The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

The Chatham Siege Review,

One of these scientific displays for which this
garrison is so deservedly famous, and which from
the natural facilities of the situation can be
:wide to combine movements both by land and
water on the most extensive scale, took place on
Saturday in ithe presence of a great assemblage of
spectators. It is seldom that more than one of these
great siege assaults can he given at Chatham in
the year, for the simple reason that their proper
fulfilment involves all the labour in the way of
throwing up regular parallels which would be re-
quired in an actual siege. In fact, for the last three
months Chatham at the weakest part of its defences,
the flank of the works on St. Mary's Creek, has been
regularly and scientifically besieged—the first,
second, and third parallels constructed, and every-
thing brought to that state at which nothing ree
mains bat to deliver the general assault. Of course
it is part of the Engineers' education to gain such a
practical knowledge of siege works as can only be
derived from the formation of regular approaches
against a regularly fortified pace. Thus, all the
works through which the attack was delivered on
Saturday were constructed with precisely the same
solidity and care as they would be by an enemy
if attacking the garrison from St. Mary's Creek,
and all the knowledge to be derived from the lesson
of throwing up the works having then been achieved
advantage was taken of their completion to give the
public the spectacle of a final assault before all was
destroyed and filled again. The attack was supposed
to be made by daylight, and the besieged prepared
to meet it by counteremines under the most advanced
of the enemies' works—the trench cavalier, which
overlooked them, and the lodgment they had made
on the glacis of the Redan. They had also sunk
torpedoes in St. Mary's Creek, across which they
had constructed a boom, and as further security to
this flank, had erected a strong blockade to prevent
their line being turned. The besiegers were to come
mence operations by blowing up the boom, opening
fire along the whole line, forcing the passage of the
creek in boats, while another assault by escalade on
two points was made on the land side, where the
breaching mines under the works of the besieged
were sprung, end, through the opening effected
by these, a general assault made. A review so
novel and so varied in its operations of course drew
together a great muster of visitors. Their
Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince
Alfred, Prince Arthur, Prince Louis of Hesse, and
the Duke of Cambridge, with a large staff of officers,
including Sir Richard Airey, Sir John Burgoyne,
Lord Alfred Paget, Major Elphinstone, Hon. Col.
Wrottesley, Colonel Keppel, Major Cowell, &c.,
came down to be present on this occasion. The
Royal party travelled from Victoria in a special
train, and were received at Chatham by Lord
Harris, the chairman of the company, and General
Eyre, the Commandant. The Prince of Wales
and the Duke of Cambridge both wore the un-
dress uniform of Generals, the Prince having
also the Star of the Order of the Garter on
his breast; Prince Alfred wore the full uniform of
a lieutenant in the navy, Prince Arthur a Highland
dress, and Prince Louis the Prussian cavalry uni-
form in which he appeared at the volunteer review
in Hyde-park. A small party of German and French
officers also followed in the royal suite. It was at
one time announced that the Princess of Wales
would honour the review with her presence, and
great was the disappointment when it was known
she would not come. Perhaps, however, on think-
ing the matter over, the good folks of Chatham will
be consoled by recollecting that England has much
more gratifying spectacles to afford the Princess
than a public illustration of the terrible facility
with which numbers can overpower an ill-succoured

fortification. The royal party on their arrival par-
took of luncheon at the mess of the Royal Engi-
neers, after which chargers were brought round for
the whole of the large party, who rode off at once
to the first parallel, and so by the connecting zig•

zags made a complete circuit of the besiegers' works.
This occupied some little time, for they were of con-
siderable extent, and, as we have said, of the same
solidity as the approaches used in warfare—better
in afloat respects, and especially as regards finish,
than any the English made in the Crimea. This
inspection over, their Royal Highnesses proceeded
to a small casemated battery in the centre, between
the right and left attacking columns, and so placed
as to command an entire view of the operations,
both by land and water. On the left, near the
creek, was the weak part of the position, where
amid a debris of rough brickwork rose a much de-
faced battery with a litter of gabions behind it pre-
cisely similar, though on a smaller scale, to the
. . _

position of the Russian Radan. This resemblance

became painfully striking, when at the final move-
ment such thin and weak columns were seen

issuing across the open to attack it, Oa the
right the besieged were not much better off.
The guns of the third parallel looked down upon
them, a nest of rifle pits were in their front, while
down into the Redan, their last hope, a trench
cAvalier—that is a strong earthwork with its parapet
covered with sandbags, with intervals between them

for the riflemen to fire through—the strongest kind
of loopholed wall in fact—was waiting for the signal
to deal oat its murderous volleys. The besieged
garrison were all men of the Marine Artillery, the
besiegers Mat ines and Royal Engineers, so that the
difference between the red uniforms of the latter
and the blue undress of the former marked the lines
of attack and defence most clearly. Before three
o'clock all were in their places, and the view from
the summits of the casemates, which were crowded

with spectators, was wonderfully fine. The wide-

spreading angular linas of attack and defence were

clearly visible at every point, with the troops lying
close in wait behind them. Out to sea, or at least
on the waters of the Medway, mixed with the white
hulls of the convict ships, lay several men-of-war,
hugely conspicuous above them all being the dark
hull and four lofty masts of the Achilles, round
which and other ship was swarming quite a fleet
of little boats armed with guns, and filled with

coops, waiting for the signal to make their dash at

the creek and turn the works by landing in their
rear. Suddenly, amid profound quiet, the signal
was given, soon after 3 o'clock, by a dull, heavy
explosion from the middle of St. Mary's Creek, fol-
lowed by a quick rising column of smoke and water,
which carried the fragments of the destroyed boom
high into the air. All eyes were fixed on it as the

mass slowly fell, leaving the creek covered with
smoke and foam, and then on every side the long-
sustained roar and rattle of the attack and defence
began. Then, indeed, the hopeless condition of the

besieged was seen at a glance. Around them on

every side, high over the devoted lines, and down
in grassy nooks, where no on one dreamt that guns
lay lurking, came the roar of guns which seemed to
shake the air. From the rifle pits on the right
front a coLstant sputtering fire was poured into

every embraeure, while from the trench cavalier

we have spoken of as looking into the demi-bastion
of the redan came volleys, which swept the

parapets opposed to it far and near. Though

supposed to be surprised, disheartened, and over-
matched, yet the garrison, to do them justice,
stuck to their posts as manfully as if they were
Danes; all their guns were worked at the double
quick, giving shot for shot as well as they could to
the besiegers, while the infantry lined the parapets,
and at least replied to if they could not keep down
the volleys of musketry which were poured into
them. But now a new foe came upon the scale.
With the first signal the boats from the men-of-war
had started towards the creek, and taking up dif-
ferent piAitions, so as to enfilade some of the de-
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encircled with attacking guns close in their front
on land, but not harassed by the quick distant fire
of the boats at sea, which were so actively engaged
as to cover the Medway with wreaths of smoke.
T e
twoside the beseiged, as a last
o
pressed onevery
sprang
their mines—one under the
cavalier, lirecre,which was doing them such murderous
mischief, one under the lodgment the enemy had
effected in the redan. As the spectators were so
close to these spots both the mines were of small
charges, only sufficient to destroy the profile of the
works and drive the enemy out of them, which they
did most effectually. Thus for a moment relieved,
the besieged turned their attention to the boats, and