegraphed to Dolgorouki that he had but
six days' rations left, whereupon Dolgorouki telegraphed
back to Gortschakoff that there was plenty at Balaklava,
and he had better go and take them.
There is something in the wind this evening. The Guards
and Highland Divisions were to furnish men for the trenches,
and these were actually paraded when they were ordered to
turn in and hold themselves in readiness for other duty.
The men gave a smothered cheer as they obeyed the order.
Since then I have seen a small body of men from one of those
two divisions marching down through the dusk in the direc-
tion of the trenches, but there was but a company or two,
besides a working party. The report in the divisions which
received this unexpected and unusual order is that they are to
be employed to repel a Russian attack on the line of the
Tchernaya, whither all eyes appeared to be turned in expecta-
tion Of work. The French were under arms last night, as
well as the Sardinians. General Pelissier apprehended an
attack.

The health of the army continues excellent. The weather is
dry, dear, and not excessively warm. Sir. W. Eyre, com-
manding the Third Division, reports to the Quartermaster-
General, under date of the 14th inst., in very high terms con-
cerning the excellent order in which he found the hospital on
a recent inspection. " I cannot conceive," he says, " that sol-
diers in the field can be more orderly or comfortably accom-
modated." He adds that the sick are in possession of every
comfort, and gives great credit to the medical men of the
divisibn. The weather is decidedly favourable to field hospi-
tals, permitting doors to be left open and canvas raised so as
to ventilate thoroughly, and I am often struck, when passing
through the camp, by the clean, cool, and comfortable appear-
ance of the hospital huts and marquees, and of their inmates.
Aug. 25, noon.—We have had an agitated night and morn-
ing. There was a good deal of firing in the evening, which
increased towards one o'clock, about which time a sortie was
attempted by the Russians against the Mamelon, but promptly
repelled. The firing was very heavy for a short time—as
heavy as any night-firing that has been heard here for a long
time past. At two a.m. the Highland Division marched to
support the Sardinians. The whole army was under arms before
daylight, an attack being fully expected, and General Simpson
and his staff were out and round the lines. At this present
time all is quiet, but the troops are ordered to be in readiness.
So strong was the expectation of an action on the Tchernaya,
owing to the movement of the Highlanders and other indica-
tions, that several amateurs went down to the ground where
the battle, it was thought, would occur. The hour compels me
to close this letter, but, according to every appearance, my
next must take you news of a collision. It is intensely hot
to-day, and the Russians generally are very quiet from noon
till one or two o'clock—probably eating or reposing.

THE FRENCH AND SARDINIAN ARMIES.
The correspondent of the Times, on the 21st August,
from the camp on the Tchernaya, writes
Since the affair of the 16th we, on our side, have again
relapsed into the former routine way. The Russians have
vanished from all sides, and the siege operations have again
monopolised, in a great measure, the interest which the Tcher-
naya line had attracted for the moment. There was, indeed, a
report that the Russians had an intention of renewing their
attack, but that the opening of the new batteries next morning
upset their plans, as they apprehended some attack of the allies
from that side. The Tchernaya has become, in consequence
of the late attack, a point of attraction for all curiosity-
seeking persons, whose name is legion, in the allied armies.
The ground where the attack took place being extended and
very much broken up, one could not at first fully appreciate the
loss of the Russians, but it is now officially known that the
French alone have 2,200 Russians wounded and prisoners, the
number of unwounded prisoners amounting to 400. The col-
lecting of the wounded took nearly two days, and most likely
there are still some of them not discovered among the bushes
in the neighbourhood of the river. For the burial of
the dead an armistice was concluded, during which the
French buried all those on this side of the river, while
the Russians buried those in the plain beyond. The
number of the dead is not yet officially known, but the
accounts which I have heard vary from 1,500 to 1,700.
Every one who saw the Russians running back could not
doubt that they were thoroughly routed. The battle-field
gives an additional proof of this. The Russians are very
particular about carrying away their wounded and officers,
especially general officers. In the late action three generals
were found on the field, one mortally wounded, and two
others dead. One of the dead is said to have been General
Bellegarde, who was last year in the Principalities. The
wounded General Read has since died of his wounds at the
French head-quarters. Gortschakoff was during the action
at the observatory at Mackenzie's Farm. He is said to have
given the orders to retire before he knew the result of the
attack; because he guessed the result from seeing the French
tents still standing on the hillocks. Could he have seen inside
of them he would perhaps not have given the order so quickly,
for the tents alone stood, everything else—stores, ammunition,
&c.—had been removed. It is confirmed on all sides that the
attack • took place at the express order of the emperor.
When the attack was over, and the Russians began jo retire,
everybody expected something from the other side ; but when
nothing came, and the Russians, after a partial attack on our
centre—which, although violent enough, lasted not more than
two hours—fell back, the whole attack seemed incomprehen-
sible. During the attack on the Tchernaya there was like-
wise a demonstration towards Baidar. The French cavalry
had retired during the night preceding the attack and
during the early part of the morning, and had occupied
the ridge on which Count Tcrawsky's villa is situated, at
the entrance of the valley, while the two battalions of
infantry, which had been down for the protection of the
passes, retired on the hills above Brujuk Miskonsia.
They had scarcely gone off, when two hundred Cossacks
came down into the valley, and picked up everything the
French had left behind them—a number of bullocks, some
biscuits, rice, and 140 loads of hay. Content with this plunder
they retired again to the heights. Some changes have taken
place in the commandership of the French troops at the
Tchernaya. General d'Herbillon commanded during the
attack as senior general of division. Now, as the Imperial
Guard has been added as a reserve to the troops on the
Tchernaya, General Renaud de St. Jean d'Angely takes com-
mand of the whole as General d'un Corps d'Armee. There is,
besides, some talk of uniting the command of the allied troops
on the Tchernaya in one hand. When Omar Pacha left, he
gave his instructions to Osman Pacha. As these instructions
seem to be very narrow, they throw serious impediments in the
way whenever it becomes necessary to use Turkish troops.
Everyone speaks with the greatest praise of the behaviour of
the Sardinian troops. Their artillery rendered immense
service, partly by subduing the fire of the enemy's guns in the
plateau opposite, partly in crushing the columns of attack by
taking them in flank. There was also a battery armed with
English:position-guns, which kept firing at the Russian ar-
tillery on the plateau nearest to the plain. Scarcely a shot
missed. Their infantry drove back the Russian riflemen on
the banks of the river in the most gallant style. They ad-
vanced with the steadiness and precision of old troops, and
made their evolutions under the fire of the enemy with as
much precision as if they had been on parade. The Sardini-
ans also followed up immediately the retiring enemy, and
took several hundred prisoners and wounded.