The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-09 00:00:00

7~~

r PRICE 5D

THE LATE SORTIE BEFORE SEBAST OPOL

The following is an extract from.a letter written
by an officer in the Royal Artillery :
" Camp before Sebastopol, March 23.
" The action of last night—l might almost dignify
it by the name of battle'—has been a glorious and
decisive victory.
" It was lukerman on a 'small scale—an attack
in very great force, and on all points ; and every
where they were beaten back with vigour and
heavy loss. I saw at least 300 Russian bodies'
lying on the field. We calculated that their loss
must have exceeded 1,200 men.
" The French lost 500, and the English four
officers and about 50 men. Captain Vicars, of the
97th, was in the advanced parallel of our right
attack, with a picket of his regiment. The enemy
attacked the French lines close alongside where he
lay ; a ravine only separated them. They at first
drove back the French, and part of them then
turned. to their right,
.crossed the ravine, and took
our trench in flank. We were unprepared, and at
first thought the advancing body was one of the
French. But Vicars found out they were the Rus-
sians, and ordered his men to lie down, and wait
till they clime within 20 paces ; and they did so.
When the enemy was close enough, Vicars shouted,
Now, 97th, on your pins, and charge !' They
poured in a volley, charged, and drove the Rus-
sians • quite out of the trench. View himself
struck down two Russians, and was in the act of
cutting down a third with his sword, when another
man, who was quite close (for the coat was singed),
fired, and the ball entered his uplifted right arm
close to where it joins the shoulder, and he fell.
The arteries were divided, and lie must have bled
to death in a few minutes.
"Thus his end was as peaceful and painless as a
soldier's death could be, and nothing ,could have
been more noble, devoted, and glorious than his
conduct in this, his first and last engagement. •
"He was universally *beloved, and none can
doubt who know him that he is now in the presence
of that great and holy God whom on earth ho
deeply loved, and earnestly and successfully sought
to serve.
"Poor fellow ! he chose the Psalms and lessons
for the preceding day (the Day of Humiliation),
and read the service, when several of us met to-
gether to worship God ; all present must have
noticed the fervour of his manner ; little did we
think he was so soon to be numbered with the
dead."

A letter dated from- off Sebastopol, March 24,
says :

•
"On the 22d the Russians made a heavy sortie
in the night on both ours and the French trenches;
they were repulsed with great loss, but we also
suffered—nine officers and 100 men killed and
missing, among whom is the Colonel of the 29th,
whether killed or missing is uncertain. On the
same evening the town was set fire to by some of
our mortars, which are doing great execution, and
kept burning all night. The deserters still confirm
the report of Menschikoff's death, saying he died
five days after receiving the wound in his knee.
" Admiral Tstomine was also killed by a shell in
the Malakhoff Battery—the same pm son who was
well known to Sir E. Lyons, and who exchanged
presents—' a cheese for a deer'—some time back.
" Summer is fast making its appearance. Ther-
mometer often at 60 deg., and the weather exceed-
ingly mild.

The Russian Captain Kowseloff, who was on board
the Agamemnon some time, and was ultimately
exchanged for Lord Dunkellin, was shot 48 hours
after h had landed for having been captured
drunk."

A letter from the fleet at Balaklava, dated March
23, says :—" There are in harbour her Majesty's
ships Diamond, • Leander, Wasp, . Vesuvius, and
Caradoc. The Medina arrived here a few days ago
with warrant officers' stores, and sailed yesterday
for the fleet. Lieutenant Jambier, of the Diamond,
has been invalided. Huts are in course of construc-
tion for the reception of the sick belonging to the
Marine Brigade. When they are completed the
sick will be removed from the transport Pride of
the Ocean to them. Huts are also ir. coursa_of
erection for the stores for the Naval Brigade, when
they will be transferred from the transport Sir
Robert Sale. By- these arrangements two large
vessels will be disposable. The Vesuvius sails to•
morrow for Constantinople and Malta. Lieutenant
Casey, R.M., is on board a transport under medi-
cal treatment. Admiral Boxer has shifted from'.
the Oscar steamer to the Columbia sailing trans-
port. The Danube, purchased steamer, arrived
here yesterday from the fleet."