The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-27 00:00:00

PASSAGE OF THE INGOUR BY THE

TURKS.
(From the Times Correspondent.)

TURKISH CAMP, BANKS OF THE INGOUR
Nor. 5.

Having heard that the avant-poste of the army
was encamped within two hours' march of the
Ingour, I determined a week ago to leave Shem-
serrai, where Omer Pacha still retained his head-
quarters, and to push on to the front. At about
seven miles from Shemserrai the road crosses
the Godava river, and finally leaves the coast.
The country is flat, but for the most part
covered with a dense forest, where swamps fre-
quently occur which are calculated seriously to im-
pede the progress of an army on the march. I
found myself surrounded by a miscellaneous con-
course, straggling by devious paths through the
tangled underwood, or ploughing their way through
the deep mud. Ther© were infantry and cavalry
in long lines winding between the magnificent oak
and beech trees of which the forest is composed—
Abasians on wiry ponies dodging in and out, and
getting past everybody—mules and pack horses, in
awkward predicaments, stopping up the road, on
whose devoted heads were showered an immense
variety of oaths by their drivers, who in their turn
were sworn at by the rest of the world. There were
some batteries of artillery, which looked so hope-
lessly embedded that nothing short of British
energy, as impersonated in the young Englishman
who commanded, could have extricated them. There
wore broken-down baggage waggons and broken-
down mules, and everything but broken-down men.
Here and there a Pasha was squatted by the road-
side indulging in his nargilleh, enjoying his " kief,"
and watching placidly the exertions of his troops.
At last I got past this scene to a pretty village
perched upon the river, where the peasants were
grouped by the road side, selling Indian corn cobs,
and cakes made of the same grain or of millet,
to the passers-by. Everything was paid for re-
gularly, and the property of the country people
in Abasia has been scrupulously respected by the
Turkish army during its passage through the
country. Beyond this the road was more open
and dry, and the occasional ravines were roughly
bridged. I found the avant poste encamped in a
large plain near the village of Ertiscal, about 24
miles distant from Shemserrai. On the following
morning they received the order to march for the
Ingour. Two battalions of Chasseurs, commanded
by Colonel Ballard, an officer., in the Indian army
and one of the heroes of Silistria, led the way, fol-
lowed by about 6,000 infantry and artillery, the
whole being under the command of Abdi Pasha.
The main body of these troops halted at about an
hour's distance from the river, while the Chas-
seurs, with two field pieces and two battalions of in-
fantry, took up a position on a large plain, sepa-
rated from the river by a belt of wood about half a
mile in width. On the following morning Irode down
to the river to reconnoitre. The Ingour is one of
the principal streams which enter the Black Sea
upon its eastern shore, and it is the boundary of
Abasia (or, more properly speaking, of Samoursa-
chan, which forms part of Prince Michael's terri-
tory) and Mingrelia ; rising in the snowy Caucasus,
it winds through the densely wooded country which
extends from the base of the range to the sea, and
debouches at Anaklia. Creeping past our outposts
and approaching the bank of the river, as if stalking
deer, I was enabled to see across the river and to
follow the line of stockades erected among the trees
upon the opposite bank, behind which appoared the
heads of great numbers of Russian soldiers and
Mingrelian militia. At one point there was a table.
where 30 or 40 were grouped together ; at others
they were posted at regular distances behind the
stockades, or amid the thick brushwood. In the
afternoon a dropping shot or two infoined us that
we had been perceived by the enemy, and a com-
pany of rifles was marched down for a little Minie
practice. On the 3d, desultory firing of this sort
was pretty brisk, and the utmost caution was re-
quired in reconnoitring. The sharp ping of the
Minie was sure to follow any imprudent exposure.
There was only one casualty,however,during the day.
A young Abasian, a nephew of Prince Michael, was
wounded in the leg. The bed of the river at this
point averages about 200 yards in breadth, but
there is very little water in it at present, and large
stony islands intersect it in every direction. The
two branches at which it is most easily fordable are
about 30 yards broad each, and are supposed not,
to be more than knee deep. The wood upon the
opposite bank is so dense, however, and so blocked
up with felled timber and stockades that any at-
tempt to cross here will be attended with consider-
able difficulty. In the course of the afternoon
Omar Pasha arrived and inspected the position him-
self. Yesterday his Highness again rode over the
ground, and ordered two batteries to be constructed
to command the passage of the river, and which
should at the same time enfilade a great portion of
the opposite bank. These were constructed last
night with the greatest success. Although right
uuderthe enemy's batteries the working partieswere
not discovered before dawn, when the batteries were
almost completed, and only one man was killed by
the fire which was then opened upon them. The
strength of the enemy is estimated at about 12,000,
of which half aro, regular troops, the remainder
Mingrelian militia. We have no positive informa-
tion as to the number of guns which are mounted
upon the fortress of Ruchi, which is situate upon
the opposite bank. The denseness of the foliage pre-
vents our seeing this fort, but there is a picturesque
old ruin near it, behind which some of the Russian
tents are visible. In many places the opposite bank
is flat, and nowhere do they seem to exceed 100
feet in height. We have been most fortunate in
our weather. I have not seen a cloud for a month.
All the troops that were struggling through the
woods a week ago have arrived, and are in excel-
lent heart and spirits, have unbounded confidence
in their commander, and from the anxiety they
4 manifest to cross the river, entertain no doubt of

success. To-day the firing on both sides is a good
deal more

6 P. m.
The order has just come that all fires are to be
put out and lights in tents, which involves my
closing this and going to bed when ether people
are going to dress for dinner. There is a report
that we are likely to be on the move to-morrow
morning. If so we may expect some hot work.
The passage will probably be attempted at a ford
about two hours lower down the river than our
present position, while the batteries, which we
have recently constructed here, will occupy the
attention of the enemy.
HEAD-QUARTERS, Nov. 7. _

The energy with which Omer Pasha has pushed
forward operations has met with a glorious reward,
in the utter defeat of the Russians and the success-
ful passage of the river Ingour, yesterday even-
ing, after a short but bloody battle. In the
morning the order came for the troops to get under
arms immediately, and at 11 o'clock a.m. we
crossed one branch of the river about two miles
lower down without opposition. We now found
ourselves upon an island five or six miles
long and about two miles broad, across which the
troops marched. Three battalions of rifles, under
Colonel Ballard, were put forward to line the
woods through which we advanced by a narrow path.
About 1 o'clock we reached a large field of Indian
corn, and heard the rifles hotly engaged with the
enemy, in a thick wood in our front. The Russians
were soon driven from this across the river, and
opened a tremendous fire from behind a battery
upon the wood, of which the rifles had now taken
possession. Meantime, as the leading columns of the
Turkish army showed itself upon the plain, a bat-
tery oonsisting of five gunsopened upon them, which
was speedily replied to by our artillery. A path
was formed under cover of a steep bank, under
which the infantry advanced to the support of the
rifles in the wood, who had been sustaining and re-
plying in the most determined manner to the tre-
mendous fire which the enemy had been concen-
trating upon them. Sufficient credit cannot be
given to the gallantry of Colonel Ballard, whose
steadiness and courage were infused into those under
his command, and contributed largely to the success-
ful issue of the affair. While this was the position
of affairs opposite the battery, Omar Pasha detached
Osman Pasha with six battalions to a ford which
had been discovered about a mile and a half
lower down the river. Here they found themselves
warmly received by the enemy drawn up in force
upon the opposite bank. Notwithstanding the velo-
city of the current and the depth of the water, the
Turkish troops, after firing a volley, dashed across
the river in the face of a cruel fire, and in splendid
style drove the Russians into the woods behind at
the point of the bayonet. At almost the same
moment Coionel Simmonds, at the head of two
battalions of infantry and three companies of rifles,
crossed the river in front of the fort, and assaulted
it under a murderous fire. Here his aide-de-
camp, Captain Dymock, was killed while gallantly
charging at the head of his battalion, while a Rus-
sian column which attacked them in flank was
promptly met by the column under Colonel Sim-
monds at the point of the bayonet and completely
routed. This decided the day. The Russians
evacuakted" the battery in the utmost confusion,
leaving five guns and ammunition waggons in our
hands, besides about 50 prisoners. The ground
was strewn with killed and wounded ; their loss
must have been very great, though so many
escaped into the woods to die that it is difficult
to form any just estimate. Upwards of 300 have
already been found, among which were the
bodies of eight officers and two colonels. I
counted twenty-two horses lying dead in one
heap. Our own loss amounts to 400 killed and
wounded, of whom about 100 were killed. The
rifles alone lost 26 men killed and 75 wounded.
The English officers concerned in this affair all
behaved most gallantly ; of the five attached to the
army three had horses shot under them, and one
was killed. There can be no doubt that this vic-
tory will exercise a most important influence
upon the population of Mingrelia. A great por-
tion of the troops opposed to us were Mingrelians,
with no very strong Russian propensities ; and
when they find that victory has declared for the
Turps, and that the power of resistance of the
Russians, upon which they calculated so largely,
has availed them so little, they will probably dis-
perse to their homes, if they do not actually change
their colours. Of the force which was opposed to
us a very correct estimate cannot be formed, but
from the accounts we have received it cannot have
been far short of 10,000, of which 4,000 were Min-
grelians and the rest regular troops.
The Russian army is now in full retreat upon
Kutais, whither I trust that we may speedily fol-
low them. This victory has put our troops into
excellent spirit, and made them more confident
than ever (if that were possible) in the lucky star
of their General. We have just heard from Skende
Pasha, who was left in charge of the batteries op-
posite to the fortress of Ruchi, that the Russians
have abandoned their position there, and that the
troops under his command have crossed.