The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-03 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

(FROM OUR

LLTX ON THI

DANUBE.)
TURKISH CAMP, HEIGHTS ABOVE
EAMARA, Avow: 21.

I emitted to mention in my last letter that the
prisoners stated that before the action began on
Thursday, a letter from the Emperor was read to the
troops, in which he celled upon them to make one
more attempt to drive the allies into the ass; and after
divers other exhortations, added his hope that this
time, with the blessing of Gad, their efforts would be
crowned with smear. As the result proved, how-
ever, say blessings which waited upon the expedi-
tion were amongst the scantiest and most unfinished
of their kind. An armistice took place yesterday
afternoon for a few hours, for the burial of the dead.
Those on this side of the river bad already bees
interred by the French and Piedmoutese the Bos-
sism performed the bet gees far the others.
Curiously monk amongst those which Ml to the
lot of the French were three generals, whose bodies
were left where they had fallen. Imy curiously,
because the Russians generally make it a
point to leave no superior officer, dead or
alive, fall into the hands of the enemy.
Thai; departure from their usual prudes proves
the oonfusioe and demoralisation which marked their
retreat. Another general, of Irish origin, it is said,
and named Reed—it is the only possible Irish name,
or name of an Irishman, if you will, from which I
can imagine • Frenchman, my informant, to have
derived sash an extraordinary Hibernian cognomen
as" Ray-at"—was wounded and takes prisoner, and
has since died at General Pelissier's head-quarters. A
plan of the attack was found upon his person. From
it, it appears that six divisions were set apart for the
expedition, but only two were &enmity =ppd. Of
the others, two remained in reserve, and one was to
attack the right of the Pisdenontss, turning their
flank; the other to advance by Haider, but were not
to amasses the &insult until the centre bad been
forced. As the centre was not forced, however, they
never came into action. The Tartar who acted as
their gsids has come over. He states that they
ordeeud him to lead them across the river in the
direction

of the Piedmonts*, right, and informed him
It if he failed to do so in a proper manner, they
would kill him on the spot. Whereupon he requested
them to perform instant execution upon him, as by
the ally ford in that quarter only one man could pass
at a time. How he got oat of the serape finally, I have
not heard; but in all probability it was soon found that
his merlins were not needed. Gortohakoff remained

on the slope of the Mackenzie heights, and it is maid
ordered a retreat before he was positively certain
that the last assault had failed, as teeing that after
two hours of fighting the French tents were still
standing, he concluded they had strong reserves in
readinese, and were tolerably sure of the result. The
fact was, however, that the French had cleared away
all their provisions and stores, and had made up their
minds to sacrifice the two hundred tents sooner than
go to the trouble of removing them under the
enemy's fire, which perforated a great number of
them. _ _ _

There are two stories afloat u to the object of the
attack ; one alleges it to have been simply the burning
of Balaklus ; having accomplished which, they in-
tended to retire : the other the re occupation of
Liprandi's position on the Tchernaya, sou to coop up
the allies inside the plain of Balaklava, and prevent
their penetrating into the wooded villages towards
Balder to forage and make gal:ices. The latter is an
article now in great demand, and fatigue parties of
all four armies are busily employed everyday in con-
strueting them, for the purpose of replacing the mod-
bags in the parapets of the siege works, the latter
being Dearly all rotten.
There is "a shave" sliest—if I may apply that
term to anything easing from so redoubtable a
as Osman Pacha—to the effect that Omer
reolhenr going to command in Asia, upon condition
that 30,000 bashi-bazooka shall be raised, properly
fed and regularly paid, and added to the army
already there; and that Mehemet Puha, the Sultan's
brother-ia-law, comes to command in his stead the
army of the Crimea. I think this, if the tale
be true, a miserable end to a career that
promised great brilliancy, but which the Crimea
seems to have blighted like a curse. Omer
Pasha's inordinate personal vanity bee been the ruin
of him, and rendered him utterly incapable of acting
in snort with anybody; he would sacrifice any inter-
ests, however important, to its gratification, and
allow a hundred good canoes to be ruined sooner than
&Madan one pitiful pretension. I believe if Napoleon
sr Marlborough came to life again and took the com-
mand of the OW armies in the Crimea he would re-
hoe to serve tinder their orders, and would feel firmly
pessooded that the sun of Austerlitz was eclipsed by
the glories of ()Denims, and that Blenheim was a
football match in comparison with the capture of
Bassi Serail. The upshot of the whole, as the story
goes, is, that he who last year commanded a vic-
timless army of 120,000 regular troops upon
a great European arena, takes his departure for
Asia at the head of 30,000 bashi-bazonk.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL
CAMP BEFORE S

Avo. 20.

The remelts of this last action ars more important
than at first sight they seemed to be. From the ac-
counts of the prisoners, and also from a plan of
attack found on the person of the slain general, the
objects sought to be attained by this anticipated
triumph were precisely the same (only acted on a
different sphere) es those of the battle of Inkermaon.
The engagement was to have occupied two days.
Judging from the surprise and disgust manifested
by the prisoners at their repulse, they
seem to have calculated on a most decisive
victory. One Russian officer In the hands
of oar allies fell into a paroxysm of rage and frenzy
on bearing the comparatively slight loss on the part
of the allies. " Great Ood," he exclaimed, "is it
possible that the choicest troop' of Russia are driven
book and slaughtered in this manner by a handful of
men r The Russian soldiers aeons to have marched
to action with a confidence of success. We hear that
the priests bad given them all absolution imm•-
diataly before the engagement, and their officers
assured them that if they succeeded in crossing the
river and gaining the summit of the hill, their ene-
mies would not be able to make any further resist-
ance. They probably—after the example of military
thought the battle of Alma wee sufficient
tostriegetaetlit:l7this fact as a general rule. It probably
will be in Russian tactics.

Oar ssidiew itstinga—isked themselves by the effi-
cient wawoowia which they plundered the dead. The
anon looloosiog to the transports in the harbour
ousaidoo to perform this teak in a moat efficient man-
na. Data, great-mats, caps, and canteens were all
wally acceptable to them, and within six hours after
the sone of the dead had anything on their per-
ma mow their shirts and drawers; they seemed
ilr tiler mot part remarkably muscular men, but with
a oromaro appearance. The younger soldiers had
very placid countenances in death, but the older ones
died with a scowl of deflanoe, and seemed to have
had a longer straggle. I pawed one French hussar
who had been out is two by a canna-shot ; he formed
one of Now* escort, and was standing dose beside
him at the time. General Pelissier was present at the
latter end ; he did not think it advisable to pursue the
enemy—a plan white Banquet had in contemplation
beton be arrived. A report went throughout the
army after the action to the effect that a battalion of
French infantry had been surrosaded when in ad-
-1 ranee of the powtteo, aid had been compelled to
remaier at ; there was of mune not the