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

THE BATTLE OF THE TCHERNAYA.

THE, London Gazette contains an official despatch from
General Simpson, giving an account of the battle of the Tcher-
naya. As, however, the French troops were chiefly engaged,
we prefer to give the particulars as detailed in the official report
of General Pelissier, which we subjoin. It is dated—
Head-quarters before Sebastopol, August 18.
Monsieur le Marechal,—You will have learnt by my telegra-
phic despatches of yesterday and of the day before, the general
results of the battle of the Tchernaya ; to-day I send your ex-
cellency a detailed report of that battle so glorious for our arms.
For some days, although the enemy abstained from any
apparent movement, certain indications made us suppose he
would attack our lines on the Tchernaya. You know those
positions, which are excellent, and which are covered in their
full extent by the Tchernaya itself, and by a canal which forms
a second obstacle. The Sardinian army occupies the whole of
the right opposite Tchorgoun ; the French troops guard
the centre and the left, which joins, after a declivity, our pla-
teaux of Inkermann. Independently of a few fords, which are
bad enough, there are two bridges across the Tchernaya and
the canal. One, a little above Tchorgoun, is under the guns
of the Piedmontese ; the other, called Traktir-bridge, is below
and almost in the centre of the French positions. Looking
straight before one towards the other bank of the Tchernaya,
you behold to the right the heights of Tchouliou, which, after
extending themselves in undulating plateaux, fall somewhat
abruptly towards the Tchernaya, below Tchorgoun, opposite
the Piedmontese. These heights diminish opposite our centre,
and starting from that point to the rocky sides of the Macken-
zie plateaux there is a Plain about three or four kilometres in
width. It is by that plain that the Mackenzie-road leads
across the .Tchernaya at Traktir-bridge, and after passing
through our pontoons leads into the Balaklava plain.
A strict watch was kept all along our line. The Turks,
who occupy the hilly ground of Balaklava, were on the alert,
and watched Alsou ; and General d'Allonville, also put on his
guard, doubled his vigilance in the high valley of Baidar. My
mind was quite at rest, moreover, as regards the whole ex-
treme right ; it is one of those mountainous regions where it
is impossible to manoeuvre large bodies of men; the enemy
could only make false demonstrations there. In fact, that is
what occurred. In the night between the 15th and 16th of
August, General d'Allonville notified that he had troops op-
posite him, but his attitude imposed upon the enemy, who
attempfed nothing on that side, and dared not attack him.
During this time the main body of the Russian troops,
which had descended from the Mackenzie heights, of debouch-
ing near Ai-Todor, advanced, favoured by night, on the Tcher-
naya ; to the right the 7th, sth, and 12th divisions crossed the
plain, and to the left the 17th division, a portion of the 6th,
and the fourth followed the plateau of Tchoulisn. A strong
body
of cavalry and 160 pieces of artillery supported all that
infantry.
A little before daybreak the advanced .posts of te Sardinian
army, placed as videttes as far as the heights of Tch houliou, fell
advancing in con-
back and announced that the enemy was
siderable force, shortly afterwards ; in fact, the Russians lined
the heights of the right bank of the Tchernaya with heavy
guns (pieces de position), and opened fire on us.
General Herbillon, who commanded the French troops on
this point, had made his arrangements for battle ; to the right
of the Traktir-road Faucheues division, with the 3d battery

of the 12th artillery; in the Centre his own division, with the
6th company of the 13th ; to the left, Camou's division, with
the 4th battery of the 13th. On his side General de la Mar-
mora had ranged his troops in order of battle.
At the same time, General Morris's fine division of Chas-
seurs d'Afrique, speedily joined by General Scarlett's nume-
rous and valiant English cavalry, took up a position behind
the hills of Kamara and Traktir. This cavalry was to take
the enemy in flank in case he should succeed in forcing a pas-
sage by one of the three outlets of Tchorgoun or Traktir, or
at the incline to the left of General Camou.
Colonel Forgeot, in command of the artillery of the Tcher-
Inaya lines, kept ready, to act as a reserve, six batteries of horse
artillery, two of which belonged to the Imperial Guard.
Six Turkish battalions of Osman Pasha's artily, led by Sefer
Pasha, came to lend ns their assistance.
Finally I ordered forward Levaillant's division of the Ist
Corps, Dulac's division of the 2d Corps, and the Imperial
Guard, composing reserves capable of remedying the most
serious contretemps.
The thick mist which covered the depths of the Tchernaya,
and the smoke of the cannonade which had just commenced,
prevented us distinguishing against which particular point the
chief effort of the enemy would be directed, when on our ex-
treme left the 7th Russian division came tilt against Camou's
division. Received by the 50th of the Line, the 3d Zouaves,
who charged them with the bayonet, and by the 82nd, which
took them in flank, the enemy's columns were compelled to
make a demi-volte, to recross the canal, and could only escape
the fire of our artillery by getting out of range to rally. That
division did not appear again during the day.
In the centre the struggle was more long and desperate.
The enemy had sent two divisions (the 12th, supported by the
sth) against Traktir bridge. Many of their columns threw
themselves at once upon the bridge, and the temporary pas-
sages they constructed with ladders, pontoons and madriers ;
they cross the Tchernaya, the trench of the lines, and advance
bravely on our positions. But assailed by an offensive move-
ment by Generals Faucheux and De Failly, these columns
are routed to recross the bridge occupied by the 95th, and are
pursued bbyond it by the 2d Zouaves, the 97th of the Line,
and by a portion of the 19th battalion of Chasseurs-a-pied.
However, while the artillery was roaring on both sides the
Russians reformed their columns of attack ; the mist had
cleared, and their movements became distinctly visible. Their
sth division reinforced the 12th, which had just been engaged,
and the 17th was preparing to descend the heights of Tchou-
lion to support these two first divisions.
General Herbillon then ordered General Faucheux to be
reinforced by Cler's brigade, and gave the 73rd as a reserve to
General de Failly. Colonel Forgoet, moreover, placed four
batteries of horse-artillery in position, which gave him on this
front a total of seven batteries to be brought to bear upon the
assailing masses. The result was, that the second effort of the
Russians, energetic as it was, proved of no avail against us,
and they were compelled to retreat with great loss.
The 17th Russian division, which had come down throw-
ing out large bodies of riflemen as skirmishers, had no better
success. Received with great resolution by General Cler's
brigade, and by a half-battery of the Imperial Guard, harassed
on the left by the troops of Trotti's division, who pressed it
closely, that division was compelled to recross the Tchernaya,
and to fall back behind the batteries of position which lined
the heights from which it had started.
From this moment, 9 a.m., the retreat of the enemy be-
came plainly visible. Their long columns withdrew as fast as
they could, under the protection of a considerable body of
cavalry and artillery...

Fora moment I felt inclined to order a portion of the ca-
valry to charge to cut down the remnant of the 17th Russian
division between the Tchouliou and Traktir bridges. With
this object in view I had prepared some squadrons of Chas-
seurs d'Afrique, who were joined by some Sardinian squadrons
and by one of General Scarlett's regiments, the 12th Lancers
(from India.) But the retreat of the Russians was so prompt
that we could only have made a small number of prisoners,
and this fine cavalry might have been reached by some of the
enemy's batteries still in position. I deemed it preferable not
to expose it for so small a result. General Della Marmora did
not, moreover, stand in need of this support boldly to retake
the advanced positions which his small posts occupied on the
heights of Tchouliou.
At three o'clock the whole of the enemy's army has disap-
peared. The division of the Guard and Dulac's division re-
lieved the divisions engaged, as they stood in need of some rest.
I sent back the Ist corps of Levaillant's Division, and the ca-
valry returned to its usual bivouac.
This splendid action does the greatest honour to the infantry;
to the Horse Artillery of the Garde, to that of the reserve,
and to the artillery of divisions. I will, shortly, ask your
Excellency to place before the Emperor the names of those
who have deserved rewards, and to submit to the approbation
of His Majesty those which I may have awarded in his name.
Our losses are, doubtless, to be regretted, but they are not
in proportion to the results obtained, and to those we have
inflicted upon the enemy. We have eight superior officers
wounded, nine subalterns officers killed and 53 wounded, 172
non-commissioned officers and soldiers killed, 146 missing, and
1,163 wounded.
The Russians have left 400 prisoners in our hands. The
number of their killed may be estimated at more than 3,000,
and of their wounded at more than 5,000, of which number
1,626 men and 38 officers have been taken to our ambulances.
Among the slain found by us are the bodies of two generals,
whose names I have not been able to ascertain.

The Sardinian army, which fought so valiantly at our side,
has about 250 men hors de combat. It inflicted a much
greater loss upon the enemy. One hundred prisoners and
about 150 wounded remained in its hands. lam sorry to an-
nounce to your Excellency that General Della Marmora has
informed me that General Count de Montevechio, whose
character and talents he greatly appreciated, was killed
gloriously at the head of his brigade.
I must point out to your Excellency the rapidity with
which General Scarlett's cavalry, placed at my disposal by
General Simpson, came up. The martial appearance of those
magnificent squadrons betrayed an impatience which the
happy and prompt result of the battle did not allow me to
gratify.
The English and Sardinian position batteries and the
Turkish battery which Osman Pasha had sent, to Alsou fired
with great precision and success. I thanked Osman Pasha for
the promptitude with which he sent me six Turkish battalions
under Sefer Pasha (General Koscielzki), four of which during
the day occupied the passages near Tchorgoun.
Nothing remarkable took place during the day on the Sebas=
topol side. Generals Desalles and Bosquet were, however, pre-
pared to drive back with energy any attack of the besieged.
I send your Excellency with this report the copy of the plan
for the battle of the 15th, found upon the body of a Russian
general, supposed to be General Read, who commanded the
enemy's right, and was specially intrusted with the attack on
Traktir-bridge.—l am, &c.,
PELISSIER, Commander-in• Chief.