The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-26 00:00:00

MARSHAL PELISSIER'S DESPATCH.

HEAD QUARTERS AT SEBASTOPOL, Sam 11.

M. le Mareohal—l shall have the honour to send
you by the next courier a detailed report on the
attack which has placed Sebastopol in our power.
To-day I can only give you a rapid sketch of the prin-
cipal achievement of this great event of the war.
Since the 16th of August, the day of the battle of
the Tchernays, and notwithstanding repeated warn-
ings of a new and more formidable attack by the
enemy against the positions which we occupy on
this river, every preparation ASS made to deliver a
decisive assault against Sebastopol itself. The artil-
lery of the right attack commenced on the 17th of
August a well-sustained fire against the Malakhoff,
the Little Redan, the neighbouring defences, and the
roads, in order to permit our engineers to establish
defences close to the place, from which the
troops might be able instantly to throw themselves
upon the enceinte. Our engineers besides prepared
materials for escalade, and on the sth of Sept. all
our batteries of the left opened a very violent fire
against the town. The English on their side kept
up a hot cannonade against the Great Roden and its
redoubt, which they were to attack.
All being ready, I resolved, in concert with Gene-
ral Simpson, to give the assault on the Bth of Sept.,
at the hour of noon.
General M'Mahon'a Division was to carry the
works of the Malakhoff ; General Dalac's Division
was to attack the Little Redan ; and in the centre
the Division of General Ls Motterouge was to march
against the curtain connecting these two extreme
pinta. Besides these troops, I had given to General
Briquet General Mellinet's division of the Guards, to
sapport the first three divisions. Thus far for the
right.
In the centre the English were to attack the Great
Reda°, escalading it at its salient.
On the left the Ist Corps, to which General de la
Marmon had wished to join a Sardinian brigade,
having at its head General Levaillant's division, was
to penetrate into the interior of the town by the Cen-
tral Bastion, and afterwards turn the Flagstaff
Bastion in order to establish a lodgment there like-
wise.
General de Sallee had instructions not to pursue
his attack farther than circumstances might render it

advisable.
Further, the fleets of Admirals Lyons and Enna
were to operates powerful diversion by firing against
the Quarantine, the Roadstead, and the we front of
the fortress ; but the state of the sea, agitated bye vio-
lent north-west wind, was such that neither the line-
of-battle ships nor the frigates were able
to quit their anchorage. The English and
French mortar boats, however, were able to go
into action. Their fire was of remarkable
excellence, and they rendered us great assistance.
At noon exactly the divisions of Generals M'Mahon,
La Motterouge,and 1) ulac, electrified by their chiefs,
sprang to the Malakhoff, the Curtain, and the Little
Redan of the Careenage. After unexampled diffi-
culties, and a most exciting foot-to-foot com-
bat, General M'Mahoo's division succeeded in
effecting a lodgment in the anterior part
of the Malakhoff. The enemy showered down a
storm of projectiles of ell kinds upon one brave
troops. The Redan of the Careenage, especially bet-
tered by the mason en croix and the steamers, it
was necessary to evacuate after its occupation ; but
the division of General La Motterouge made its
ground good on one part of the curtain, and that
of General M•Mahon gained ground in the
Malakhoff, where General Bosquet sent continually
the reserves which I sent forward to him. The other
attacks were subordinated to that of the Malakhoff,
that being the capital point of the defences of the
whole place.
Standing in the Brancion Redoubt (on the Mame-
, Ion). I considered that the Malakhoff was safely in
our power, and I gave the signal which had been
agreed upon with General Simpson.
r The English immediately advanced bravely against
the salient of the Great Redan. They were able to
r effect a lodgment in it, and struggled a considerable
time to maintain their position, but, crushed by the
Russian reserves, which advanced incessantly, and by