The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-22 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

• JUNE 8.
I have to tell you to-day of one of the most gallant affairs
which have occurred

the bravery and gallantry of the English and French troops

shone in their of ti glory.

You will have heard, of course, by telegraph, of the tak-
ing of the Ma melon by the French, and of tho Quarries in
advance of the Great Redan by the English, yesterday
. _

evening at 7 o'clock.

The day before it was no mystery that something great
was impending, and everywhere one could see those un-
mistakeable, although silent signs, which are always its
forerunners, but the first active preparatory movements
began at 4 o'clock iuthe afternoon.
The 12 Turkish battalions, which were encamped mid-
way between Balaklava and the front, were under arms by
that time ; they had nothing with them but their arms,
even their great-coats followed on bat horses. Omer Pasha
and kis staff were in advance, while the troops, dressed out
in their best clothes and white trousers, followed in co-

lumns of battilions. Near tho road leading up to the rear
of the Fourth Division, just where the French camp runs,

on the extreme right of the English, the troops halted for
a moment on an open spot.
Nearly-at the same time with them a column of French

Guards:advanced from the road which crosseß over from

the great road of Karriesh, and passed on towards the ra-
vine, to the left of Frenchman's-hill, where already the
Zouaves, Chasseurs, and the French Infantry were waiting

to advance.

In our camp everything was likewise on the alert. The

Light Division, which occupied the sides of the ravine, had
already turned out the volunteers destined to take the
quarry, while the volunteers of the Second Division were
gradually airiring. All looked as if they were going to a
merry party rather than take a position defended by heavy
siege guns. They were talking and laughing away, while
the French were cheering the Guard which was arriving,
and singing a chan,son, in chorus.
it was a little after five o'clock when the first battalion
of Chasseurs passed down the gorge which leads towards
the plateau crowned by the Mameion. Just about this
time General Pennefather arrived with his staff when the
air rang with hurrahs, caps flew up, and whenever he
stopped for a moment he was surrounded by the soldiers,
who seem to love him like a father. As the cheering did
not cease, he winked as if to ask them to listen for a
moment, and then said, smiling, " Leave the cheering till
you have taken the place," which was succeeded by other
cheers and cries of, "We will take it," and "Never fear
us," &e.
The passing through the narrow rivine took a good
deal of time, and it was nearly six o'clock when the first
column of English volunteers fell in with one loud cheer.
As you may imagine, every one of the remaining soldiers
followed with intense interest the columns vanishing out
of sight, and crowds hastened to the heizhts to see what
was going .on. No one seemed to entertain the slightest
doubt but that the attack would be successful. This con-
viction of the certainty of success, without taking away
anything from the interest felt in the attack, dissipated a
great deal of that anxiety which naturally prevails on
such an important occasion. The Mamelon and the
Quarry are the keys of the Malakhoff Tower and the
Redan, and both the latter are nearly sure to fall with the
possession of the former, but certainly cannot be taken ,
without theM.
While the French and English columns proceeded
'through the ravine—the first to the Intrance of the plateau
leading up to the Mamelon, and the'second to the trenches
on our right attack—the Turks marched down towards
Inkerman, and occupied the position formerly held by our
Second Division, and so gallantly defended in the Battle
of Inkermau.
This was partly ter support our right wing, partly to
serve as a reinforcement to the French, who intended to
take the Ouvrages Blanes, which opposed them on that
side.
Expectation was every moment rising to a higher pitch,
when, just about 7 o'clock, three rockets were fired from
the French trenches to our right, and immediately after-
wards a brisk fusillade was heard in all directions, and soon
after the French were seen rushing up the Mamelon. The
Mamelon is, as its name indicates, a mound crowning the
plateau which forms the western shore of Careening
Creek. The plateau on which the Mamelon lies is crowned,
moreover, by the larger mound on which the Tower of
Malakhoff is situate. This plateau forms a continuation
of the crest now occupied by the French advanced trench,
so that in leaving the most advanced rifle-pits the ascent
to the Mamelon begins immediately, but very gradually.

The distance, which is not above 505. yards, Wits-overcorim
in a moment, and in a few'reinutes afterwards the French
were close to the embrasures and the parapet. Having no
scaling ladders there, a stop occurred for one moment, and
the furious musketry which was heard, and two guns fired
at the, very moment when the French were already in the
embrasures, showed that the ascent, if short, was hotly
contested. But the smoke of these guns had scarcely with-
drawn when the French were already seen on the parapet,
and the musketry was heard inside the walls—a sure sign
that the French were in. '
The victory, however, was not yet won, foi the Russians,
reinforced from the Malakhoff Tower, attacked stoutly on
their side, supported at the same time by the heaVy guns
of the Tower and the eight-gun battery on the other side.
They possessed themselves of the trench connecting the Ma-
melon with the Tower, and opened a heavy musktry fire.
One could see quite plainly how the reinforcements ran
out of the Malakhoff and hastened to occupy the advanced
trench. The French, taken by surprise by this unexpected
rush, were obliged to fall back half way down the hill,
where they remained under cover until the reinforcements
came up, and a second rush as fast aathe first put them in
possession once more of the Mamelon. A steady light
shown at one of the embrasures, and followed by a signal
of three rockets, stopping the firing of our guns against
the Mamelon, announced the fact. Not content to keep
it, a good number of the French began pursuing the enemy
and advancing against the ,Malakhoff Tower. It was on the
plateau behind the Mamelon and the connecting ridge be-
tween this latter and theMalakhoff Tower that a fearful mas-
sacre took place. Notwithstanding the quick firing of the
heavy guns of the Tower, and the enfilading fire of the Russian
eight-gun battery to the right of the Mamelon, and not-
withstanding the fire of some of the ships in the harbour,
our gallant allies succeeded in reaching and ascending the
Malakhoff Tower—at least, a part of it, but it was impoi-
sible to keep it. A powder magazine or a mine exploded
inside, and the French, after having spiked seven of the
guns, retired to the Mamelon, which they kept, notwith-
standing all the exertions of the enemy, and still keep.
I do not wish to interrupt the narrative of the taking of
the Mamelon by inserting simultaneous events which took
place in the Quarry and on the French right towards the
Ouvrages Blanes.
Our troops, as I said, went down to our right attack
(Gordon's Battery), and occupied the advanced trench. At
the Paine time that the French hastened up to the Marne-
lon our gallant fellows, with the 7th, 88th, 34th, and 31st
in advance, gallantly carried the Quarry. In order to form
an idea what the Quarry is I must give you a description
of the locality. The ravino,of I“raaelaia, through which
the Woronzoff-road runs, separates the Redan from the
Malakhoff Tower and Mamelon, and the Woronzefaroad
separates our right from the left attack. The Quarry is on
the aide of the steep hill which is crowned by the Redan,
about half-way between our most advanced trench of the
right attack and the base of the Redan. Not only this
latter, but likewise the Malakhoff Tower, and even a part
of the eight-gun battery, can sweep over it. Not-
withstanding' all these difficulties, the Quarry was ours
in just the time required to go there from the advanced
trench ; and an officer of the 7th, whose name I could
not ascertain, and Captain Meynott, of the 88th, were
the first on the parapet, for the Quarry had been converted
into a regular rifle-pit. But from the exposed position of
this place, and from its importance, it being the key of the
Redau, it was one of those spots less difficult to take tb,in
to keep. During the whole night the Russians were eut
ing one series of continual murderous attacks, sytanow.
being able to make any impression on our gallant to"
Neither shell, nor grape, nor bullet, nor haaoneet
al to form a
anything against them. It is scarcely pose]
our soldiers
w ithout
complete idea of the awful situation in which
were. c
any dif-
ould do
of Caing
Oulhe extreme right the French took,
ficulty, the Ouvrages Blanes, on the east side
two re Careen ments of
Bay, which were afterwards occupied by
Turks: you must not expect
nett post. I give you
thlendethtaeilpsroesfstuhroesoofafftiamire
l features.
on this occasion only their general
d k t
annonado an musketry
During the night the c
the Inkerman batteries were
ceased for one moment ; even
auundtilevtehnetng
Ouvrages Blanes, which
they enfilade.
busy firing at the French in the
•
This morning the bonstemlment on our side was resumed
again with great vigour, and continued the whole day
much
I
sible, and connected
them with their former advanced
The French repaired the Mamelon works as as pof-
trenches, so that they can go up now without difficulty.
We on our side connected likewise the Quarry with the
advanced trench of our right attack, and strengthened it.
T
French, I hear, want to wait a few days until they'
but every night strong parties are going
Gown
our again;
side as well as on theirs, in order to be ready
attack
i e
o
aosanst any attack from the Russians, and to be preps, ed
to take advantage of any opportunity wbioh cony occur.
The spirit of the men, notwithstanding the fatigues ana
dangers of the position, is really heroic. Death seems to
have lost all his terrors from being a daily companion, and
his appearance, in whatever shape he may come, is no
longer an event. To-day, for instance, by a curious coin-
cidence, Capt. Bingham H. Edward Muller, of the Ist
Royals, was carried, to the sound of the Dead March in