The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-13 00:00:00

THE MILITIA..

THE BATTLE 01? ALMA.

(FROM AN OFFICER IN THE pIUARDS.)
BIVOUAC, RtvettieLtda, 21.
I hasten to write a few lines to tell you that I am
safe and well, knowing how anxious you will be, after
hearing that we have had au action with tee Russians.
Accounts of the battle you will see in the. papers much
better describing it than any I could give, as I could
see nothing beyond what was
in ingoing on
my own bri-
gade. That you will see was the thickest of it, as the
severe The
ofTohnermcaasruciallftrieosmwKilrlapmriosyceh,ijotnor
Bloasiisalc
beingnl. very
we bivouacked on the night of the 19th, and again from
Baljanik to Alma, was tho grandest spectacle I ever
where
saw. The whole army, French, English, and Turkish,
advanced in battle array for that distance over a plain
as smooth almost as a lawn, and with just sufficient un-
dulation to show one at times the whole force at a coup
(Vail. My division was on the left, and we were about
three miles tram the sea ; the fleet coae,tiog
along
abreaet of us completed the picture. About 12 o'clock on
the 20th on crowning a ridge we came all at once in sight
,of the Russian army in an entrenebef
ewe) beyond the
Alma, distant about three miles. Immediately we ap-
peared they set fire t- a village between us and.
them, so as to mask their force by the enaoke. 11, e
continued advancing steadily, halting occasionally
to rest the men, till half-past one, when the first shot
sae fired, and soon after the mule of musketry
toll us that our rifle skirmishers were engaged.
Our division then deployed into lino, and we stood so
frr about 20 minutes, an occasional 'round shot rolling
up to us, but so spent that one was able to step aside
from its Wounded men from the front soon began to
be carried through our lines to the rear, and loose and
wounded horses began to gallop about. At last we were
ordered to advance, which we (lid for about 300 yarb
nearer the batteries, and halted, and the men lay down.
We were now well within range, and the round shot
fell tolerably thick, an occasional shell bursting over our
heals. Atter standing steady for about 20 *minutes, the
Lgrhkt
the ranges,Division(who were in line in front of us) advanced
advanced again, and we followed. The Russians had pet posts to
inia
h they hwaidthgi
no t
20w0i t
agrrdesa to
of
c thecu
river and 700 from the batteries, -
racy. We now awall for five minutes, till we and halted under a low
saw the Light Division
over the river, when we continued our advance in sup-
port of them. On crossing the wall we carve into vine-
yards, and here the cannonade was most terrific, the
grape and canister falling around us like hail—the flesh
of each gun being instantly followed by the splash of
grape among the tilled ground like a heedful of gravel
throwninto a pool. On reaching the river the fire
from a. large body of riflemen was added, but the men
dashed through, up to their middle in water, and
halted on the opposite side, to reform their ranks, under
shelter of a high bank. At this moment the Light Divi-
sion had gained the intrenchtnent and the British colour
was pianted in the fort ; but, ammunition failing them,
they were forced back, The Scots Fusiliers were hurried
on to support thorn before they had had to reform them-
selves, and the 231, retiring in some confusion upon
them, threw them fur a few minutes into utter disorder.
The Russians, perceiving this,' dashed out of the fort
upon them, and a frightful struggle teok place, which
ended in their total discomfiture. For a minute or two

the Scots Fusilier colours stood alone in the front, while
Gen. Bentinck rallied the men to them, their officers lead-
ing them on gallantly. At this moment 1 rode fate the
Coldstream, through whose ranks the Light Division
had retired, leaving them the front line. They advanced
up the hill splendidly, with the Highlanders on their
left, and not a shot did they fire till within 150 or 200
yards from the intrenchments. A battery of 18 and 24.
pounders was in position in our front, and a swarm
of Riflemen behind them. Fortunately the enemy's
fire was much too' high, passing close over our heads,
the men who were here killed being all hit on the
crown of the head, and the Colestreanis actually
lost none. When we got about fifty yards from
the intreuchtnent the enemy turned tail, leaving
us masters of the battery and the day. As they re-
tired they took all their guns except two, and a great
many of their wounded. In spite of this the ground
was covered with dead and dying, lying in heaps in
every direction on what might be called the glacis, nod
inside the nittenehtuents they were so thick that one
could hardly avoid riding over them ; but the excite-
ment of the victory stifled for the time all feeling of
horror fur such a scene, and it was not till this morning,
when I visited the battle field, that I could at all realise
the horrors which must be the price of such a day.
Most fervently did I thank God, who had preserved me
amid such dangers. How I escaped seems to me the
more enarvellees the more I think of it. Though on
horseback (on my old charger), my cocked hat and
clothes were spriukhel all over with blood. The loss of
the b: igale of Guards is very severe, but the proportion
of deaths to wounded is extraordinarily small. On calling
the roll after the action, 312 rank and file and 15 officers
were discovered to be killed and wounded. Besides these
was my poor friend Horace Cust, who was struck by a
round shot in crossing the river. He was aide-de-camp to
General Bentinck, and we were witteriug our horses at the
time when the shot struck his horse in the shoulder and
smashed poor Cwt's thigh. He died soon after the leg
was amputated. Charles Baring, who has lost his arm
(taken out of the socket), is the only other Coldstream
officer hit. They only went into action with 16 officers,
less than half their complement. We have beet' occu-
pied the whole day in burying the dead. About 1,000
were hid is the ditch of thy fort, rj.lhe earthen parapet

SEBASTOPOL TAKEN BY THE ALL-LIES.
Who took Sebastopol 1
I, said the Times;
With telegraphic lines,
I took Sebastopol.
" ft may now be confidently stated that the forts of Se-
bastopol fell successively before the combined powers of
the assailants; that at least half the Russian fleet perished;
that the flags of the allies were waving on the Church of
St. Vladimir, and that on the 26th Prince Menschikoff
surrendered the place r —Times, leading article, Oct. 4.
" Never, since the days of Napoleon—we may almost
say since the days' of Caesar—has an exploit of arms been
' attended with such entire or instantaneous stnioess."—
nnes, leading article, Oct. 5.
Who saw it fall f
I, said the Chronicle;
With triumph sardonical,
I saw it fall.
"We feel the fullest assurance that Sebastopol has
fallen, and we look to receive, at any moment, intelligence
which shall place beyond all doubt that splendid achieve-
ment of the allied armies !"—Morning Chronicle, leading
article, Oct. 3.

Who saw the Russians run ?
I, said the Post ;
I saw the host
Of beaten Russians rnn.
" Sebastopol is taken ! . . Menschikoff, having be-
takon himself to the fleet, made with them to the inner
harbaur, with so much of it as remained. There ho is said
to have declared that he would blow up all sooner than
surrender On the grand point alone can we
bo said to be sure. Sebastopol is ours. At what expense
—at what cost—remains to bo judged with exactness and
precision from details."—Morniny Post, loading article,
Oct. 3.

Who saw them bleed ?
I, said the Daily Metes ;
(To keep up the ruse);
I saw them bleed.
"Let the leader fancy to himself the rearing and re
verheratiou of ill thi3 artillery in a space of some throe
milts long, with an average of half a mile in breadth,
heantied in by abrupt ascents, varying from 200 to 400
feet. Let him fancy, in addition, the thundering broad-
sides from the allied fleets off the mouth of the harbour.
Let him add to this the noise and clamour of the assault
and defence of the North Fort on the heights immediately
behind the Double Battery; and, after its fall, of the artil-
lery, 3lini6 rifles, and platoon firing of the allied land
troops lining the heights which overlook the harbour
fr the noit.,!l. To alt this let him again add the noise of
explosions, now of a fort, now of a man-of-war. Let him
conceive the hollow of the harbour thus filled with smoke
and flame ; resounding with the deep roar of artillery and
the pattering of fire-arms ; the solid earth shaking with
the reverberation of the rent and tormented atmosphere.
And, last of all, let him imagine, in the midst of this
artificial volcanic eruption, masses of human beings inter-
changing sabre blows and bayonet thrusts, closing in
death grapples, panting with exhaustion, fevered with
quenehleee thirst, writhing in mortal agony. Of the
Russians 19,000 aro said to have been killed in this man-
made bell; how many of the allies have fallen is still
nuleauwn. And all these horrors have been called into
existenee by the selfish, relentless will of one man, who sits
at safe distance, surrounded by all the gorgeous and
voluptuous appliances of a Sybarite court."—Daily Xews,
leading article, Oct. 4.
Who'll dig their grave ?
I, said the Advertiser;
(Urquhart's improviser);
I'll dig their grave.
"It is to be hoped that the victories which have been
won on the heights of the Alma and amid the trenches of
Sebastopol aro but the precursors of other triumphs which
will completely crush the Czar. And in that case, not only
will the progress of despotism in Europe be arrested, but
we may confidently calculate on seeing the tide of civilisa-
tion and Liberalism not only set in in other countries
where Absolutisai now prevails, but even make its way
into Russia itself. If the Czar is fairly beaten, if he is
u:,terly vanquished, without any hope of his recovering the
ground ho has lost, it anuld not surprise us were revolu-
tions to take place in his own empire. With the prestige
of his name and arms completely gone, Nicholas will not
only cease to be respected by his subjects, but his life will
be in danger from the dagger of the assassin, orhe t
poisoned chalice of some one sustaining to him a closer re.
Ist ion than that of subject."—Morning Advertiser, leading
article, Oct. 3.
Who'll preach a sermon ?
I, said the Globe ;
I'll don the parson's robe,
I'll preach a sermon.
" llow far too valuable to have been allowed to think of
blowing himself up with Sebastopol—as a right-hand man
for the Autocrat of all the Russias still left to Peter's suc-
cessor, by the result of the appeal to arms so haughtily
accepted by him--is a Menschikoff, whose bulletins are
truss penned and thus dated ! Theta are all alike traits of
the earn, unfailing thrasonical genius ; of the Russian
geniue, before which that of Europe had almost seemed to
quail."—Globe, leading article, Oct. 4.
Who'll toll the bell?
I, said the Sun,
(Though he gloried in the fun) ;
I'll toll the bell.
"Notwithstanding this scepticism, we have no hesita-
tion in adhering to our original opinion, and expressing
our earnest and unflinching conviction that the accounts
already published are substantially correct, that Sebasto-
pol had virtually fallen, and that there had been an enor-
mous sacrifice of human life amongst its defenders ; and
we fear we must also add amongst its gallant assail-
ants, and also that a largo number of prisoners had boon
taken.
" Vengeance ! Yes, in this mild, sentimental age, wo
deliberately csll for vengeance. The blood of our soldiers,
Ailed in a righteous cause, demands it as lotidly as did the
blood of the first victim of hellish passions. Accurate de-
tails may increase or lessen by a few the number of our
sl:sin ; but be the number what it may, their deaths must
be avenged. Blood for blood we ask not, unless, indeed, a
Czar cculd lee made to atone for his military murders as a
Charles Stuart once did."—Sun, leading article, Oct. 3.
All the people in the land
Began to doubt their eyes
To see their daily papers
Pat forth ouch WAIL u.a17:4310:04'

Lord . Cowley's letter of condolence to the French
Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the lamented deeth of
Marshal St. Arnaud, truly and gracefuly expresses the
fee'inge which have been excited in this country by the
t'dings of that melancholy event. All Englishmen must
entertain a deep respect for the military devotion which
led the deceased general, with a perfect knowledge of
the doom which science had pronounced, to accept the
most arduous and responsible duty which a general
ould be called upon to undertake. All must admire
the eminent zeal and ability with which that duty was
executed ; and it is universally regretted that it has
not been given to him to share in the consumma-
tion of the glorious enterprise in the eariier stages of
which he performed so high and important a part. In
the career of General Canrobert, however' we confi-
dently expect to see the same generosity o feeling, the
same courage; and the same strategic ability which
distinguished his predecessor, and we rely with full
assurance on the maintenance of that perfect harmony
of counsel and unity of action which have so conspi-
cueusly marked all the operations of the Allies. Under
Marshal St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan the armies of
France and England have known no other rivalry than
that of etnulous devotedness to the groat common
cause ; and though it may at first have seemed strange
to the troops of each nation to be associated with those
of the other, we may be sure that a battle like that
of the Alma has done the work of years in esta-
blishing solid and • cordial friendships. The pru-
dence of the commanders assigned to the troops of each
country the duties best adapted to their peculiar powers.
The Zouaves, who are described as having climbed up
precipices almost perpendicular, throwing away their
knapsacks that their progress might not be impeded, and
suddenly making their appearance on the heights, to the
infinite surprise of the Russian General—who is re-
ported, by the way, to have well horsewhipped the mes-
senger by whom the unpleasant intelligence was brought
—executed a task for which their distinguished agility
pre-eminently qualified them. We can well believe that,
to use the graphic phrase of one of the eye-witnesses
whose narratives have been publi,hed, they looked
like ante swarming up the hill ; and it is at least
certain that, when they gained the summit, they fought,
as the English General is said to have observed, " not
like men, but like lions and tigets." The work assigned
to our gallant soldiers was of a somewhat different
nature, and better suited to display their characteristic
merits. In the face of the murderous fire of the Rus-
sians, they advanced with as much sang froid as if they
had been manoeuvring in Hyde-park, and their resistless
charge swept away all that resisted their progress. Marshal
St. Arnaud, it is stated, paid a visit of congratulation
to the encampments of the 23d and 95th Regiments
on the evening of the battle ; and the value of the
tribute thus paid to English valour must have been duly
appreciated by those who knew the suffering which the
slightest additional exertion occasioned to the enfeebled
frame of the French Commander. " The English,"
says a correspondent of the Constitutionnel, "fought,
so to speak, a separate battle. We do not know the
details of it, but we saw them far off, ascending with
regular step a glacis in which there was an entrench-
ment full of artillery. Never was the contrast between
this advance and the impetuosity of the French more
strongly marked. But the two armies are enchanted
with each other. In the evening, the field of battle was
covered with sailors from the fleets, and they displayed
almost childish joy."