The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-06 00:00:00

DEATH OF GENERAL DE LOURMEL.

A. letter from before Sebastopol, of the 11th, in
the Moniteur, gives the following account of the
death of General de Lourmel from the wound which
he received in the hfrair of the sth ult.:—
"The general received a ball light in the breast, but
his features betrayed neither emotion nor suffering, No
one perceived that he was wounded; and turning towards
his orderly officers, who just before had courageously
freed him from the thickest of the melee, he said, am
wounded, but let no one know it !' He was still on
horseback, firm and impassible. At this moment the
order was brought to him to cease the pursuit ; the Rus-
sians were in flight in all directions. He listened with
attention to what was said to him, and then feeling his
strength fail, he said, 'Go and seek the colonel of the
26th ; let him come to reoeive my instructions.' It was
only half an hour after being wounded that he consented
to alight from his horse. He endeavoured to walk in
order not to let the troops see that he was wounded ; but
soon his strength gave way, and yielding to the pressing
solicitations of his officers, he allowed himself to be
carried. He still, however, continued to occupy him-
self with Lis troops; at every moment he caused
himself to be stopped, gave orders, and corrected
movements. He, however, lost a great deal of blood,
and every minute he became weaker. At length
he was obliged definitively to abandon his command.
The general was carried in the arms of his officers ; they
adored him, and were bathed iu tears. Desirous of giving
to the end the example of calm and intrepidity, hein-
dicated himself the road he wished to take. At length,
after t sso hours' agony, he reached his bivouac. , Able
surgeons informed in advance awaited him. The gene-
ral insisted on taking off his clothes himself, and whilst
his wound was being dressed, he said It is nothing
—I shall get over it.' Ile thus' reassured those who sur-
rounded him. When the dressing was terminated he re-
quested to be left alone. Shortly after he called his
orderly officer, Captain de laJaille I have done with
doctors,' said he, ' and have another account to settle.
Go fora priest ?' His other attendants now entered,
and seeing their emotion, he cried :—` Why do yon pity
me ? Is not my wound glorious?' The soldiers had named
him the Bayard of the army, and like Bayard he died as a
hero and a Christian. The ball, passing between the se-
cond and third ribs had traversed' the left lung, and
went out by the shoulder blade. The medical men were
not without hopes of preserving his precious life ; they
counted greatly on his extraordinary energy and moral
courage. But the general himself never entertained any
illusion ; he made, with the same sangfroid which pre-
sided over all his actions, his last worldly arrangements.
In the evening he said to the orderly officers who stood
by his bed, You will take care to say that my last
thoughts were of France and the Emperor !' The general
lived two days. As time wore on, he spat blood more
frequently, and his breathing became more difficult.
However, he preserved all his faculties. He sent for his
officers, and gave them his last instructions. Towards
the end his sufferings became frightful—nothing could
calm them. He had, however,' some repose, arising
from the weakness caused by his pains, which were in-
describable. Those who surrounded him believed that
he was a little better ; but on the 7th, at 3 o'clock in the
afternoon, he bad an attack of coughing. Half an hour
after he breathed his last. Adored and admired by his
soldiers, loved and esteemed by all his companions in
arms, who highly appreciated his superior qualities,
General de Lourmel, by his good, frank, chivalrous cha-
racter, will leave eternal regret in the hearts of all who
have known him."

Tn FIGHTING POWERS OF DIFFERENT NATIONS.—
The French, proverbially a brave and excitable people,
aro brilliant and formidable in an attack. If repulsed,
a revulsion equally violent usually takes place, and
would often prove fatal if it were not for the precaution
of placing reserves. When these are not wanting, they
are capable of being easily rallied, and their lively spirit
is soon restored. The Russians are less excitable ; but,
nevertheless, in an attack are not to be surpassed in
bravery and perseverance by the troops of any European
nation, e ith this advantage, that they appear to be in-
capable of panic, and,. though they ini.y be repulsed and
defeated, they cannot be forced to run in confusion from
the field of battle. Thu Prus;:ian armies engaged in
these campaigns were not, for the moat part, very young
soldiers ; a spirit of enthusiasm pervaded their ranks,
which rendered thole capable of the most brilliant
achievements. In cases of defeat, the effects of momen-
tary hurry and confusion, to which all young troops are
liable, were less violent with them than the French ;
but, though easily rallied, and their patriotic enthusiasm
soon restored, they could not rival the Russian stoicism
in adversity. The Austrians, properly so called, were
highly disciplined and Lrave, but the infantry of that
race appeared deficient in energy when compared with
the French or Prussians, and their physical powers
could not be compared with those of the sturdy Russ'an
soldiery. The Bohemians appeared to be somewhat
more healthy and robust, but did not materially differ in
point of national character from the Austrian brethren
in arms. The Hungarian infantry were decidedly supe-
rior to both in point of energy and physical power, and
tho select corps of grenadiers furnished by that nation
were equal, if not superior, to any in the field.—Cath-
' cart's Commentaries.