The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-10 00:00:00

RUSSIAN MODE OF FIGHTING IN THE

CRIMEA.

A letter from Sebastopol, dated the 24th ult. in
the Constitutionnel, says :—" The battles of 'the
Alma and Inkerman, and the siege of Sebastopol,
have enabled us to study the Russian army em-
ployed in the Crimea. Although this army is partly
composed of troops from the Danube and the Cauca-
sus, it is clumsy, not easily handled, and malacca-
vres badly in presence of an enterprising enemy.
Its generals always place it for bivouack, as in
the field of battle, in great masses, and they
do not know how to deploy it after an at-
tack, nor when to make it resist in a thin
line. The Russian infantry is very badly armed.
Some companies only have carbines made at Liege ;
the muskets, only recently transformed, badly
kept, and with butt-ends in white wood, do not
last long in a campaign. This infantry will never
attain the level of the French infantry, which is
really the first in the world for making war in
woody or hilly countries, where the general-in-
chief leaves a great deal to the initiative of the sol-
diers and to the chiefs of corps and battalions. In
the defensive, the preference must be given to the
English infantry, who, under the fire of the
enemy, rest immovable as a rampart. In a level and
exposed country, our infantry will have to modify
its manner of combatting, and to resume its old
one. This consists in employing compact or thin
order (epais ou mince), but it can only be employed
with intelligent and experienced troops. Its
superiority in arms and intelligence will, however,
always give to our infantry the advantage over the
Russian infantry, which will always lose half its
value when obliged to change its place rapidly.
On the Alma, entire Russian battalions took to
flight in surprise at the Zouaves' way of fighting—
they having advanced on them in large bodies de-
ployed, having taken advantage of all the accidents
of the ground to shelter themselves and to rally, and
having made against the masses a terrible use of
the peculiar arms confided to their skill. At In-
kerman, in the upper part of the battle-field, and
on the line of the English, the Russian infantry
bravely attacked the enemy, but did not know how
to deploy its masses so as to bring mots muskets
into play, and when the French attacked their left
flank entire battalions did not know how to change
their position. The first ranks bravely resisted
hut the following ranks fired in presenting arms.
Surprised afterwards by the sharp attack of the
Chasseurs d'Afrique, masses of men, instead of
effecting their retreat by the crests of the hills, de-
scended slowly to the lower parts of the ground
and the ravines, where they allowed themselves
to be crushed almost without defence by from
1,000 to 1,200 French. The. English have so well
understood the advantages which troops would have
in attacking either artillery or masses of infantry,
in woody or hilly countries, whilst preserving the
order deployed by the first line, that at Inkerman
they did not employ the order in columns, which
caused them to lose so great a number of men on
the Alma. On the Alma, the Russian cavalry was
worse than timid; not a charge did it attempt. At
Inkerman, the nature of the ground prevented it
from taking part in the affair. At Balaklava, it
did not dare to await the charge of two squadrons
of Chasseurs d'Afrique. The famous Cossacks
have, in fact, never attempted, even in the plain,
to carry off our advanced posts, or the marauders
who pass our lines ; but it is said that this
cavalry is but little esteemed, even in Russia. As
a set-off to this the Russians really possess a great
superiority both over the French and the English,
and especially over the French, in their artillery.
The Emperor Nicholas, no doubt in the expecta-
tion of a war against all the nations of the south of
Europe, occupied himself a good deal with that
arm, which has made great progress since the wars
at the beginning of the century. The cannon are
of a large calibre, the carriages and caissons well
made and easily moved ; the artillerymen are
brave and accustomed to their service ; the officers
know perfectly well how to choose offensive and
defensive positions ; they occupy them with bold-
ness, hold them a long time, and know how to
leave them without leaving their guns. You will
now understand why we are still before the walls
of Sebastopol, and why that place would cost us so
much blood if we were to make an assault before
its unextiuguished batteries. But we hope the
town will surrender in consequence of the difficulty
it is under of obtaining supplies of provisions, orthat
we shall obtain its keys by giving a grand battle to
the army in the field. The stores of ammunition
in Sebastopol are inexhaustible, and as the invest-
ment is not complete, the garrison can be relieved
and increased every day. Without being initiated
in the secrets of the generals-in-chief, everything
causes us to believe that they are waiting the
arrival of reinforcements which are on the way, in
order to resume the attacks which, so to speak,
have been suspended since the day of the battle of
Inkerman. We shall have in the French and
English trenches at least 300 pieces which will open
their fire, and it is more than probable that in the
.
meantime the army of observation destroy in a
battle the Russian army in the field.

THE MAIM—SOUTHAMPTON, Tuesday, Jan. 9.—The
Royal mail steam-ship Great Western, Captain T. A.
Bevis, sailed this afternoon with the usual monthly mails
for Lisbon, Madeira, Tenriffe, Cape Verdes, Pernam-
buco, Bahia, Rio Janeirio, Monte Video, and Buenos
Ayres. The Great Western has a valuable cargo of Bri-
tish and French merchandise, specie valued at 32,0001.
sterling, and 92 passengers, among whom are the Duke
of Saxe Coburg and suite for Lisbon, and Mr. Souvi-
leithnew, Austrian Minister at Rio. The next home-
ward mails from the Brazils and River Plate are due
here on the 16th inst., by the Royal mail steamer
Great Western. The Atrato is to take out the West
India and Pacific mails of the 17th inst., and it is ex-
pected the Solent will arrive about the same date with
the inward mails from the West Indies. The United
States mail steamer Union, Captain Adams, is to take
out the American mails from Southampton for New
York on the 17th inst. The Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer Euxine is to leave on the 20th inst.
with the snails for India, China, and the Mediterranean.
LONDON AND GREENWICH RAILWAY.—Tho half-yearly
meeting of this company was held yesterday at the
offices, Coleman-street; Mr. J. Wilson in the chair. The
accounts showed that the receipts for the half-year end-
ing the 31st of December last amounted to 22,9951., in-
cluding 277/. from the last account, and 22,5001., the
half-year's rent of the railway received from the South-
Eastern Company. The payments amounted to 11,4291.,
including 4,7001. for interest on loans, and 5,568/. for
interest on preference shares, leaving a balance. of
11,5661., out of which it was proposed to declare a &vs-
deed sof ss. 3d. per ordinary share, free of income tax.
Resolutions were passed, adopting the accounts, i
de-
claring a dividend of ss. 3d. per share, free of ncorae-
tax, and re-electing the retiring directors, The meetipg
they
separated.