The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-07 00:00:00

THE ASSAULT OF THE 18TH JUNE.

The following official despatches, describing the
unsuccessful attacks on the Malakoff and Redan on
the 18th ult., have been received from the lato com-
mander in-chief:—

Before Sebastopol, June 19.
informed your lordship, on the 16th, that new batteries;
had been completed, and that in consequence the allies
would be enabled to resume the offensive against Sebas-
topol with the utmost vigour.
. . .

Accordingly on the 171:11, at daylight, a very heavy fire
was opened from all the batteries in the English and French
trenches, and maintained throughout the day, and the effect
produced appeared so satisfactory that it was determined
that the French should attack the Malakoff works the next
morning, and that the English should assail the Redan as
soon after as I might consider desirable.
It was at first proposed that the artillery fire should be
resumed on the morning of the 18th, and should be kept
up for about two hours, for the purpose of destroying any
works the enemy might have thrown up in the night, and
of opening passages through the abattis that covered the
Redan ; but on the evening of the 17th it was intimated
to me by General Pelissier that he had determined, upon
further consideration, that the attack by his troops should
take place at three the following morning.
The French, therefore, commenced their operations as
day broke, and, as their several columns came within range
of the enemy's fire, they encountered the moat serious op.
position, both from musketry and the guns in the works,
which had been silenced the previous evening; and obsery

SATURDAY)

ing this, I was induced at once to order our oolumns to
move out of the trenches upon the Redan.
It had been arranged that detachments from the light,
second, and fourth divisions, which I placed for the occa-
sion under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir G.
Brown, should be formed into three columns ; that the
right one should attack the left face of the Redan between
the flanking batteries ; that the centre should advance upon
the salient angle ; and that the left should move upon the
re-entering angle formed by the right face and flank of the
work ; the first and last preceding the centre column.
The flank columns at once obeyed the signal to advance,
preceded by covering parties of the rifle brigade, and by
sailors carrying ladders and soldiers carrying woolbags ;
but they bad no sooner shown themselves beyond the
trenches than they were assailed by a most murderous fire
of grape and musketry. Those in advance were either
killed or wounded, and the remainder found it impossible
to proceed. I never before witnessed such a continued
and heavy fire of grape combined with musketry from the
enemy's works, which appeared to be fully manned ; and
the long list of killed and wounded in the light and fourth
divisions, and the seamen of the naval brigade, under
Captain Peel, who was unfortunately wounded, though not
severely, will show that a very large proportion of those
that went forward fell. Major-General Sir John Campbell,
who led the left attack, and Colonel Shadforth, of the 57th,
who commanded the storming party under his direction,
were both killed, as was also Colonel Yea, of the Royal Fusi-
liers, who led the right column.
I cannot say too much in praise of these officers.
Major-General Sir J. Campbell had commanded the fourth
division from the period of the battle of lnkermann till the
arrival very recently of Lieut.-General Bentinck. He had
devoted himself to his duty without any intermission, and
had acquired the confidence and respect of all; I most
deeply lament his loss.
Colonel Shadforth had maintained the efficiency of his
regiment by constant attention to all the details of his
command; and Colonel Yea was not only distinguished for
his gallantry, but had exercised his control of the Royal
Fusiliers in such a manner as to win the affections of the
soldiers under his orders, and to secure to them every com-
tot t and accommodation which his personal exertion* could
procure for them.
I shall not be able to send your lordship correct lists of
the killed and wounded by this opportunity, but I will for
ward them by telegraph as soon as they are made out.
I have not any definite information upon the movements
of the French columns, and the atmosphere became so
obscured by the smoke from the guns and musketry, that
it was not possible by personal observation to ascertain
their progress, though 1 was particularly well situated for
the purpose ; but I understand that their left column,
under General d'Autemarre, passed the advanced works of
the enemy and threatened the gorge of the Malakoff
Tower ; and that the two other columns, under Generals
Mayran and Brunet, who both, I regret to say, were killed,
met with obstacles equal to those we enzountered, and were
obliged in consequence to abandon the attack.
The superiority of our fire on the day we opened led
both General Pelissier and myself, ant. the officers of the
artillery and engineers of the two services, and the armies
in general, to conclude that the Russian artillery fire was
in a great measure subdued, and that the operation we
projected could he undertaken with every prospect of suc-
cess. The result has shown that the resources of the
enemy were not exhausted, and that they had still the
power, either from their ships or from their batteries, to
bring an overwhelming fire upon their assailants.
Whilst the direct attack upon the Redan was proceeding,
Lieutenant-General Sir R. England was directed to send
one of the brigades of the third division, under the com•
mand of Major-General Barnard, down the Woronzow ra-
vine, with a view to give support to the attacking columns
on his right; and the other brigade, under Major-General
Eyre, still further to the left, to threaten the works at the
head of the Dockyard Creek. . .

I have not yet received their reports, and shall not be
able to send them to your lordship to-day ; but General
Eyre was very seriously engaged, and he himself wounded,
though I am happy to say not severely, and he possessed
himself of a churchyard which the enemy had hitherto
carefully watched, and some houses within the place ; but,
as the town front was not attacked, it became necessary to
withdraw his brigade at night.

I shall make a-special re-port upon this by the next mail,
and I shall avail myself of the same opportunity to name to
you the officers who have been particularly n entioned to
me.

I am concerned to have to inform you that Lieutenant.
Colonel Tylden of the Royal Engineers, whose bervices I
have hold the greatest pleasure in bringing so frequently
to your lordship's notice, is very severely wounded. The
account I received of him this morning is upon the whole
satisfactory, and I entertain strong hopes that his valuable
life will be preserved.
I feel greatly indebted to Sir G. Brown for the manner
in which he conducted the duties I intrusted to him ; and
my warmest acknowledgments are due to Major-General
Harry Jones, not only for his valuable assistance on the
present occasion, but for the able, zealous, and energetic
manner in which he has conducted the siege operations
since he assumed the command of the Royal Engineers.

He received a wound from a grape shot in the forehead
yesterday, which I trust will not prove serious.
I brought up the first division from the vicinity of Bo-
laklava as a reserve, and I shall retain them on these
heights.
The Sardinian troops, under General La Mormons, and
the Turkish troops, under Omer Poch'', crossed the Tscher-
nays on the 17th instant, and occupy positions in front of
Tchorgoun. They have not come in contact with any
large body of the enemy.

PS.—I inclose lists of casualties in the naval brigade to
the 18th instant inclusive. I regret to say these are heavy.

I

JULY 7, 1855.

June 23.

I informed your lordship in my despatch of the 19th
instant that I would make a more special report upon the
movements of the third division, as soon as I should re-
oeive tho reports of Lieutenant-General Sir R. England,
and the Major-Generals commanding brigades under him.
The first brigade, under Major-General Barnard, pro.
deeded down the oronzow road, and was placed in posi-
tion on the right of the ravine, ready to co-operate with the
columns of attack on the right ; whilst the second brigade,
under Major General Eyre, moved down the ravine which
separates the left of the English from the right of the
French advanced works, for the purpose of attacking the
enemy's ambuscades, and making it demonstration on the
head of the Dockyard Creek. _ _ _

_
This service was performed with the utmost gallantry ;
and, notwithstanding that they were exposed to a most
galling fire, the troops maintained themselves in the posi-
tion they had taken up during the day, and in the evening
withJrewlunmolested, leaving apost at the Cemetery, which
had been one of the objects of the attack in the morning.
The action having from circumstances become a most
serious one, I beg, as the most satisfactory way of making
your lordship acquainted with the particulars, to lay a
copy of the major-general's letter before your lordship, and
to solicit your attention to the officers whose services he
particularly notices, and at the same time to his own dis-
tinguished conduct.
Your lordship will see with concern that the loss sus-
tained by this brigade is very considerable, and that Major.
General Eyre is himself wounded ; but I have every reason
to hope that the injury he has received is not very severe,
and will not incapacitate him from the discharge of his
duty with the same energy and devotion as he has already
applied himself to its performance during the protracted
operations before Sebastopol.
RAGLAL
The part taken by the naval brigade in the affair
is thus detailed by Admiral Lyons:—

Royal Albert, off Sebastopol, June 19.

The inclosed copy of a letter from Captain Lush-
ington, who commands the naval brigade before Sebastopol,
has just reached me in time to be transmitted for the in•
formation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty by
this day's mail.
. . .

Their lordships will readily perceive that the gallantry
which has distinguished the naval brigade throughout the
war was never more distinguished than it was yesterday,
during the attack on the Malakoff Tower and Redan ; and
on a future early occasion it will be my pleasing duty to
bring under their lordship's notice the conduct of those
engaged during the late bombardment and attack.
EDMUND LYONS.

(Inclosure.)
Camp, Naval Brigade, June 18.
I have the honour to report that on Sunday, at
three a.m., we opened fire as before on the different forts
of Sebastopol, which was very soon returned, but not with
the spirit or skill that usually characterises the enemy's
fire. Towards two p.m. the fire became very slack, and
their batteries appeared much shaken.
The fire continued all day, and the commander of the
forces having intimated to me his acceptance of my pro-
posal to carry the ladders in case of an assault being made
on the town and butteries, I told off four parties of sixty
men each to accompany the four columns ordered for this
service ; and Captain Peel having volunteered his services
on this occasion, I placed them under his command, and
I beg to inclose a list of the officers under him. I regret
to say that the assault which took place at three a.m.
was not successful; but our severe loss shows too plainly
that the seamen and officers of the naval brigade did their
duty most gallantly, and their ladders were at their places
in spite of the most murderous fire I have witnessed.
Captain Peel led one party in the most gallant style, and
Lieutenant Cave led the other. The other two columns
did not advance, and consequently the ladder parties, al-
though exposed to a severe fire, as indeed was every one,
did not suffer much.
Captain Peel was shot through the arm, but was enabled
to continue his duty until the affair was over. I have to
regret as well that Lieutenants Urmston, Cave, and
Dalyell, Messrs. Parsons, mate, and Wood, midshipman,
were all wounded.

Lieutenant Kidd and nine seamen were killed, and
forty-one seamen wounded, and one missing ; these men,
I trust, will be got in to-night after dark. The party under
Lieutenant Cave, with the loss of Lieutenant Kidd and
five seamen killed, Lieutenant cave and seven seamen
wounded, equally performed the duty assigned. A
heavy fire was kept up from our batteries with admirable
precision, until the commander-in-chief ordered it to be
slackened.
I have also to report the bursting of one of the ninety-
five cwt. sixty-eight pounders, which caused the death of
four men, and wounded three.
The enemy's line-of battle ships did not fire, but the
steamers did. I have the honour to return a list of
casualties for the last two days, and to inform you our sick-
list is forty-nice, and all doing well.
Every officer and man engaged in this arduous service
has done his duty most gallantly, and I only wait your
permission to recommend those whose conduct I have
particularly noticed. STEPHEN LUSHINGTON.
The letters received by the last two mails from the
Crimea give a fuller narrative of the assault. The
following account is from the Times correspondent :
The plan of attack originally proposed was that the allies
were to open a cannonade for three hours on the Malakoff
and Redan after dawn on the morning of the 18th; that
the French were to assault the Malakoff, and that when
they had gained possession of it we were to attack the
Redan. As the latter work is commanded by the former,
it would not be possible to oarry or to hold it till the Ma-
lakoff was taken, The insuner et our attack was se

THE PRESS.

follows :—The senior brigades of the light division, second
division, third division, and fourth division were to furnish
each one column of 1,750 men, to whom were joined sixty
sailors, and these columns were to be employed against the
Redan and the Cemetery and batteries on our lett of the
Redan, close to the neck of the Dockyard Creek. The
second brigades of these divisions were to be in reserve,
and the Guards' brigade and Highland brigade were moved
up and kept in reserve also for any duty that might occur.
The attacking party of the second division was the only
exception to these rules, as it was formed of broken
brigades. Sir George Brown had the direction of the as-
sault. The 1,750 men in each instance were formed of
400 men for the assaulting column, a working party of
400 men to cover them in case of a lodgment and to re-
verse the work, 800 men as a support, and 100 riflemen or
sharpshooters preceding the head of the assaulting column
to keep down the fire of the batteries and of the enemy's
chasseurs, and 50 men carrying woolpacks to bridge over
the ditches. To these were added sixty sailors, bearing
scaling-ladders. Soon after twelve o'clock they moved
down from camp and took ground in the trenches. The
movement was simultaneous, and the troops moved off
together till they came into the trenches, from which
they were to issue forth to attack the dark wall of earth
serrated with embrasures before them.
These embrasures were only too well filled. The fire
which we opened on Sunday morning preliminary, to the
assault was marked by great energy, weight, and destruct-
iveness. In the first relief the Quarry Battery, commanded
by Maier Si.range, threw no less than 300 eight-inch shells
into the Redan, which is only 400 yards distant, and the
place must have been nearly cleared by the incessant
storm of iron splinters which flew threw it. So near are
the works that fragments of our thirteen inch shells fly
back from the Redan into the Quarry Battery, and on some
occasions our men have been injured by the splinters of
their own shells, which have radiated from the inside of the
Russian batteries. Throughout Sunday our artillery fired
12,000 rounds of the heaviest ordnance into the enemy's
lines, and on the following day we fired 11,946 rounds of
shot and shell. The Russian fire was weak and wild.
Although they fired a good deal, they kept many pieces
masked, and one six•gun and one eight•gun battery on the
flanks of the Redan were silent, and were left compara-
tively unnoticed by our artillerymen. The only damage
they did by all their fire throughout the whole of Sunday
was the demolition of the wheel of a gun-carriage. Had
the three hours cannonade and bombardment which Lord
Raglan decided on administering to the Russian batteries
before we assaulted been delivered to them, it is very pro-
bable that we should have found but a small body of troops
prepared to receive us at the parapets ; and it must be es-
teemed a very unfortunate circumstance that his lordship
was induced to abandon his intention in deference to the
wishes of General Pelissier. General Pelissier, in request.
ing the English general to change the original plan of
attack and to forestall the hour which was at first agreed
upon, is not stated to have assigned any specific reason for
the alteration, but it is reported that he wished to anticipate
the enemy, who were about, as he was informed, to make
an assault on the Mamelon. He felt, too, that the masses
of French whom he had prepared could not be concealed
from the Russians for any length of time, and that they
would soon be revealed by the noise which always attends
the movements of large bodies of men. It would, indeed,
have been impossible to conceal the fact of the accumula
tion of so many battalions close to the Malakoff, and their
presence would have been indicated certainly as soon as
dawn, and probably earlier.
The Russian column which is said to have issued from
Malakoff just before our assault, to attack the Mamelon,
was certainly so small that it was, according to some,
merely intended as a feint to draw out the French and
lead them to the assault, for which the enemy were only
too well prepared. A deserter who came in yesterday
(Tuesday) has declared that the garrison have been ex-
pecting an attack ever since the termination of the third
bombardment, and that the allies got the Quarries and the
Mamelon because the bulk of the Russians were concen-
trated in the Redan and Malakoff, which they thought we
should attack as soon as we had seized these outlying
works. Heavy columns of infantry have been marched up
every night, according to his statement, to the rear of the
batteries as soon as our fire ceases, and are withdrawn soon
after daybreak.
As the 34th Regiment advanced, the supports, by some
means or another, got mixed together with them, and some
confusion arose in consequence. On crossing the trench
our men, instead of coming upon the open in a firm body,
were broken into twos and threes. This arose from the
want of a temporary step above the berm, which would
have enabled the troops to cross the parapet with regula-
rity ; instead of which they had to scramble over it as well
as they could, and, as the top of the trench is of unequal
height and form, their line was quite broken. The moment
they came out from the trench the enemy began to direct
on their whole front a deliberate and well-aimed mitraille,
which increased the want of order and unsteadiness caused
by the mode of their advance. Poor Colonel Yea saw the
consequences too clearly. Having in vain tried to obviate
the evil caused by the broken formation and confusion of
his men, who were falling last around him, he exclaimed,
" This will never do ! Where's the bugler to call them
back?" But alas ! at that critical moment no bugler was
to be found. The gallant old soldier by voice and gesture
tried to form and compose his men, but the thunder of the
enemy's guns close at hand and the gloom of early dawn
frustrated his efforts ; and, as he rushed along the troubled
mass of troops which were herding together under the
I rush of grape, and endeavoured to get them into order for
P a rush at the batteries, which was better than standing still
or retreating in a panic, a charge of the deadly missile
I passed, and the noble soldier fell dead in advance of his
men. The division lost upwards of 320 men killed and
, wounded, and suffered severely as it retired from the futile
• attack. The signal for our assault was to be given by the
discharge of two service rosketa, which wars to havelptsa

635

fired when the French got into the Malakoff, and the latter
were to have hoisted a flag as a signal of their success.

It is certain that the French did for a short time
establish themselves in the Malakoff, but they were soon
expelled with loss, and 1 saw a large triangular blue and
black flag waving front the Malakoff all during the fight.
The moment the rockets were fired the light division
rushed out of cover; in a quarter of an hour this infantry
Balaklava was over, so far as any chance of success was
concerned. The second division, seeing that the flank
attacks failed, wisely kept under cover, and suffered but a
trifling lose. Had they foolishly advanced, we should
have to deplore greater and more useless slaughter. The
fourth division were guided down by their active quarter-
master general, Colonel Wyndham, and took ground in
the trench to the left, but it would seem as if they attacked
a little too near the apex of the Hedan. Poor Sir John
Campbell seems to have displayed a courage amounting to
rashness. He sent away Captain Huu►e end Captain
Snodgrass, his aide-de-camp, just before he rushed out of
the trench, as if averse to hying them into the danger he
meditated, and fell in the act of cheering on his men.
It soon became evident that the contest on the left was as
hopeless as the fight on the right, and in fifteen minutes
all was over.

The brigade under Major-General Eyre, which was
destined to occupy the Cemetery and to carry the Barrack
Batteries, turned out at twelve o'clock, and proceeded to
march down the road oil the left of the Greenhill Battery
to the Cemetery, and halted under cover while the neces-
sary dispositions were being made fur the attack. General
Eyre, addressing the 18th, said, l hope, my men, that
this morning you will do something that will make every
cabin in Ireland ring again !" The reply was a loud
cheer, which instantly drew on the men a shoiier of grape.
The skirmishers advanced just as the general attack
began, and, with some French on their left, rushed at the
Cemetery, which was very feebly defended. They got
possession of the place after a slight resistance, with small
loss, and took some prisoners, but the moment the enemy
retreated their batteries opened a heavy tire on the place
from the left of the Redan and from the Barrack Battery.
Four companies of the 18th at once rushed on out of the
Cemetery towards the town, and actually succeeded in
getting possession of the suburb. Captain Ilayinun was
gallantly leading on his company when he was shot
through the knee. Captain Esmonde followed, and the
men, once established, prepared to defend the houses they
occupied. As they drove the Russians out they were
pelted with large stones by the latter on their way up to
the battery, which quite overhangs the suburb. The
Russians could not depress their guns sufficiently to fire
down on our men, but they directed a severe flanking tire
on them from an angle of the Redan works. There was
nothing for it but to keep up a vigorous tire from the
houses, and to delude the enemy into the belief that the
occupiers were more numerous than they were. Mean-
time the Russians did their utmost to blow down the
houses with shot and shell, and fire gr pe incessantly, lAA
the soldiers kept close, though they lob is occasionally,
and they were most materially aided bj the tire of the
regiments in the Cemetery behind them, which was
directed at the Russian embrasures ; so that the enemy
could not get out to fire down on the houses below.
Some of the houses were comfortably furnished. One of
them was as well fitted up as most English mansions, the
rooms full of fine furniture, a piano in the drawing room,
and articles of luxury and taste not deficient. Our men
unfortunately found that the celleis were not empty, and
that there was an abundance of tine muscat wine from the
south coast of the Crimea, and of the stronger wines, per-
fumed with roses and mixed with fruits, which are grown
in the interior, in the better sort of houses. Some of the
officers, when they went away, carried off articles of cloth-
ing and papers as proofs of their entrance into the place,
and some others took away pigeons and gniueapigs, which
were tame in the houses. The troops entered the place
about four o'clock in the morning, and could not leave it
till nine o'clock in the evening. The Russians blew up
many of the houses and set fire to others, and when our
men retired the flames were spreading along the street.
The 18th Regiment lost 2:50 men. The 11th Regiment
succeeded in effecting a lothment in the houses in two or
three different places, and Lela their position, as well as
the 18th. A sergeant and a handful of men actually got
possession of the little Wasp Battery, in which there were
only twelve or fourteen Russian artillerymen. They fled
at the approach of our men, but when the latter turned
round they discovered they were quite unsupported ; and
the Russians, seeing that the poor fellows were left alone,
came down on them and drove them out of the battery.
An officer and half a dozen men of the same regiment got
up close to a part of the Flagstaff Battery, and were ad-
vancing into it when they, too, saw that they were by
themselves, and, as it was futile to attempt holding their
ground, they retreated. About fifteen French soldiers on
their left aided them, but as they were likewise unsupported
they had to retire. Another officer with only twelve men
took one of the Russian rifle pits, bayoneted those they
found in it. and held possession of it throughout the day.
Meantime, while these portions of the .sth and 18th and
parties of the 44th and 28th were in the houses, the
detachments of the same regiments and of the 3mth kept
up a hot fire from the Cemetery on the Russians in the
battery and on the sharpshooters, all the time being ex-
posed to a tremendous shower of bullets, grape, round
shot, and shell. The loss of the brigade. under such cir-
cumstances, could not but be extremely severe. One part
of it, separated from the other, was exposed to a destruc-
tive lire in houses, the upper portion of which crumbled
into pieces or fell in under tire, and it was only by keeping
in the lower story, which was vaulted and well built, that
they were enabled to hold their own. The other parts
of it, far advanced from our batteries, were almost
unprotected, and were under a constant entrailis and
bombardment from guns which our batteries had failed te
Vouch.