The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-04 00:00:00

DIARY OF THE SIEGE AT SILISTRIA.

We make the following extracts from a detailed
account of the siege of Silistria :
May IG.—At five in the morning the enemy opened
fire from his batteries on the islands, and continued to
throw shot and shell into the town throughout the day.
Casualties, 12 killed ; wounded, no return. The amount
of casualties, particularly of the wounded, is exceed-
ingly difficult to be ascertained, as no return of wounded
is made, and the amount of killed is frequently con-
cealed. The amount of killed and wounded among the
townspeople, of course I do not attempt to estimate ;
they have remained, however, throughout the siege in
vaults of their own construction, where they bad taken
refuge on the bombardment commencing. We estimate
the tot it force of the enemy on both sides of the river to
be about 35,000 men.
17th.—Cannonade commenced at daybreak, and
continued throughout the day till about seven p.m.
Between 10 and 11 heard smart firing beyond Arab
Tabia, and a report circulating in the garrison that
a force from Shumla, marching to our relief, is attacking
the Russians. Much excitement in consequence. On
arriving there I found, however, it proceeded merely
from our skirmishers being hotly engaged with those of
the enemy ; the former after some time driven in as be-
fore from want of guns, severely shelled as they retired.
The Russians, however, not advancing, they were again
sent out. The enemy during this day having obtained
the range of the north-east bastion (Tschengel), it be-
came necessary to place gabions on the top of the parapet
to shelter the men from his fire. While this work was
going on during the night, a furious fire was opened on
it as well as the northern face of the works, and was
continued at intervals, answered by our guns, till morn-

ing.
18th.—A four-gun battery, erected during last night
on the island of Salhane, opposite the Tschengel bastion,
opened this morning. The Russian fire throughout the
day was very slack, ceasing nearly altogether between
ten and twelve. At sunset it increased, and was sharply
carried on during the night. The sick were removed
from the hospital and put under canvass below the
citadel, the former situation not being safe from the
enemy's shell.
19th.—The enemy broke ground, opening his first
parallel across the Rassova road, at a distance of nearly
two miles from the fortress. Its extreme right resting
on the river, where a steamer keeps pace with his move-
ments, supplying materials from the opposite side, the
parallel extends along the line of heights next but one
to Arab Tabia. Another battery on Salhane was opened
for the purpose of silencing Fort Yelanli. An officer
who had been sent to Shumla to report the commence-
ment of the siege returned with Omer Pasha's answer,
that we were not to expect any relief for at least
fifteen days. The trees to the east of the town
were directed to be cut down ; this order, however,
like many other Turkish ones, was not carried out.
Firing continued throughout the night, some of the
shells sent from the enemy's batteries on the opposite
side bursting close to the citadel, a distance of fully two
miles.
20th.—The enemy commenced his second line of
batteries on this side of the Danube. About half-past
three a smart affair commenced, and lasted about two
or three hours, between our Chasseurs and Albanians
and the enemy's riflemen. Butler accompanied the
skirmishers, who drove the enemy, nearly double their
number, over the hill, into the valley beyond, although
his field-pieces kept up a vigorous fire of grape and
shell on them the whole time. Butler says that
the Russian riflemen worked well, taking admir-
able advantage of every cover afforded, whence
they kept up a brisk fire on our men as they
advanced. During the affair a battalion of Egyp-
tians, who had been thrown out in reserve, were foolishly
brought forward by their commanding officer in
mistake of which the enemy did not fail to takehusudsy:und-
tage, directing on them a severe fire from
obvoet g
light troops, till he forced them to retire
immediately about
While doing so, some shells falling n
the battalion caused a slight confusiozinli:Enuitifis
urearnkrest,uurnmteild,
on Butler's suggestion, the coalman
his men, and made them lie down under the brow of the
hill. A man who had been found within the enemy's
line by some of our skirmisber;
nonsptyh,eiran advdance,
beiwas
, not ng
brought in, suspected of being
account of himself, was ordered
able to give a satisfactory
into confinement. Cannonl?.lasted the greater part of
the night ; not replied to by us. d
firing in the direction
of Arab Tabia and the ground between it and the river.
We hurried up there, and found our skirmishers hard at
work in the same position as on the 17th. Two Cireas-
sians (one of them severely wounded) were brought in
as prisoners, and told us that at 2 o'clock a general at-
tack on the redoubt would take place, a thing which
seemed by no means unlikely from the disposition-of the
enemy, who had been distributing his forces as if with
some view of this nature all the morning. At a quarter
before 2 o'clock p.m. two large bodies of cavalry were
seen advancing against Arab 'Una, while a third body,
with infantry, proceeded westward towards the ground
in front of the citadel. On the guns of Arab Tabia and
Fort Order opening on them, however, they retired, and
left us for the day. Cannonade on the town as usual,