The Express.
London, England, 1855-11-12 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 12, 1855.

THE BATTLE OF KARL

(MNI • OASIS= EXTRAOIDINAZT.)
Foreign.oNes, Nov. 10.
The Earl of Mande' has ressived a despatch
from MajorAiseseal William% her Majesty% Own-
roimirmer with the Todd& array in Asia, of which
the following is a eery:
YAW, Oor. 3.
12141Lord,—I had the /aware to mammas to your
ea the evenings/ the 29th alt. the glorious
*tag plaid oa the mocalog d that day by the
Bulteasetnep ea the Wakes above tars, over the
Rumba way asesmasisd by Omen! Mearavis4 mid
I sow beg te lambi yaw hmishjawith the prinelpel
ingests of that
will
irm
ilaraidi, et shops
of Is I stated that
that
the ..Ciesegel, after his secondisdestration
grimed, mutton hos doer intremignients, which
is flealied by Rails Pasha Tabis and Hull Tabia,
meshed south, end eulabliald his asap at Bog&
=village stagated shoat him iodise hong Ken.
that Gamed Menrevis(servolia the army
whisk task Kars is 1929, I essesived his last
managavre to be preparatory either to a Yemenis-
Mame, tea attack apse It= Talmusb,
hos whams the y pushed their
appmeshes is the year above cited.
whilst, therefore, the essay% column were is
amok towards Begat 'fittest, I visited those lodging
with Lionisaal Lake, and after staying the
ground isitisi epos the nature of the Irwin to be
tharreseaursione were planned and mould by
es
l Lake with great skill aid eautp.
I engine for your lordship's inferential' a li
made by that a of the town and its
lag heights, which are situated on the 0pi=172%
of the rinr of Kars Chat, over which three tempo-
rary bridges had bees thrown to keep up oar ma-
munleations. As all verbal descriptions et hind's-
eye views of mead money but au nopsellest Mee of
say legality, I beg to name a sketch main by Mr.
whisk will, I treat, Mod to elasidate my
dineipdon.
Teer lordship will observe that whilst ear asap
sad magazims in the town were reediest as safe
as aireengstames would allow, the hills above tags

commanded all, and were therefore the keys of me
position.
The intrenchments of Tahmssb, being those nearest
the enemy's camp, demanded the greatest vigilance
heel all entrusted in their defence; General Emery,
a gallant Hungarian officer, commanded the division
which oecoMd this eminence; he was assisted by
Majoir-General Hossein Pads and my aide-de.
camp. Major Teesdale, who has acted as his chief of
the staff.
Throughout the investment, which has now lasted
four months, the troops in all the redoubts and in-
treschments have kept a vigilant look-out during the
night, and, at their appointed stations, stood to their
arms long before day dawn. In my denote's, N 0.166,
of the 29th ult., I informed your lordship of the arrival
of the news of the fall of Sebastopol, and of the lauding
of Omer Packs at Batoum. I also acquainted your
lordship with the fact that the Russian General was
engaged in sending off immense trains of heavy bag-
gage into Georgia, and showing every indication of
a speedy retreat; this in no wise threw us off our
guard, and Lieutenant-Colonel Lake was directed to
strengthen many points in our extensive and under-
manned lines, and amongst other works the tabs
bearing my name was constructed.
At four o'clock on the eventful morning of the Nth
the enemy's columns were reported to be tamed."
M the Tahmasb front. They were three in number,
smarted by 24 guns ; the first or right column beteg
directed on Tahmssb Tabs, the second on Yalu&
Tabia, and the tbhd on the breastwork celled Rend-
eon Lines. As soon as the Brat gun announced the
approach of the enemy the memo were pet under
arms in a central position, from which succours could
be despatched either to Tahmasb or the Englishl
lines.
The mist and imperfect light of the dawning day
induced the seamy to believe that be was about to
surprise us; he advanced with his usual steadiness
and intrepidity ; but, en getting within range, be
was saluted with a semilisg fire of artillery from all
points of the line. This unexpected reception, how-
ever, only drew forth load hurrahs from the Russian
infantry as ft netted up the hill on the redoubts and
breastworks. These works poured forth a fire of
musketry saddles, which told with fearful effects on
the dose mho= of atteek, more especially on the
leftism, whieh,behig
_opposed by a battalion of 460
(2assesues, armed wit ie rifles, wee, after long
sad desperate egbilsempletely brakes, and sent
leading down the leaving 850 dead on the field,
besides ese carried by their comrades.
• The =MI edema peogpitated itself on the re-
Otabb of Taboo& and Yakesk Tabu, where
desperate fighting marred and lasted for several
bean, the enemy being repulsed in all his attempts
, tenter the closed redoubts, which mutually flanked
each other with their artillery and musketry, and
made terrible havoc in the ranks of the orraileats:
sad it wee here that Generals Runty and Hussein
with Major Teesdale, so conspicuously
their courage and conduct. Lieutenant-
Gemmel Is sea Pacha also repaired to the scene of
desperate strife to encourage the troops, and wee
iranaded in the shoulder, and had two horses 'dna
Miler him.
The rigid column of the Russian infantry, sow
ported by a bettery, eventual) y turned the left flask
of the iatreeched wing of the Tahmasb defences, and
whilst the Remise battery opened in the rear of the
closed redoubt at its salient angle, their infantry
penetrated considerably behind our position.
Observing the °ammo:neat of this movement,
and anticipating its conesquences, Lient.-Colonel
Lake, who had taken the direction of of in the
English Tablas, was instructed to send a battalion
from Fort Lake to the =stenos of the defenders of
Tahmasb, and at the same time two battalions of the
reserves were moved across the flying bridge and
upon the reeky height of Las Jeppe Table. These
three :Melanin edemas met each other at that
point, and, being hidden from the enemy by the
rooky nature of the round, confronted him at a most
opportune moment; they deplo ed, opened their fire,
which stopped and soon drove bad' the enemy's re-
serves, which were then vigorously charged with the
bayonet, at the same moment when Gement Rusty
and Major Teesdale issued from the redoubts at
Tassels sad charged the visitants. The whole of
that portion of the enemy's infantry and artillery now
broke and fled down the heights under a murderess
ere of musketry : this occurred at half-pest 11, after
a combat of mesa hoses.
In this pert of the field the enemy had, including
his reserves, 22 battalions of infantry, a large force
of dragoon and Cossacks. together with 32 guns.
Wbilat this struggle, which I have attempted to
describe, was occurring at Tahmasb, a most severe
combat was going en at the eastern position of the
line, called the English Tablas.
About half-past 6 o'clock Ls. a Russian column,
consisting of eight battalions of infantry, three regi-
ments of cavalry, and 18 guns, advanced from the
valley of Tebakmak, and assaulted than small re-
doubts, whisk after as stoat a resistance as their un-
avoidably feeble gumbos =ld mime, fall into their
heads, together with the sensiting breastworks,
defended loy townsmen and mountaineers from
Leiden, whom donnish flags, according to
their custom, were planted before them, on
the Maser and conesqueut4rom into the
heads; but ere the II had
ia poetise of the felt, Captain psonb=
received orders to used a bangles of infantry from
each of the heights of landagh and Ands Tabis to
rabbets the Enellsil lines. This reinforcement
lillellMisd the deep verythumb whish acme the

-

Kars River, pined a bridge, recently thrown across
it, sad asecm the opposite precipitous bank by a
zigzag path whisk led into the live of works named
by the Turks Inglis Tobias (the Eogßah Batteries).
Their arrival was as opportune as that of the reserves
directed toward Tahmasb, which I have had the
honour to describe in the former part of this despatch ;
these battalions, joined to those directed by Lieute-
nant-Carmel Lake, gallantly attacked and drove the
Russians out of the redoubts at the point of the bay°.
net, after the artillery of the enemy had been driven
from these lines by the WOOS fire directed from Fort
Lake and from Arab Tebia and Karedagh, by Capt.
Thompson. This officer deserves my best thanks for
having seised a favourable moment to remove a
hea gen from the eastern to the western extremity
of , aad with it initiated severe lose on the

massoy.
After the Russian infantry was driven from the
English redoubts, the whole of their attacking force
of cavalry, artillery, and infantry retreated with pre-
cipitation, plied with round shot from all the bat-
tenre bearing on their columns. Daring their tem-
porary mouse, however, the queasy impaired two of
our light guns, which the morality amongst our
basics his famine prevented ow withdrawing from
their Mussed reddens. He also carried el his
trousaskihni nosy tit her yet be hit MI of
the letter within and in front of these harangued*:
and his retreat occurred at lust an hear before the
amailaste of Tahrosab were pat to fight.

Duthie this conibtst, which lasted nearly semi
hours, the Turkish Washy, as well as artillery,
fought with the most determined mange; and when
it is recollected that they had worked on their en-
trenchmsets, and guarded then by sight, throughout
a period extending to nearly fear months, I think
your lordship will admit that they have proved them-
selves worthy of the admiration of Europe, and esta-
blished an undoubted claim to be placed amongst the
most distinguished of its troops.
With regard to the enemy, as long as there was a
chance of soma he persevered with undaunted cou-
rage, and the Russian officers displayed the greatest
gallantry. Their less was immense; they left Oa the
Bid more than 6,000 dead, which it took the Turkish
infantry four days to bury. Their wounded and
prisoners in oar pommies amount to 160. whilst
those who were carried off are said to be upwards of
7,000.
As the garden wee afflicted with cholera, and I
was apprehensive of a great increase of the malady,
should this melancholy duty of the burial of the dead
be not pushed forward with every possible vigour by
our fatigued and jaded soldiers, I daily visited the
soave of strife to encourage them in their almost end-
less tasks and I an assure your lordship that the
whole battle-field presented a scene which is more
easy to conceive than to describe, being literally co-
vered with the enemy's dead and dying.
_ _

The Tartish deed and wounded were removed on
the night of the battle. The dead numbered 362, the
wounded 631. The townspeople, who also fought
with spirit, lot 101 men.
His Excellency the Mushir has reported to his go-
vernment those offioerswho particularly distinguished
themselves—a difficult task in an army which has
shown such desperate valour throughout the unusual
period of seven hours of uninterrupted combat.
I have, &e.,
(Signed) W. F. WILLIAMS.
The Earl Clarendon, &e.