The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-12 00:00:00

THE NEXT MOVE.

Great and glorious as is the triumph the Allies
have achieved by the destruction of the southern
side of Sebastopol, a still grander triumph, as it
seems, remains. Doubtless we have now gainrd a
great victory, but the Russian army still exists.
Inoornita,ble and dashing courage has performed its
task ; the hour for generalship is at hand. The
superior officers in the Crimea hare been taunted
with the fact that, except perhaps at the Alma the
battles have been won by the common soldiers.
Inkermau has been baptised " the battle of tho
soldiers." Now, at least, the commanders have an
opportunity of retrieving their reputation. Igno-
rant as we must confess ourselves to be of many
circumstances which will probably modify and even
embarrass the military plan of operations, still to
an on-looker it does appear as if it were impossible
to imagine an opportunity more perfect for a dis.
play of strategic power. By the victory just won
200,000 hardened soldiers are set free from the
harassing work of open trenches, the nightly alarms
of sorties and an attack on their flank. Moreover,
1 the Russian fleet being annihilated, the Allied
fleets are at the absolute disposal of the Allied com-
manders, to transport any number of troops to any
point they please. The Russians, on the other
band, having lost probably not less than 10,000
men, must either hold the heights of Mackenzie,
with Simpheropol for theirbase, or must retreat with
all speed northward to Perekop, which is the only
line now open to them; for it is scarcely necessary to
observe, that Prince Gortschakoff will hardly be ab-
surd enough to coop up his army within the lineson
the northern side of the harbour. If the Prince re-
tires at once from the Mackenzie plateau he will be
observed by the Allies, and they will immediately
pursue him up the gorges of the Tchernaya,
if only defended by guns, without au army behind
them, would offerno effectual resistance. The allies,
with their overwhelming numbers, and elated
with success, will cruelly harass his retreat, and.
having driven him headlong into the barren steppe
which stretches between Simpheropol and Perekop,
will leave him to struggle for life with his famished
and thirsty thousands. But if the Prince should
delay for some few days, and permit the allies to
transport a corps d'arnie"6 of some 50,000 or 100,000
to Eupatoria, with all their cavalry, the Prince
and his army must be utterly destroyed. As we
observed some few days ago, the great road from
Simpheropol northwards is distant from Eupatoria
but twenty miles. Plant this corps aParmee across
the road, and the Prince must either fight a field
battle or make a precipitate retreat, exposed to an
attack on his left flank. But in either case the
probabilities are he must suffer defeat—and, in
such a case as this, defeat is annihilation. It would.
be imprudent, and even foolhardy, to enter upon
any minute speculation of the future movements
of the Allies. A few days, or even a few hours,
wiil probably enlighten us. Certainly the situation
of the Russian army is most precarious, and in-
deed such as to inspire a man of genius andstra-
tegic power. The military situation is simple
enough, and in the remarks we have just Made
,we
have done little more than point out the obvious
and necessary consequences which seem to arise
out of the relative position of the two armies.—
Morning Paper.