The Press.
London, England, 1854-08-26 00:00:00

AUGUST 26, 1854.

THE WAR.

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF BOMARSUND.

- -
ON the 21st ult. Sir Charles Napier and Admiral Parseval
cast anchor in Ledsund, having left Rear Admiral Martin
with a squadron in the Gulf of Finland, to watch the move-
ments of the enemy at Helsingfors and Cronstadt. In that
secure and convenient basin—formed by the considerable
island of Lemland on the north, and a multitude of smaller
ones on the south and west—our largest ships remained
throughout the siege. A winding channel, eighteen miles
long, and sometimes not exceeding a hundred yards in
width, leads from Ledsund to Lumpar Bay, and to the
fortress of Bomarsund; and into that bay the Edinburgh,
bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Chads, the three screw
block-ships, four French two-deckers, and smaller vessels,
were piloted without any serious injury from grounding.
The Duke of Wellington might possibly have entered, but
the experiment was deemed too uncertain to be hazarded.
The Edinburgh and the other ships anchored just out of
range of the Russian guns ; and there they remain( d with-
out attempting to assail the formidable batteries which, as
some very sanguine persons supposed, were to be imme-
diately destroyed. The impatience of the fleet while
waiting day after day fur the arrival of troops to invest the
place may be easily imagined. At the end of July the
first detachment of French soldiers reached Ledsund, in
English ships, and shortly afterwards General Baraguay
&liners arrived from Stockholm to command them.
Still, however, nothing can't), be done without the siege
artillery, which did not reach the scene of action until the
bth inst.; and it was not before the tith that a body of
troops, and another of marines, were landed at different
points, when operations commenced in form.
The fortifications which were the object of attack con.
slated, first, of a principal battery built of stone, in a curved
shape, along the shore—a fabric of great solidity and strength,
and mounting nearly 100 guns. On the rising ground ad-
jacent were two round towers, and at the extreme east ano-
ther, each of which mounted sixteen guns. In addition to
these defences, some mud batteries had been thrown up
since the previous visit of our cruisers in the month of June.
As the entire group of the Aland Isles is one mass of rock
it would be very difficult to prosecute ordinary siege works,
whilst a regulgar bombardment of he walls would be an
exceedingly laborious undertaking; consequently, it was
decided to take the place by military assault and escalade.
On the 11th, therefore, about 12,000 French and English
soldiers and marines commenced erecting batteries before
the fortress to cover the assailants. For this purpose,
besides the siege artillery brought from France, a number
of heavy guns were sent up from the Duke of Irellington
and other ships, and dragged a distance of three miles from
the landing place. On the 12th the besieged attempted a
sortie, in the hope of interrupting the works, but were re-
pulsed and driven back into the forts. On the 14th the
most considerable of the two flanking towers above alluded
to was taken after a resistance of four hours ; and the
scaling-ladders were prepared for a general assault on
the ensuing day. On the 15th the third tower was taken,
and the garrison had no longer any prospect of relief or re-
mit orcement—all the approaches to the island being
vigilantly guarded by steam-ships and armed boats.
During that day the English batteries opened fire
on another fort, called Nottick Fort, which was
breached by four p.m., and surrendered in the
evening. During the attack Lieutenant Wrottesley,
R.E., was killed. He was stooping down, in obe-
dience to signal, when a shot, after striking against
the trunnion of one of the guns, bounded against him,
inflicting a dreadful wound. His side was crushed,
and his hands, which were folded together at the
time, were torn to pieces : he died very soon after-
wards. In this fort there were five killed and six or
seven wounded, and 125 prisoners. Captain Ramsay
was slightly wounded.
The English ships Edinburgh, Ajax, Amphion,
Bulldog, Valorous, Hecla, and Driver; and the French
ships Duperre, Trident, Darien„-isnioWe, and Phle-
gethon, continued firing at the sea face of the princi-
pal fort of Bomarsund, while at the same time the
French field and mortar batteries poured an inces-
sant fire on the rear, and an English eight-inch gun
on the captured six-gun battery maintained an excel-
lent flanking fire.
The captured fort of Tzee blew up about one p.m.
Some doubt appears to exist whether the explosion
was caused by the French or the Russians.
On Wednesday, the 16th, the French batteries
advanced considerably nearer to the land face of the
fort, and kept up an incessant fire; the heavy guns
in the six-gun battery, served by the English under
Captain Pelham, did great execution ; the large
blocks of granite that formed the face of the fort, and
which in appearance offered an immense resistance,
fell out in masses, and the rubble with which the
wall was filled in tumbled out. in heaps. The Edin
burgh, the Ajax, and the steamers fired at long range
on the Bomarsund fortress, while at the same time
the Leopard attacked the foit of Freest°, on the other
side the narrow channel. At 1.2.30 a flag of truce
was held out at an embrasure of Bomarsund towards
the fleet : a boat, with an officer, was sent on shore,
and at about half-past twelve the governor surren-
dered. General Bodisco is an old man, apparently
iighty years of age. He was very anxious that the

THE PRESS.

French general-in-chief should certify that he bad
done his duty. General Baraguay d'Hilliers returned
him his sword, and at the same time extolled the
valour with which he had defended his trust, and the
prudence which had surrendered it when further
resistance could have done no more than cause an
useless loss of life. The Russian general then sent
a priest to the officer in command of Praesto fort,
with orders to surrender. The order was obeyed.
Thus the four forts of Bomarsundfell into the posses-
sion of the allies. The French soldiery afterwards
moved in and took possession. A line was formed
from the fort to the embarkation place, by means
of the Royal Marines and French troops, through
which theßussi an prisoners, 2,000 in number,jm arched
with their baggage.
The loss on the part of the allies was inconsider-
able. On the side of the French, Lieut. Noulfe and
two chasseurs were killed. Captain Ramsay, of her
Majesty's ship Hogue, was slightly wounded. One
of the English marines was also killed. Several
French soldiers were killed, by mistake, in an acci-
dental encounter during the night. A few casualties
also happened.
Lieut. Bond, of the Royal George, was accidentally
shot while examining a revolver. Captain Anderson,
of the Cressy, is also dead.
Many Russians were suffocated in the Bomarsund
casemates by the smoke of their own fire. After the
surrender there were great rejoicings in Aland, and
prayers were offered in the churches for Queen Vic-
toria and the Emperor Louis Napoleon. The fortress
was found to contain ammunition and provisions for
one year.
A gallant exploit is told of Lieut. Bythesea, of her
Majesty's ship Arrogant. This officer, having been
informed that the Russian mail, with despatches
from St. Petersburg to the commander at Bomar
send, would pass in a particular direction, deter-
mined to intercept it. He disguised himself, and,
with an interpreter, concealed himself in a house by
the roadside. After their night's watch they per-
ceived four men with the letter-bags. He and his
companion, armed each with a revolver, sallied out
upon the four Russians and summoned them to
surrender. The Russians gave themselves up. No
public despatch, however, was found. Only private
letters were in the bags.
The Paris Diletts cites letters from the Aland
Isles under date of the 18th. Two days bad then
elapsed since the surrender of Bomarsund, which its
correspondents, says the Debate, already considered
an event belonging to ancient history, their interest
being occupied with the present condition of the for-
tress, and the evidences of the destructive effects of
the bombardment which it displayed. The work of
destruction, they report, was accomplished with a
rapidity and to an extent of which the besiegers
themselves had no idea. The result of the experi-
ment does not bear so much upon the precision of
the artillery practice, or the weight of metal dis-
charged, as upon the resisting power shown by
granite fortifications to a well-directed cannonade.
This was an element hitherto unascertained. Hereto-
fore opinions had been much divided on the point.
Some authorites declared that granite blocks, piled
together in such masses and at so vast an expendi-
diture of labour and money, were practically invul-
nerable. Others asserted that the system was
radically vicious, that the stone would not resist
shot, and by splintering into fragments under the
stroke of the projectiles would add terribly to the
loss suffered by the defenders, and very speedily
render the fortresses so built untenable.
The result of the attack on Bomarsund hag shown
that the latter conclusion is well founded. The ruin
caused in so brief a space among its fortifications,
the severe losses of the besieged, and the early
necessity in which they found themselves of surren-
dering the place, furnish arguments which cannot be
refuted. The inventory of damage and destruction
which is now being drawn up at Bomarsund supplies
useful indications of the possibilities of resistance
offered by the similarly-constructed fortresses at
Cronstadt and Sveaborg.
So complete has, indeed, been the destruction of
the works at Bomarsund that it is doubtful whether
they can be sufficiently repaired before the frosts set
in. The commanders by sea and land have accord-
ingly forwarded simultaneous requests to the home
authorities asking permission to blow up the relics of
the fortifications. But, whatever may be the deter-
mination of the Governments, it is certain that the
Russians will never reoccupy them. A few light gun.
boats will suffice to annihilate any works that the
enemy might raise, even if allowed free access to
the island.
The 2,000 prisoners are to be equally divided be-
tween England and France for cult•-dy. General
Bodisco, with his wife, two children, and staff officers,
have, however, been taken on board the Tilsit, and
will be conveyed directly to France.
While waiting further instructions from home, the
English and French admirals will proceed to recon-
noitre Hango, Revel, and Sveaborg.
A Dantzic letter of Thu sdsy announces the arrival

799

of the Vulture, which left Ledsund on the 22nd.
The troops in the occupation of Bomarsund were
likely to be embarked again, it was supposed for ser-
vice elsewhere. Beyond this there was no news.
The Penelope, in attempting to cut between the
islands from the south to the north side, got on shore
on the 10th inst. oil the Island of I'rasto, within
range of the long forts, whereupon they opened
fire, and continued it for two hours and a half. The
admiral at once ordered all boats to her assistance,
and. the Ilecla and Pignsy came through the passage
as well to attempt to tow her off. A little after twelve
the Penelope fortunately was iemoved front her cri-
tical position, the admiral having ordered all her
guns to be thrown overboard, when the Reda at
once towed her away. The battery fired some red-
hot shot, by which two men were killed and three
wounded. One shot passed completely through the
ship, killing a man, and then falling into a French
boat, killing another. The large fort discharged at
the Penelope 123 shot, 21 of which struck either her
hull or rigging.
The Aland Islands form an archbishop's see of about
eighty inhabited islands, and a mot number of rocks and
islets, in the province of Abo, in the Unlf of Bothnia, at
the rut...ranee, between lat. 59 deg. 55 min., and 00 deg.
39 min. N., and long. 19 deg. and 21 min. E. The popula-
tion is 15,000, and they are all of Swedish descent. Rye,
barley, potatoes, and ILIA are raised sufficient for the popu-
lation. The manufactures are wool and sailcloth for
home use. The exports are salt beef, butter, cheese, hides,
cured fish, and firewood. The imports are salt, colonial
produce, and manufactured goods. These islands, taken
from Sweden in 1t409, are of great political and military im-
portance to Russia, and contain several fortified ports,
generally the station of a part of the Baltic fleet. Near them
Peter the Great gained his first naval battle over the Swedes
in 1714. The chief island, Aland, has an area of twenty-
eight square miles, a population of 9,000, and a good
harbour (Boularsund ) on its west side.
The Moniteur de la Flotte says,—" We stated that
our soldiers, on taking possession of the Aland Isles,
would be received by the inhabitants with the most
friendly feelings. The event proved we were right.
Both the English and French have met with the
warmest reception from the inhabitants. They did
not even wait for the landing of our troops to place
at their disposal everything in their possession.
They carried on board all kinds of provisions, such
as fish, vegetables, and excellent fru►t. They also
brought a supply of forage for the sheep and oxen on
board. In this remote country, and among its
honest but ignorant inhabitants, the Eastern question
is never mentioned ; they have not the slightest idea
of the cause of the war between Russia and the
Western powers, anti are scarcely aware of the ex
istence of the Turkish empire. They only know that
two parties are contending—the Anglo French and
Russian, and the first act of an Alander on I,oing on
board is to declare himself in bad English an Anglo-
Frenchman."