The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-27 00:00:00

LETTERS FROM THE CRIMEA.

FROM AN OFFICER OF THE 49TH REGIMENT
OF FOOT.
Camp before Sebastopol, Nov. 7.
Before this can reach you, no doubt you will have
heard of the tremendous struggle we had on the sth,
and you will be all anxiety to hear of me. I would I
could send you intelligence of myself as quickly as ru-
mour flies. I will not enter into particulars of the
battle, excepting 'such as concern myself, for I know
they will prove the meet interesting to you, my dear
parents, and the newspapers will contain full accounts
of the day.
On the morning of the 4th, about half-past 4 o'clock,
I went on picket with my company, and such a day and
night we bad ! the rain falling nearly the whole time ;
besides this, I felt ill, tired, and done up before I went
on, and had I had a subaltern to my company should
not have gone at all, as I had been suffering a good deal
from diarrhoea and overwork. However, as I did not
wish to throw the duty on another officer, I went. I
mention all this to show you that it was not with any
feelings of pleasure that at daybreak on the sth, 'when
I had marched half way back to camp, and was specu-
lating on a good breakfast and a few hours' sleep,
I heard the fire of musketry from near the ground I had
just left, and found, on moving to an eminence, that the
alarm was given, and that a general action was about to
commence. I immediately made my men disembarass
themselves of their packs, &c., and louk to their arms,
'many of which were so wet that they could not subse-
quently be fired, and were cast aside for others taken
from the dead and wounded. Soon after my regiment
moved up to where I was, and I joined them. By this
time the enemy had made good their footing on the hills,
where the pickets rested, and had got their batteries
into play. There was a heavy mist, and that, together
with the brushwood, prevented our seeing the enemy.
Our artillery did not act in consequence on the advanc-
ing oolumns moving upon us from all sides. While in
line, and before moving forward,. poor Arthur Arm-
strong, our adjutant, was killed by a round shot.
Shortly after Major Dalton, when he advanced to the
left with some companies, was spot by a Russian not
five yards off. Some say that be was a wounded
man, and that our men bayoneted him the next moment.
I did not see him fall. Col. Herbert, our Quartermas-
ter-General, directed me to take the three right compa-
nies into a small intrenched work on the right. I did
so, and shortly after, finding that our men were being
driven in rapidly, I gave the word " Advance " to my
men, and over we went across the embankment, and,
with a wild hurrah, and rapid firing, drove back a large
Russian column that was close upon us, but which did
not fancy coming to the bayonet. My men behaved
nobly, and were the means of rallying the troops pre-
viously retreating. The action was one consisting of
many fights, for no sooner had one Russian column been
driven back than a fresh one was discovered en either
flank, and thus we were frequently nearly cut off, and
greatly outnumbered. As to keeping any formation or
together, it was out of the question in the thick bush we
were fighting in. My men were quickly scattered, and
I found myself with men of all corps who had afterwards
come up. I saw another column advancing on our left
flank. I tried to get the men to move to the left, but
one voice could do but little in the din that was then
going on. We, however, moved towards the left and
centre of our position with as many men as we could
get, and there we. encountered a large column, with
two ethers in its rear, in support. Here the tire
was fearful. I distinctly saw four Russian bat-
teries, some of them siege guns, playing upon us from
different hills. The shot from our own artillery was
also passing close over our heads, and bullets were fly-
ing wholesale. I doubt if there ever was a heavier fire
than we were exposed to at this spot. Fresh columns of
the enemy pressing, not only to our front, but on our
flanks also, we began to retire. I, in common with
other officers, did all in my power to make the men
stand, but failed. Regiments were mixed and command-
ing officers mostly shot. It wit a bitter moment, and
I anxiously looked at the crest of the hill towards our
camp to see w hat supports were there. I saw what I
took for Turks, and on approaching nearer was delighted
to find they were French—one regiment formed in line.
We retired slowly in rear of the French, and there re-
formed line two deep with' men of all corps. The Rus-
sians advanced, I should say, to within 20 paces of
the French, and were received, with a murderous fire.
Although the French were so effective their line
wavered. What a moment was that I Had they re-
tired the Russians would have been in our camps,
we should have been driven to our ships, and the
siege raised. That was happily averted. The French
officers ran about encouraging their men ; the English
officers also shouted encouragement, and our men
(not above three companies), at the example of their
officers, raised a loud hurrah. -
,The French drummers
beat the pas de charge and their bugles sounded the ad-
vance. We all then charged, and drove the Russian
columns rapidly before us. Up to this time our artillery
had not, I think, done much, but now became, with the
French, more effective. This was, I think, the worst
part of the day, but the battle was far from over, and
kept on raging furiously until about 5 o'clock in the even-
ing we then returned to camp, and tired I was and
hungry too, for I had not broken ray fast ; excitement
had kept me going.
When I get back poor Major Dalton sent for me ; he
was going fast, and told me his last wishes ; the ball
had passed through his intestines and caused him much
agony, which he bore nobly ; he died two hours after ;
we buried him yesterday, at his own request, by the
side of poor Major Powell. I had the melancholy task
of writing to his wife this morning ; she is residing on
the Bosi,horus.
Few commanding officers ever make themselves so
loved by both officers and men as did Dalton in so short
a time—a fine gallant soldier, and my best friend, after
Powell. Armstrong, too ! another brave young fellow.
Both the Brigadier-General and his brothers are
wounded, but I ant glad to say not seriously ; they are
gone with the rest of the wounded to Scutari.
I walked over the battle-field yesterday, and more
particularly that part where I had been the previous
day. What slaughter and what horrors ! I hear the
English loss is greater than at the Alma-2,400. Our
division suffered greatly, being the first engaged. In our
brigade the three commanding officers were killed ; in
our regiment we had two officers killed and one wounded ;
40 of other ranks killed, and 107 wounded-150 casual-
ties. In fact, every third man was hit, for I do not sup-
pose we had more than .450 in the field. .
I have not heard what the French loss is, but suspect
it to be trivial in comparison, as we had borne the brunt
of the battle before they came up. The Russian loss must
be tremendous ; General Canrobert estimates it at about
20,000. We have about 2,000 prisoners, and the num-
ber of dead is fearful. The troops we had to contend
with were partly reinforcements lately arrived. What
atrocities they committed ! They bayoneted our wounded
whenever they came across them. Our men's feelings
were aroused, abnydolnedoofutbhtethse7itrh
asgivhien
ground
aledid not at the time know how the Russians
giving
layanoyn thequa
hwaetdhurnbudeletida7ved to our wounded, or I perhaps should not
have blamed the man. General Evans was not present
at the commencement of the action ; he has been ill and
shaken by a fall from his horse. He is again gone on
board ship. We hope he will soon rejoin us. Our tents
were riddled by balls and shells. In the next tent to
mine a shell pitched right into Dewar's portmanteau,
bursting inside. I have some trophies of the day, a brace
of pistols and a medal for the Hungarian campaign. I
enclose the last, and will send the former at the first op-
portunity.

PRIVATE LETTER FROM A SERGEANT IN
THE 11Th HUSSARS.
Sebastopol Heights, Nov. 7, 1854.
Dear John,—l am happy to say lam quite well.
You must excuse these few rough lines. I merely write
to inform you that we had a most tremendous go in with
the Russians on these heights, and we thrashed them
agly,but they fought most desperately. The
of them were excited to action with drink—
the greater portion of them were drunk. We,
gisbutryudeaneretnoed rough partgh calculation, killed, wounded, and made pri-
soners, about 20,000 Russians ; the loss of the French
and English were 2,600. The Russians commenced a
sudden attack upon us, which I saw myself, about half-
past five in the morning of the sth of this month, and
we decided their business about two o'clock, beating
them completely off their position. Tile battle lasted
nine hours and a half ; the firing was much heavier than
at Alma, and the enemy fought most desperately for
their ground. Nothing can be said too much in praise
of the English and French armies. When the Russians
approached our front by surprise, and when our fire-
arms and bayonets were of no use, the brave infantry
beat the Russians by throwing on them masses of stone
from the entrenchments. The sudden attack was caused
by a thick fog—consequently, the outline picquet (that
is, the outline cruard) could not see the approach of the
Russians. When they were relieved by another party
of soldiers is the morning the fog cleared off, when the
enemy were seen drawn up in order of battle to the
amount of 70,000 men, when they made a sudden attack
upon us ; bit they were very quickly repulsed by our
brave troops, They also made a double attack in the
road at Balaklava., but this was soon settled by the
sailors, who fought bravely, aid killed about 400 of the
enemy.

Wo aro uudermininz Sebastopol in every part for the
purposo of blowing it to pieces ; wo have also under-
mined their main road in every part for the salad pur-
pose. The Allies have beat the enemy into Sebastopol
several times ; but we are not prepared to hold the town
until a few days ; and when we do commence, we shall
blow the town and forts to pieces. It is quite uncertain
when we are to get the order to do so, but we expect
notice every minute, when we shall attack them again
and annihilate them. Every day we are getting our
forces increased.

Sebastopol certainly a strong place, but we have
levelled thu greater part of it to the ground. You will
real all the news in the newspapers, but I them:ht you
would like to have a few lines from me. The Cossack'
have broken my ink-bottle, so you must excuse the
pencil. The post is off ; more news next Mail. Give
my love to all.

From your affectionate brother.

ITALTPAX, Nov. 13.—We can only repeat the old dull
stery—d
prevails throughout the entire market,
and but little is doing in either wool, yarn, or pieces,
and prices still show a declining tendency. Middle
wethers are quoted is. per lb. The arrivals of wool
from the growing districts are at present very meagre.
ROCHDALE, Monday.—As Christmas approaches the
demand for flannel slackens, which is generally the case
at this time of the year, whether business has been pre.
viously brisk or dull. The wool market continues
steady, and th© manufacturers buy as if they did not
anticipate soon either a rise or a fall in the raw material,