The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-22 00:00:00

SIEGE CHRONICLE.

Letters from the camp to the Bth inst. have ar-
rived, having been brought by the Indus to Mar-
seilles. That steamer left the Crimea on the 9th,
hut all communication with the shore was prevented
by heavy gales for nearly twenty-four hours preced-
ing her departure. The correspondence now re-
ceived accordingly brings up the detail of events to

SATURDAY,

the very hour of assault, but no further. The ac-
counts given of the bombardment, which opened on
the morning of the sth, are full and interesting. The
following is from the letter of the Times corre,pon-
dent :

SEPT. b.—At dawn this morning the French opened fire.
The air was pure and light, and a gentle breeze from the south-
east, which continued all day, drifted over the steppe, and
blew gently into Sebastopol. The sun shone serenely
through the vapours of early morning and wreaths of
snowy clouds on the long lines of white houses inside
those rugged defences of earth and gabionade which have
so long kept our armies gazing in vain on this " august
city." The ships lay floating on the waters of the roads,
which were smooth as a mirror, and, like it, reflected them,
and outsi3e our own fleet and that of the French equally
inactive, and not quite so useful to us, were reposing from
Kazatoh to Constantine as idly as though they were
" painted" upon " a painted ocean." Suddenly, along the
earthen curtain between Nos. 7 and ti Bastions three jets
of flame spring up into the air and hurl up as many pillars
of earth and dust, which are warmed into ruddy hues by
the horizontal rays of the sun. The French have ex-
ploded three fougasses to blow in the counterscarp, and to
serve as a signal to their men. Instantly from the sea to
the Dockyard-creek there seems to run a stream of fire,
and fleecy, curling, rich white smoke, as though the earth
had suddenly been rent in the throes of an earthquake,
and was vomiting forth the material of her volcanoes.
The lines of the French trenches were at once covered as
though the very okouds of heaven had settled down upon
them and were whirled about in spiral jets, in festoons,
in clustering bunches, in columns and in sheets, all com-
mingled, involved together by the vehement flames be-
neath. The crash of seoh a tremendous fire must have been
appalling, but the wind and the peculiar condition of the
atmosphere did not permit the sound to produce any great
effect on our camp; in the city fur the same reason the
noise must have been terrific and horrible. The iron
storm tore over the Russian lines, tossing up, as if in
sport, jets of earth and dust, rending assunder gabions,
and " squelching " the parapets, or bounding over among.
the houses and ruins in their rear. The terrible tiles of
iron, about four miles in front, rushed across the plain,
carrying death and ruin with it, swept with its heavy and
irresistible wings the Russian flanks, and searched their
centre to the core. A volley so startling, simultaneous,
and tremendously powerful was probably never yet uttered
since the cannon found its voice. The Russians seemed
for a while utterly paralysed. Their batteries were not
manned with strength enough to enable them to reply to
such an overlapping and crushing fire ; but the French,
leaping to their gene with astounding energy, rapidity, and
strength, kept on filling the very air with the hurtling
storm, and sent it. in unbroken fury against their enemies.
More than 200 pieces of artillery of large calibre, ad.
mirably served and well directed, played incessantly on
the hostile lines. In a few moments a great veil of smoke
spread from the guns over on the left of Sebastopol ; but
the roar of the shot did not cease, and the cannonade now
pealed forth in great irregular bursts, now died away into
hoarse murmurs, again swelled up into tumult, or rattled
from end to end of the line like the file-fire of infantry. Stone
walls went down before the guns at once, but earthworks
yawned to receive shot and shell alike. However, so swift and
incessant was the passage of these missiles through the em-
brasures and along the tops of the parapets that the enemy
had to lie close, and could scarcely show themselves in the
front line of defences. For a few minutes, then, the
French had it all their own way, and appeared to be on the
point of sweeping away the place without resistance ; but,
after they had fired a few rounds from each of their
numerous guns, the Russian artillerymen got to work, and
began to mum our allies' fire. They made good practice,
but fired slowly and with precision, as if they could not
afford to throw away an ounce of powder. The French
were stimulated rather than impeded by such a reply to
their astonishing volleys, and their shot flew with in-
creased rapidity along the line of the defences, and
bounded in among the houses of the town. But what
were we doing all this time? What was our admirable
Naval Brigade and our gallant siege-train doing? They
were just working their gins as usual, and had received
no orders to open general fire. Our batteries, therefore,
rendered little assistance to the French, but they main-
tained their usual destructive and solid " hammering" on
the face of the Redan and of the Malakoff, and aided our
invaluable allies by keeping up a regular shell practice on
the batteries from the Creek to the Redan. Now two re
three mortars from Gordon's then two or three mortars
from Chapman's, hurled 10 and 13 inch shell behind ,he
enemy's works, and connected the discharges by rounds
from long thirty-twos or sixty-eights. It is not known
why this evident want of unanimity existed, and why we
did not open fire at the same time with the French. Ge•
neral Pelissier was over at our head-quarters, and had an
interview with General Simpson yesterday, and it is not
unlikely that the French commander, with his charac•
teristic impetuosity, resolved on opening fire, finding thtt
we were not quite prepared to do so with effect, and rely-
ing on his own numerous and heavy ordnance and
abundance of ammunition. lam by no means prepared
to say we were not ready to open on the day agreed upon,
nor do I insinuate that there was the smallest want of
unanimity between the generals, but it is a fact that we
had not all the guns and ammunition required for opening
a three days' fire of intensity, and that with plenty of a
certain sort of atageriel and missiles there was not the re-
quisite quantity of those of a different., but useful descrip
tion.
Meantime our allies are pounding away with exceeding
warmth at everything within range of them. Our Quarry
Battery, armed with two mortars and eight cohorns, just
400 yards below the Redan, plies the suburb in the rear of
the Malakoff vigorously, and keeps the top of the Redan
' clear. Roden and Malakoff are alike/ silent, ragged, and

■ai

SEPT. 22, 1855.

torn. At most the Redan tires three guns, and the ad-
joining batteries are equally parsimonious. The parapets
are all pitted with shot and shell, and the sides of the em-
brasures are greatly injured, so that the gabions are stick-
ing out, and are tumbled down in all directions. There is
no more of that fine polishing and of that cabinetmaker's
work which the Russians bestowed on their batteries; our
constant fire by night, our riflemen, and incessant shelling
have prevented their assiduous anxiety as to external ap-
pearance being gratified. After two hours and a half of
furious fire, the artillerymen of our allies suddenly ceased,
in order to let their guns cool and to rest themselves. The
Russians crept out to repair damages to their works, and
shook sandbags full of earth from the parquette over the
outside of their parapets. Tneir gunners also took advan-
tage of this sudden cessation to open on our sailors'
batteries in the left attack, and caused us some little an-
noyance from the " crow's nest." At ten o'clock, however,
having previously exploded some fongasses, as before,
the French reopened a tire, if possible, more rapid and
tremendous than their first, and continued to keep it
up with the utmost vigour till twelve o'clock at noon,
by which time the Revision had only a- few guns in
the Flagstaff-road and Garden Batteries in a position to
reply. We could see them in great agitation sending men
and carts to and fro across the bridge, and at nine o'clock
a powerful column of infantry crossed over to resist our
assault, while a movement towards Inkermann was made
by the army of the 13elbeck. Soon after our fire began, as
early as six o'clock, the working parties which go over to
the north side every morning seemed to be recalled, and
were marched bask again across the bridge to the south,
no doubt to be in teadiness for our expected assault.
From twelve till five o'clock p.m. the firing was slack ;
the French then resumed their cannonade with the same
astounding vigour as at dawn and at ten o'clock, and never
ceased their volleys of shot and shell against the place till
balf-past seven, when darkness set in, and all the mortars
and heavy guns, English as well as French, opened with
shell against the whole line of defences. A description of
this scene is now impossible. There was not one instant
in which the shells did not whistle through the air—not a
moment in which the sky was not seamed by their fiery
curves or illuminated by their explosion. Our practice
was beyond all praise. Every shell burst as it ought, and
the lines of the Russian earthworks of the P.edan, Male-
It.df, and of all their batteries, were rendered plainly visible
by the constant light of the bursting shells. The Rus-
sians scarcely attempted a reply. At five o'clock it was
observed that a frigate in the second line near the north
side was smoking, and as it grew darker flames were seen
to issue from her side. Men and officers rushed to the
front in the greatest delight and excitement, and as night
came on the whole vessel broke out into one grand blaze
from stem to stern. The delight of the criwd on Cath-
cart's-hill was intense. " Well, this is indeed a sight !—to
see one of these confounded ships touched at last !"
These and many different and stronger expressions were
audible on all sides, but there were some who thought the
Russians had set the ship on fire, or that incendiaries and
malcontents were at work; and one gentleman even went
so far as to say he " thought it was merely a signal—may
be to recal their cavalry from Eupatoria." It is not
known precisely how the thing was done. Some say it
was done by the French—others, by ourselves; and bombs,

red-hot shot, and rockets have been variously named as
the agency by which the fire was accomplished. In spite
of the efforts of the Russians, the flames spread, and soon
issued from the ports and quarter-gallery. At eight o'clock
the light was so great that the houses of the city and the
forts on the other aide could be discerned without diffi-
culty. The masts stood long, and towered aloft like great
pillars of fire; hut one after the other they yielded ; the
decks fell in about ten o'clock, and at midnight the frigate
as burnt to the water's edge.
SEPT. o.—Last night a steady fire was kept up all along
the front, to prevent the Russians repairing damages. At
10 p.m. orders were sent to our batteries to open as soon
113 there was a good light the following morning, but they
were limited to fifty rounds each. At b. 30 the whole of
the batteries from Quarantine to lnkermann opened with
a grand crash. The Russians were silent as before. The
cannonade was maintained as it was yesterday. There
were three breaks or lulls in the tempest; from half-past
eight till ten, from twelve till five, arid from half-past six
till seven, the fire was comparatively slack. Captain Shone,
R.A., was killed yesterday iu the batteries by a round shot.
He was a brave and much-esteemed officer. I regret to
have to record also the death of Captain Buckley, Scots
Fusilier Guards, who was shot through the heart as he was
posting his sentries. This gallant young officer was shot
through the neck at the Alma, but did not go home. He
was a most promising young officer. The firing continued
as before, and the enemy seemed greatly distressed. They
are strengthening their position on the Belbeck, and
evince a disposition to rely on the north side. However,
they have large masses of men in the town. The bom-
bardment was renewed and lasted all night.
SEPT. 7.—The cannonade was resumed at daybreak, the
Inkermann batteries firing briskly. A council of generals
was held to-day at head-quarters, the sick were cleared out
of the field hospitals, and it gradually oozed out that the
assault would take place to-morrow at twelve o'clock. The
tiring was tremendous all day, but clouds of dust which a
high wind from the north drifted into our faces rendered
a view of the place impossible.
About three o'clock a two-decker was set on fire and
&unit all night. A steamer towed other vessels near her
away to the dockyard harbour, but the lines of men•of-war
are still intact. Flames broke out behind the Redan in
the afternoon. The bombardment was renewed at dusk.
A Sardinian corps was marched up to reinforce the French.
There was a heavy explosion in the town at eleven o'clock
p.m. The men all take forty-eight hours' provisions,
cooked, into the trenches with them. Nothing is known
of the plan of attack.
SEPT. H, 11 a.m.—All comers from Balaklava and the
rear of the camp are stopped. by a hue of aeetriea. Mother