The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-23 00:00:00

TIIE BATTLE OF INKERMAN.

(Front the correspondent of the Times.)

BALAELIVA, Nov. s.—lt had rained almost inces-
santly the night before, and the early morning gave no
promise of any cessation of the heavy showers which
had fallen for the previous four-and-twenty hours. To-
wards dawn a heavy fog settled down on the heights and
on the valley of the Inkerman. The pickets and men on
outlying posts were thoroughly saturated, and their arms
were wet, despite their precautions ; and it is scarcely
to be wondered at if there were some of them who were
not quite as alert as sentries should be in face of an ene
my; for it must be remembered that our small army is
almost worn out by its incessant labours, and that men
on picket are frequently men who have had but a
short respite from work in the trenches or from regi-
mental duties. The fog and vapours of drifting rain
were so thick as morning broke that one could
scarcely see two yards before him. At 4 o'clock the bells
of the churches in Sebastopol were heard ringing
drearily through the cold night air, but the occur-
rence has been so usual it excited no particular atter:-
tior. During the night, however, a sharp-eared ser-
geant on an outlying picket of the Light Division heard
the sound of wheels in the valley below, as though they
were approaching the position up the hill. He reported
the circumstance to Major Bunbury, but it was supposed
that the sound arose from ammunition carts or arabas
going into Sebastopol by the Inkerman road. No one
suspected for a moment that enormous masses of Rus-
sians were creeping up the rugged sides of the heights
over the Valley of Inkerman on the undefended flank
of the Second Division. There all was security and re-
pose. Little did the slumbering troops in camp ima-
gine that a subtle and indefatigable enemy were bring-
ing into position an overwhelming artillery ready to play
upon their tents at the first glimpse of daylight. It
must be observed that Sir De Lacy Evans had long been
aware of the insecurity of this portion of our position,
and had repeatedly pointed it out to those whose duty
it was to guard against the dangers which threatened us.
It was the only ground where we were exposed to sur-
prise, for a number of ravines and unequal curves in the
slope of the bill towards the valley lead up to the crest
and enema, against the adverse side of which our
right flank was resting, without guns, intrenchments,
abattis, or ontlying defence of any kind. Every one ad-
mitted the truth of the representations addressed to
the authorities on this subject ; but indolence, or a sense
of false security, and an overweening confidence, led to
indifference and procrastination. A battery was thrown
up with sandbags and gabions and fascines on the slope
of the hill over lukerman on the east, but no guns were
mounted there, for Sir De Lacy Evans thought that two
guns in such position, without any works to support
them, would only invite attack and capture. In the
action of the 26th of October, the enemy tried their
strength almost on the very spot selected by them this
morning, but it may now be considered that they merely
made a reconnaissance in force on that occasion, and that
they were waiting for reinforcements to assault the posi-
tion where it was most vulnerable, and where they might
speculate with some certainty on the effects of a surprise
of a sleeping camp on a winter's morning. Although the
arrangements of Sir D. L. Evans on repulsing the sortie
were, as Lord Raglan declared, " so perfect, that they
could not fail to insure success," it was evident that a
larger forcethan the Russians employed would have forced
!limn to retire from his ground, or to fight a battle
in defence of it with the aid of the other divisions of the

army, and yet nothing was done. No effort was made
to intrench the lines, to cast up a single shovel of earth,
to cut down the brushwood, or form an abattis. It was
thought " not to be necessary." A heavy responsibility
rests on those whose neglect enabled the enemy to attack
us where we were least prepared for it, and whose indif-
ference led them to despise precautions which taken in
time might have saved us many valuable lives, and have
trebled the loss of the enemy had they been bold enough
to have assaulted us behind intrenchments. We have
nothing to rejoice over in the battle of Inkerman. We
have defeated the enemy, indeed, but have not advanced
a step nearer towards the citadel of Sebastopol. 'We have
abashed, humiliated, and utterly routed an enemy strong
in number, in fanaticism, and in dogged resolute courage,
and animated by the presence of a son of him whom they
believe to be God's Vicegerent on earth ; but we have
suffered a fearful loss, and we are not in a position
to part with one man. England must give us men.
She must be prodigal of her sons, as she i 3 of her money
and of her ships, and as they have been of their lives in
her service.
It was a little after five o'clock this morning when
Brigadier-General Codrington, in accordance with his
usual habit, visited the outlying pickets of his own bri-
gade of the Light Division. It was reported to him
that "all was well," and the General entered i'ito some

conversation with Captain Pretyrnan, of the 331 TOgi-
nient, who was on duty on the ground, in the course of

which it W:l3 remarked that it woull not be at all sur-

prising if the Russians availed themselves of the gloom

of the morning to make an attack on our position, cal-
culating ou the eff.tcts of Cie rain in disarming our vigi-
lance( and spoiling our weapons. The Brigadier, who
has Proved a most excellent, cool, and brave officer,
turned his pony round at last, and retraced his steps
through the brushwood towards his lines. lie had only
proceeded a few paces when a sharp rattle of musketry

was herd down the hill and on the left of the pickets
of the Light Diviion. It was hera that the pickets

of the Second Division were stationed. General
Codringetia at once turned his horse's head in the direc-
tion of the .firing, and in a few moments galloped back
to turn out his division. The Russians were advancing
in force upset us ! Their grey greatcoats rendered them
almost invisitele even when close at hand. The pickets
of the Seconc7. Division had scarcely made out the ad-
vancing lines of infantry who were clambering up the
steep sides of t he hill through a drizzling shower of rain,
ere they were loreed to retreat by a close sharp volley of
musketry, and ' vere driven up towards the brow of the
hill, contesting es eery step of it, and firing as long as they
had a round of aye: munition on the Russian advance.
The pickets of tl to Light Division were assailed soon
afterwards, and we to also obliged to retreat and fall back
on their main body, and it was evident that a very
Strong sortie had bee ti made upon theright of the position
of the Allied armies, with the object of forcing them to
raise the siege, and, if possible, of driving them
into the sea. Abau G the same time that the ad-
vance of the Russians on our right flank took place, a
demonstration was mac le by the cavalry, artillery, and a
Eery infantry, in the val ley against Belaklava to divert
the attention of the Fri Inch on the heights above, and
to occupy the Highlaxd Brigade, and marines, but only
an interchange of a few h armless rounds of cannon and
musketry took place, and the enemy contented them-
selves with drawing up tit sir cavalry in order of battle,
sueportel by field artilleey, at the neck of the valley,
Inn readiness to sweep over the heights and cut our re-
treating troops to pieces should the assault on our right
be suecessfcti. A Semaphore post had been erected
on the heigi its over Inkernean in communication with
another on the hill over their position, from which
the intelliget ice of our defeat was to be conveyed
t) the Cavalry General, and the news would have been
nude known i et Sebastopol by similar means, in order to
encourage the garrison to a general sortie along their
front. A steaei ter, with very heavy shell guns and mor-
t. rs, was sent ii pby night to he head of the creek at In;
kennels, and ca./ used much injury throughout the day by
the enormous sit ells she pitched right over the hill upon
our men. Every thing that could be done to bind victory
to their eagles- - -if they have any—was done by the Rus-
sian Generals. Tee presence of their Grand Duke Mi-
chael Nicholai twitch, who told them that the Czar
had issued ord t rs that every Frenchman and English-
man was to loe driven into the sea ere the year
closed, cheer( el the common soldiers, who regard
the son of the Emperor as an incarnation of the
Divine Presence. They had abundance of a coarser
and more en ateeial stimulant, which was found
in their canter ns and flanks ; and, above all, the
priests of the Gr. sek Catholic Church " blessed" them
ere they went for. %h upon their mission, and assured
them of the Lid and protection of the Most High. A
mass was said for th e army, and the joys of Heaven
were freely offered to, those who might fall in the holy
and the favou re of the Emperor were largely pro -
inised to those who 7 night survive the bullets of a here-
tical enemy.
The men in our • temps had just begun a struggle with
the rain in endea votirino• to light their fires for breakf tst
when the alarm was given that the Russians were ad-
V3neket in fel ee. Brigedier-General Pennefeeher,
to
°thorn the illn Iss el Sir De Lacy Evans had given for the
tune the come need of the 24 division, at once got the
tree,
psunder: .rr its. One brigade un ler Brigadier-General
Adams, cons is 'ewe of the 41st, 47th, and 49,:h Regiments,
N7a, pushed is. a to the brow of the hill to check the ad-
vance of the enemy by the road through the brushwoo:l
from the' vrey, The other brigade (Pennefather s
°Wn), c°' .sting of the 30th, 55th, and 95th Regiments,
-as led to operate on their flank. They were at
once met ; with a tremendous fire of shell and round
shot
sfro r .1 guns which the enemy had posted on the
11Th
a 0 rids in advance of our right, and it was soon
found
at the Russians had brought up at least 40
nieces
ft f heavy artillery to bear upon us. Meantime,
rm had spread through the camps.
C Sir George
F part with the greatest promptitude turned out