The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-26 00:00:00

left the approaches executed by the Ist cerps. Taking
things at the point where they stood when the assault
was resolved on, there was no doubt that he possession
of the fort would lead to a decisive reeplt ;
and on the ether hand it was to be presumed that if a
failure took place on this pint success obtained else-
where could not lead to great results. However, it Was
not proper to attack a place so extended upon one single
P,,int. It Wass, necessary to obtain that division of the
enemy's forces which resulted from the great develop-
ment of the enciente that he had to :defend, and especi-
ally to make him uneasy about the town, to which the
bridge led whereby he might make hi,; retreat.
It was to satisfy these various considerations, it vete
to insure succns, while economising, as much as possible
the blond of our soldiers in the terrible strugele then
preparing, that the General-in-Chief decided t!lat the
assault should first be made on the front of the Male-
klioff ; that if this attack, Which would be made under
his personal inspection, should succeed, then at his signal
the English should attack the Redan and the first por-
tion of the town, so as to prevent the enemy's concen-
trating ell his efforts against the troops that should
have already taken possession of the Malakhoff 'Fort.
The frost of the Malakholf was to be attacked by
three columns ; the one on the left, cernmanded by
General de Mel`.tlalion, moving in a straight hue on the!
Melakhoff Fort by the front that faced us, and in tures
ing it slightly on the right haL d, bad for its task the
taking and keeping of it, cast what it might ; the right
column, Dulae's division, was to march against the Re.
dan of the Careening Bey, to occupy it, and detach a
brigade on its left, in order to turn the second enclosure ;
lastly, the central column, being the division of La Mot-
' terouge, issuing from the sixth parallel, having a longer
extent of ground to pass over, and arriving a little later,
was to carry the curtain, to proceed then against the
second enele-eire, and send one of its brigades to the
assistance of the first column, if this ;atter should have
not yet gained possession of the Malakhoff Fort.
Such was the importance of these positions that we
could not doubt that the enemy, if he lost them, would
make great efforts to retake them. In consequence,
the troops of the Imperial Guard were given as a reserve.
to the 2d Corps.
The chief of the Engineer Battalion Ragan, having
under his ()Hers several brigades of eappers, marching
with the first column, had to throw bridges across the
ditches, see after the mines, open everywhere a passage
to the co'umns, and as soon as these should be masters
of the fort, to close it at the gorge ; and in order to
oppose any rallying attack in return, to open in the rear
large passages for the arrival of the troops and the
artillery.

The chief of the engineer battalion Rennin-, attached
to the right column, and Captain Schnennagel, attached
to the central column, having; also brigades of sap ;nerd
under their orders, had to fulfil an analogous missou.
All the arrangements concerning the duty of the engi-
neers in the attacks to be made on the Malakhoff bad
been made by the General of Brigade Frossard, com-
manding the engineers of the 2d corp.
In attacking the town, in order to avoid the obstacles
accumulated by the enemy at the salient of the Flagstaff
Bastion, it had been decided that the principal assa-sit
should be given at the Central Bastion, between its
salient and the lunette on the left ; that the assautting
column, as soon as it should be established within the
Central Bastion should detach a part of its forces towards
the gorge of the Flagstaff Battery, whose right face
should then be assailed by a Sirdinian Brigade, which
bad come to take part in the operations of the First
Corps.

denerallesine, commanding the Engineers of the
First Corps, had made arrangements for attacking the
town similar to those which I have just explained with
reference to the attacks of the Karabelnaia faubourg.
On the Bth of September. at 8 o'clock in the morning,
we threw on the Central Bastion two mines of projee•
tion, each charged with IE/0 kilogrammes of powder.
Tue explosion took place near the middle of the Bastion
and appeared to cause great disorder. At the same hour
we exploded, in front of our approaches to the Mats-
khoff Fort, three mining chambers, charged in all with
1,500 kilogrammes of powder, in order to destroy the
lower galleries of the Russian miners, and to give secu-
rity to our soldiers, who had to crowd within the
'trenches under which deserters announced that the sod
was mined.

At noon precisely our soldiers rushed from the ad-
vanced places d'armca in front of the Malakhoff. They
crossed the ditches with surprising agility, and, jump-
ing on the parapets, attacked the enemy to the cry of
" Vive l'Emprour !" At the Malakhoff Fort, the inte-
rior slope having a great height, those who arrived first
halted an instant to form. Then they mounted on the
parapet and jumped into the work.
The combat, which had commenced with discharges
of fire-arms, was carried on with the bayonets with
stones, and with butt-ends of muskets. The rammers
became weapons in the bands of the Russian gunners,
but everywhere the Russians were killed, taken pri-
soners, or made to fly and in less than a quarter of an
hour after the attack had taken place the French flag
waved on the conquered redoubt.
The Careenage Redan had also been carried after a
very hot struggle. The centre column had advanced as
fir as the seco..d enceinte. Everywhere we had taken
possession of the werks attacked. The General in-Chi
gave the concerted signal for the attack of the Great Re-
Jan, and soon after for the attack of the town. The
English had 200 metres of ground to go over under a
terrible fire of grape. This space was presently covered
with dead, bat these losses could not stop the march of
the at,acking column, which advanced to the capital of
the work. It descended into the ditch, which was about
five metres in depth, and, notwithstanding all the efforts
of the Russians, it escaladed the scarp and took from
them the salient of the Redan ; but after the first strug-
gle, which cost the Russians dear, the English soldiers
found before them a vast open space crossed in all direc-
tions by the balls of the enemy, who themselves were
sheltered behind distant traverses. Those who came up
were scarcely sufficient to replace those who were placed
hors de combat. It was not until they had sustained,
during nearly two hours, this unequal combat, that the
English resolved to evacuate the Redan.

The attack upon the Central Bastion presentee the
same result. In front of the Malakhoff the Russians

made great efforts to reconquer the works. Repeated
attacks were made, but in vain. The dead bodie+ of the
enemy were piled up in front of the gorge, but the Lt
Divis:on remained Immoveahle, and in the evening. we
were masters of this citadel, without which the Rus-

glans could not continue their defence for more than a

few days.
Thus terminated this memorable siege, in which the
means of defence and of attack attained colossal dimen-
,.ious. The Ras,ians had 800 cannon in battery, the be-
sieging army about 700.
In finishing this report, I ought to tell you, Mon-
sieur le Mat &hal. that the greatest harmony has never
c:'.a.s?d to prevail 13,,tween the artillery and the engineers.
Whenever one of these two services could come to the

assistance of the other, he did it with eagerness, and
this community of views and action hal given us the
means of overcoming many difficulties.
I have also had to congratulate myself in every in-
stance on my relations with General Harry Jones, com-
manding the engineers of the English army. Our object
was the same, and we have never differed in opinion on
the means to be employed for attaining it. Already, at
the siege of Bornarsund, I had the opportunity of appre-
ciating the loyalty and the noble character of this gene-
ral officer. I have been happy at finding myself again
in relations with him at the siege of Sebastopol.
Accept, Mousier le alarOchal, the homage of my most
respectful devotion.
The General of Division, A.D.C. of the Emperor,
Commanding the Engineers of the Army in the
EaA, NIEL.