The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-21 00:00:00

conquer ; they were observed to be looking on all
sides for an opportunity of advancing, but yet were
unable to, move on. Presently a sudden sense of
their dangerous position seemed to seize them, and
they retired back towards the Mamelon. The
Russians by this time had assembled their rein-
forcements behind the Malakhoff works, and, as the
French were moving along the dip of the saddle
towards the Mamelon, these troops were seen to
come up in a dense mass, -pouring a heaTy flanking
fire against our Allies. At the same time they came
within range of the guns of the works around the
Malakhoff Tower (the Korniloff Bastion), which,
notwithstanding the shower of shell and rockets
from our batteries, kept up a galling fire against the
French as they retired. Some confusion followed,
the Russians followed the French into the Kampt-
scatka redoubt, and the latter were next compelled
to evacuate it. That was a time of deep anxiety for
all who were watching the engagement. But con-
fidence was again resumed, when the French, who
had descended the Mamelon Hill, were seen to be
steadily reforming in the Russian trenches which
surrounded its base. Up they went again, sending
a shower of balls among the Russians who were
now in crowds covering the parapets. The redoubt
was fringed with smoke and flames from the fire of
Russian rifles against the French as they mounted
the hill, and the hill side was covered with the fire of
the assailants. It was now a few minutes before 8
o'clock, a dense bank of black clouds rested on the
horizon, and the sun had just sank behind it. The
Russians made for some time a gallant resistance,
but in vain ; as the French mounted they were
seen to waver, and just as the French reached the
parapets, they leaped down and retired. Our Allies
were again masters of the Mamelon Vert. In vain
the shipping in the harbour, the guns from the
batteries on the west side of Careening Bay, and
some on the north side of the roadstead, triel to
drive them away. The guards were thrown out,
and the working parties speedily set to weak to
turn the redoubt against its late possessors.
While this had been going on, a sharp struggle
had ensued between the French and Russian troops
occupying the redoubts on the east side of the Ca-
reening Bay ravine. The French' had been seen to
rush from their advanced approach, and from the
right flank of their works, towards the foremost re-
doubt. In front of this were two large ambus-
cades and a trench ; one volley appeared to be
fired by the riflemen in the pit, after which they
hastily fell back on the redoubt. The contest at
the first redoubt was speedily settled ; at the se-
cond redoubt the resistance was more obstinate.
Here the Russians bad a deep and secure covered
approach, which descended the slope of the cliff,
crossed the ravine, and was connected with a like
approach from the Mamelon redoubt. A com-
plete parallel was thfis formed. The enemy in
the Careening Bay redoubts were evidently dis-
mayed when they saw the Mamelon. Vert fall
into the hands of the French, for this prin-
cipal cemm vesication by which supports could
arrive to them was thus cut off, and they
were not in strength sufficiaiet without reinforce-
ments to resist with effect the overpowering force
of their antagonists. They retired therefore partly
by the covered way, and partly towards the slope
of the hill, as it falls upon the roadstead, and the
work remained in the hands of the French. A
large number of prisoners was taken in these re-
doubts. The number of guns, including some field
pieces, taken by the French, is stated to be 24 ;
the heavier guns were spiked.
As soon as the Mamelon was taken by the French,
the order was given by Colonel Campbell for the
small force told off for attacking the quarry to
advance. One end of the quarry, that looking
eastward iu a direction towards the Ma akhoff:
Tower, was connected with three parallels which
the Russians had dug in front of the most ad-
vanced works on Frenchman's Hill to prevent our
further advance. The large rifle-pit which the
Russians contrived to throw up after " Egerton's
pit" had been taken from them, was connected
with the foremost of these parallels. When the
order was given for our attacking party to advance,
the 88th and 7th rushed out from the right of the
zigzag approach on the left of our advanced work,
the men of the 47th and 49th regiments from the
left of the approach. While some rushed up the
hill towards the Quarry, others took possession
of the enemy's rifle pit and advanced trench.
It appeared that the Russians on seeing
the attack of the French against the Mamelon
had moved along their trenches towards the right,
where they became connected with the trenches or
other works on the Malakhoff hill, so that the left,
that side against which our men advanced, was
almost wholly deserted. A trifling opposition met
with in the Quarry itself was quickly reduced, and
our troops congratulated themselves on having
gained an easy victory. Carried away by their
enthusiasm, they even advanced towards the
Redan, and perhaps, had they been in force,
such was the confusion and alarm of the
Russians, they might have carried this im-
portant work. As it was, the enemy returned
with comparatively powerful reinforcements, and
suddenly opened a flanking fire, which compelled
our men to abandon the quarry. It was not armed
as had been anticipated. A second time cur man
moved against this work, and took it from the ene-
my, wbo had again entered it ; nor was this the
last time, for still later in the evening a third con-
test for its possession took place, which ended as
before in .our being victors, but at a severe expense.
No less than 18 officers, and a large number of
men, amounting to upwards of half the original
attacking force, were placed hors de combat, in-
cluding killed and wounded. Col. Campbell behaved
with the most determined gallantry. He was struck
no less than four times, and once so severely by a
musket ball, which providentially was prevented
from inflicting a more serious wound by striking
the front of his sword belt, that be fainted. No-
thing but the unflinching bravery of the tro ups
could have enabled them to retain the Quarry after
they had wrested it from the enemy. The ground
at the back of the Quarry was fortunately found
to be loose and soft, So that the working party
were enabled to throw up some cover in this di-
rection without much difficulty. Our exact leis is
not known, nor will it be until after an armistice
has enabled the dead outside to be collected, and
communications to be made respecting prisoners.
Lieutenant Maclean Lawrence, of the 34th Regi-
ment, who was wounded a few nights since, was
killed. Captains John Peel and Brown Wssthe id,
of the same regiment, and Lieut. Saunders were
wounded, and Lieut. Clayton is reported to be
missing. Of the Royal Engineers, Lieut. Graves
Lowry, a general favourite and most active officer,
was killed by a musket shot, which penetrated the
back of the neck. He is said to have volunteered
for duty with the storming columns whenever a
general assault might take place. Lieutenant An-
derson, 9Gth Regiment, doing duty as an assistant
engineer, was also wounded by a musket ball, but
not dangerously. The casualties have been scat-
tered among so many various regiments, and the
statements given by those most closely engaged are
so imperfect and often contradictory, that until the
regular returns are collected and pUblished, no
satisfactory conclusions can be made either as to
the extent or precise nature of our losses.
The loss of the French is variously reckoned from
eleven to fourteen hundred in killed and wounded.
Many of their bodies are lying scattered over the
Malakhoff Hill. The number of Russians lying
upon the Mamelon Hill is immense ; the slaughter
chiefly occurred when the French, after their tem-
porary retirement from the Mamelon Redoubt,. re-
turned with renewed energy to the attack against
the Russian reinforcements, and drove them back
behind the Malakhoff. The Zouaves again suffered
severely. The 6th regiment of the line is also said
to have lost a great proportion of officers.
JUNE 8.
The working parties have not been idle. The
wall of the covered approach leading up to the
redoubt on Mount Sapone has been turned, and
now faced towards Careening bay. The embrasures
of the Mamelon redoubt have been converted into
lodgments for riflemen on the sides facing the
French and English frontiers, and some guns, pro-
bably field pieces, have been turned toward the
enemy. The covered approach from the left of the
Mamelon redoubt toward the Karabelnaia ravine
has been reversed in its aspect, and the French
troops are now safely placed under its protection.from
A new coveted approach has been carried Pto the
our advanced zigzag in the rightattack
Quarry, and on all sides our new acquisitions
ap-
pear secure.
been observed to
Several bodies of troops have some barges
me narges nave
come over from the North side. shat appeared to
also been towed over, conveying
enemy nave scarcely
b© stores of ammunition. The
fired at all from the Redan ; and only four guns
have been worked in the Malakhoff batteries. An
_
s was kept up a nigh
incessant discharge of she
againstese t
h two ll
series of bat-
t
from our mortars
carcasses were also thrown from
our Some town. As they
our left attack into ,the
_. were dis-
chargedvery advanced position, the charge
from a
of powder was not required to be
se great as that
which caused them to burst, and destroyed their
efficiency, when thrown from the first parallels in
the two attacks a few nights ago. A fire at present
burning in the town, but seemingly confined to one
small house, is attributed to the action of one of
these missiles.
Various rumours are prevailing as to the intended
operations to-night. Among the French a belief
Prevails that a regular attack is to be made against
the Malakhoff hill, while the English assault the
Redan. An attack by the enemy, with a view
to recover some of his losses, is not considered un-
likely. An attempt was made on the Quarry