The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-29 00:00:00

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littack was the tower or mamelon of Malakoff, and that
this opinion having been adopted by General Canrobert,
those attacks of the right were undertaken, which were ex-
ecut NI by the second corps. From the side of the town
we had been content to extend towards the left the ap-
proaches executed by the first corps. Taking things at
the point where they stood when the assault was resolved
on, there was no doubt that the possession of the Malakoff
fort would lead to a decisive result ; and, on the other
hand, it was to be presumed that if a failure took place on
this point, success obtained elsewhere could not lead to
great rerults. However, it was not proper to attack a
place so extended upon one single point. It was necessary
to obtain that division of the enemy's forces which resulted
from the great development of the enceint that he had to
defend, and especially to make him uneasy about the town
to which the bridge led wherebyhe might make his retreat.
It was to satisfy these various considerations, it was to
insure success, while economising as much as possible
the blood of our soldiers in the terrible struggle then pre-
paring, that the general-in-chief decided that the assault
should first be made on the front of the Malakoff; that if
this attack, which would be made under his personal in•
spection, should succeed, then at his signal the English
should attack the Redan and the first portion of the town,
so as to prevent the enemy's concentrating all his efforts
against the troops that should have already taken possession
of the Malakoff Fort.
The front of the Malakoff was to be attacked by three.
columns : the one on the left, commanded by General De
M'Mation, moving in a straight line on the Malakoff Fort.
by the front that faced us, and in turning it slightly on the
right hand, had for its task the taking and keeping of it,
cost what it might; the right column, Dulac's division,
was to march against the Redan of the Careening Bay, to
occupy it, and detach a brigade on its left, in order to turn
the second inclosure ; lastly, the central column, being
the division of La Motterouge, issuing from the sixth
parallel, having a longer extent of ground to pass over, and
arriving a little later, was to carry the curtain, to proceed
then against the second inclosure, and send one of its
brigades to the assistance of the first column, if this
latter should have not yet gained possession of the
Malakoff Fort.
Such was the importance of these positions that we
could not doubt that the enemy, if he lost them, would
make great efforts to retake them. In consequence, the
troops of the Imperial Guard were given as a reserve to
the second corps.
The chief of the Engineer Battalion flagon, having under
his orders several brigades of Rappers, marching with the
first column, had to throw bridges across the ditches, see
after the mines, open everywhere a passage to the columns,
and as soon as these should be masters of the fort, to close
it at the gorge ; and, in order to oppose any rallying attack
in return, to open in the rear large passages for the arrival
of the troops and the artillery.
The chief of the Engineer Battalion Renoux, attached
to the right column, and Captain Schoennagel, attached
to the central column, having also brigades of suppers
under their orders, had to fulfil an analagous mission.
All the arrangements concerning the duty of the en-
gineers in the attacks to be made on the Malakoff had
been made by the General of Brigade Frossard, com-
manding the engineers of the second ccrps.
In attacking the town, in order to avoid the obstacles
accumulated by the enemy at the salient of the flag-
staff Bastion, it had been decided that the principal
assault should be given at the Central Bastion, between
its salient and the lunette on the left ; that the assaulting
column, as soon as it should be established within the
Central Bastion, should detach a part of its forces to-
wards the gorge of the Flagstaff Battery, whose right
face should then be assailed by a Sardinian brigade,
which had come to take part in the operations of the
first corps.
General Deleeuw, commanding the engineers of the
first corps, had made arrangements for attacking the
town similar to those which I have just explained
'with reference to the attacks of the Karabelnia faubourg.
On the Nth of September, at eight o'clock in the
morning, we threw on the Central Bastion two mines of
projection, each charged with one hundred kilogrammes
of powder. The explosion took place near the middle of
the bastion, and appeared to cause great disorder. At the
same hour we exploded, in front of our approaches to the
•Malakoff Fort, three mining chambers, charged in all
with 1,500 kilogrammes of powder, in order to destroy
the lower galleries of the Russian miners, and to give
security to our soldiers, who had to crowd within the
trenches under which deserters announced that the soil
was mined.
At noon precisely our soldiers rushed from the ad-
vanced places d'ar'nel in front of the Malakoff. They
crossed the ditches with surprising agility, and, jumping on
the parapets, attacked the enemy to the cry of " Vive
l'Empereur !" At the Malakoff Fort, the interior slope
baying a great height, those who arrived first halted an in-
stant to form. Then they mounted on the parapet and
jumped into the work.
The combat, which had commenced with discharges of
firearms, was carried on with the bayonet, with stones,
and with butt-ends of muskets. The rammers became
weapons in the hands of the Russian gunners, but every-
where the Russians were killed, taken prisoners, or made
to fly; and in less than a quarter of ao hour after the attack
'had taken place the French flag waved on the conquered
;,:doubt.
The Careenage Redan had also been carried after n very
hot struggle. The centre column had advanced as far as
the second enceint. Everywhere we had taken possession
of the works attacked. The general-itechief gave the con-
certed signal for the attack of the Great Redau, and soon
after for the attack of the town. The English had 2(t)
metres of ground to go over under a terrible fire of grape.
This space was presently covered with dead, but these
losses could not stop the march of the attacking column,
*Ma advanced to the capital of the wort. It descended