The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-03 00:00:00

LETTERS FROM SEBASTOPOL.

The following extract of a letter from the officer
of the Highland Brigade who first entered the
Redan ou the night it was evacuated by the Rus-
sians will be read with interest. Until he and his
party explored it the Allies wore not aware that
the Russians had retired :
"I will give you a short detail of how matters went
on the Bth inst. The Highland Division, consisting of
four regiments—namely, the 42d, 721, 79th, and 93d=
marched from our present camp at Kauiara about 8 a.m.
on the Bth inst., arriving at our old encampment about
10, when we put off our knapsacks and feather bonnets,
rolled our great coats in trench order, like a dragoon's
cloak, to throw over the shoulder like a sash. This
done, we marched off to the trenches, where we arrived
about 12 o'clock, just in time to hear the first of the
bombardment. We marched in, under a heavy fire .of
shot and 01011, to the trenches at the 21-gun battery,
where we remained in reserve for about an hour. We
were then moved up to No. 8 battery, whore we were
kept under a sharp fire till between five and six o'clock
in the evening, when we marched forward to the advance
to relieve the troops who were stationed there for the
day, and such of those as remained of the storming party,
who, I presume, were few in number, as our loss was
very great in officers, non-commissioned officers, and
men, particularly the first two classes. We have been
very fortunate, as we have only lost two men killed on
the spot, and seven more severely wounded. When
we went .to the front trench we bad nothing to dol as
there was little firing from the time the Russians drove
the Second Division out of the Redan until we went
up. I may mention that the French took the Malathoff
about one o'clock, and when the Russian troops escaped
from the Malakhoff they retired into the Redan, over-
powering our people, who had to leave the place, t!te
Russians killing every one they could, and catiing
the others to leave, being unable to hold it. Miles
receained in this position till about 11 o'clock at night,
when they begat blowing up some magazines and forts
behind the Redan, in the suburbs of the town. I sto?d
looking while they sent two or three batteries in the air,
until I felt cold arid very uncomfortable. By way of giving
myself a heat and some amusement, I walked along the
advanced trench until I came to a new work lately erected.
Being curious to know what was doing in our front, I
marched up this trench for the first time. I had not gone
over 20 yards when I stumbled in the dark over three or
four dead men, through whom I made my way as I best
could, till I was called to by a man of the 19th, who asked
me who I was. When I made answer, he requested me to
have him removed, as he said he had only a broken arm.
I answered that I would do what Iconic' for him. Wehad
not done talking when I was called to by about 10 or 12
men at once to get them assistance, as they could not get
any one to pay any attention to their requests. When I
passed along the trench to the far end I heard a poor
fellow say, "Here's a kilty officer, he will get us taken
out of this." Listening to such remarks as "Take us
out of this for the love of God, as there is nothing
the matter with us but broken legs send broken arras,
and we will pray for you while we live," I passed on,
promising to attend to them as soon as I returned.
I then left the trench, and wont on to the
plain open
field between the Redan and our trenches, where our
poor soldiers were lying as thick as you see the men on
boardship when they used to lie on the deck. I examined
the way to the Redan until I was satisfied that I could
make my way into it. I then faced about, and directed
my steps to the general in command of the trenches,
to whom I reported the state of the wounded. He
ordered the two regiments in front to have them re-
moved ; and I was turning to leave the general of the
trenches (Cameron), when I met Sir Colin Campbell,
the General of the Highland Division, to whom I made
known the miseries of the wounded men of the divisions
that attacked ; I also made mention of what I thought
of the renowned Redan, and my inspection of the way
up to it, asking permission to go up and examine it pro-
perly. The leave was granted, with an order to take
10 men with me, if I could get 10 to volunteer for the
service. I proceeded to where the light company of the
93d were, when I made offer of such a proposal as vo-
lunteers for the Redan for the purpose of going into it
to inspect it, and I am proud to say I had my party
made up iu about a minute, with as many more if I
would take them. I dressed them to my own taste, so
as to get close up to the barrier and ditch before we
could be noticed. This done, we marched off; many
doubting if ever any of us would return, as a whole di-
vision and a brigade were repulsed in the same place
during the day. When we passed along the advanced
trench on to the open, we lay down for a little to see if
all was quiet. We then moved on in company with a
party of the 72d, for whom I had to go back a second
time before I could find them to go OD. When all got
to the open, we started to our feet, and soon made our
way into the ditch ; but, to our horror, when we came
to the bottom, we found our own poor fellows in heaps
above one another. We sprang across to the other side
of the ditch, over wounded, dying, and dead,. scrambling
11
up the parapet like as many cats. I went e an open-
ing where there was a 68-pounder gun pointing out.
I ran to examine about the gun, traverses, pits dug by
them for concealing their men fromour shot, shell &c.,
and this done I examined the interior of the Rodeo,
where there was nothing but horrid confusion—Res.
sians and British mixed altogether, with here and
there a British soldier grasping the Russian by the
breast cf the coat, with the hold still firm in his
hand, but stretched dead on the ground. When I
satisfied myself that there were none in the Redan
but wounded and dying men, I gave the word to
my party to retire, who, obeyed like soldiers. We then
let ourselves down the 15 feet of a bank that we came
up before, and were soon in the ditch and on to the
plain, when I gave over the party to the other officer
who accompanied me, and made my way back to Sir
Col], whom I found in the advanced trench, and to
wham I reported what bad taken place. He shook me
by the hand, and thanked me for the service performed.
I then went to the rear and reported my safe arrival to