The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-13 00:00:00

LETTER FROM THE CRIMEA.

Extract of a letter from a seafaring man to his
family residing in Cork :
" Balakava, August 20.

" Of course ere this reaches you you will have
heard of the battle of the 16th. The Russians
made an attempt to take Balaklava,, 70,000 strong.
At eight o'clock on the morning of the 16th inst.,
we heard the news and started for the fight ; it
took place in a largo valley, about five miles from
hero, and about two from the old field of Inker-
man ; they were met by the Sardinians and French
only, at the bridges. There are two on the same
road, on two branches of the same river, like the
two branches at the top of the Dyke in Cork—it
is called the Black River ; what the name of the
action is is not yet known ; the French led the
Russians into a nice trap—the country here is very
hilly with small valleys. The French (*aye way so
as to entice the Russians to -follow and when they
got them in the gorge, mreyes, did not they walk
into them ? I was up just in time to see the last
charge. At the bridge stood 800 Guards. On
this side of it all around it the dead lay as thick
as turnips in a field. They followed them up to
very near the Russian works. The plain in the
valley I should say is three-quarters of a mile
across. Even from the top of the hill, where we
are stopped from going farther, you can see the
dead lying like spots in a quilt. (Don't laugh at
the sailor's similes.) But it was where lam now
standing that the greatest slaughter was perpe-
trated—that is at our side of the river, and at the
bridge. I have got some relicts, as many as I could
carry—two muskets, some bayonets, locks of
guns, and some other small things. The French
lost about 300 men, the Sardinians 250 ; but the
Russians somewhere about 5,000. I remained
on the field for the night, and the next day
wont over it, and, to tell you the truth, I never
felt so queer in all my life—you know I am pretty
strong nerved—as I did at the awful sight ; Virgil's
" Plurima mortis imago" being carried out to the
fullest extent. You see I have not forgotten my
invaluable school-boy days. You could not much
more than step through the dead. The Russians
seem all fine men. They were soon stripped of
anything of value—the burying of them, I believe,
is not yet finished. I saw four pits dug, and
around each pit there is a half-acre of ground
covered with dead as thick as pigs on a cart. The
French dead were nicely arranged in rank and file,
but the Russians are pitched anywhere. It is a
glorious victory, but I am sorry to say ours had no
part in it ; they are in another position. We expect
another every day on Balaklava, but no matter,
they will catch it. Sebastopol will not be taken,
I think, this summer. They shelled us spectators
from the Russian -works pretty sharply, but no
accident that I know of. The, smell is beginning
to be most offensive, the bodies lying under a
scorching sun, and neither French nor Russians
will send out a flag of truce to bury those on the
plain: Mind, it was not at Sebastopol this action
was fought, but in the open country, _about.fo
miles from Sebastopol. The Russians have works
which they ;till held pooetx4ou of,