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

THE MILITIA,

The Glamorganshire Midtia have completed their 23
days' drill, and have been reviewed at Cardiff by Ge-
neral Barnard, who expressed hinistlf well pleased with
their efficiency. The men have beer dismissed from pre-
izent dnty.
The North and South Mayo Regiments of Militia (Ire-
land) are ordered to be forthwith embodied for active ser-
vice.
Yesterday morning the Essex Riad Militia left their
quarters .at Canterbury, and proceoded to London ; on
reaching the London-bridge terminus the men formed, and
marched through Southwark to the 'Waterloo-road station
of the South-Western Railway, whale a train was in rea-
diness to carry them on to Windsor, to relieve the 46th
Foot.
The 2d Somerset Militia will receive their colours at
Bath to-morrow (Saturday) At the holds of Miss Portman,
daughter of Lord Portman, Lord-Lieutenant of the county,
andproceed forthwith to Cork for permanent duty. •
'The fifth company of the 2d West York Regiment of
Militia left that city yesterday (Thursday) morning for
Hull, where they are to form a guard of honour to her Ma-
jesty, on her arrival at Hull this evening- After her Ma-
jesty's departure they will proceed to :.;heffield, where a
portion of the 2d West is to be stationed, four of the com-
panies having arrived there,'under 'the command of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Brandling, on Wednesday. About 300 of
the regiment will remain head-quarters of the regi-
ment at York, and it is -stated they .will be reinforced by
a troop br two of the 7th Hussars. •

THE BATTLE OF ALMA.

------

(FROM AN OFFICER IN THE GUARDS.)
BIVOUAC, RIVER ALMA, SEPT. 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 an action with the 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 going
myown bri-
gade. The march from Krainischli to Baljanik, where
we bivouacked on the night of the 19th, and again from
returns Thatof ou
ry you
casualties will see thickest
r ilnossobf i
it::
ga s
very the
Baljanik to AlMa, .was the grandest spectacle I ever
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
d'ecil. My division was on the left, and we were about
three miles from the sea ; the fleet enacting along
abreast 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 entrenched camp beyond the
' Alma, distant about three miles. Immediately we ap-
peared they set fire to, a village between us and
them, so as to mask their force by the snoke. We
continued advancing steadily; 'halting eceasionally
to'rest the men, till half-past one, when the first shot
was fired, and soon after the rattle o". musketry
told us that our rifle skirmishers dyers errgaged.
Our division then deployed into line, and vie 'stood so
fir about 20 minutes, an occasional round shot rolling
up to us, but so spent that one was able t`) step aside
from it. Wounded men from the front scon began to
be carried through our lines-to the. rear, rod loose and
wounded liorses began to gallop about,_ Atlast_we were
ordered to advance, which we did for abort 300 yards
n'arer the batteries, and halted, and the men
lay down.
We were now well -within range, and the round shot
fell tolerably thick, ab. occasional' shell borsfurg over oilyheade. After standing steady for about 2(lminutes, the
Light Division (who were in line-in front of us) advanced
again, and we followed. The Russians bad put posts to
mark the ranges, which they had got with great accu-
racy. We now advanced to within 200 Bards of the
river and 700 from the batteries,' and haltel'under a low
wall tor five minutes, till we saw the Light Division
over the river, when we continued our advance in sup-
port of them. On crossing the wall, we came into vine-
yards, and here the cannonade was moss terrific, the
grape and canister falling around us like tail—the flash
of each gun being instantly followed by the
splash
grape among the tilled ground like a handful of
gravelof
thrown into 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-
-1 sion had gained the intrenchinent, and the British colour
was planted in the fort ; but, ammunition failing them,
they were forced back. The Scots Fusiliers were hurried
onto support them before they had had to reform them-
selves, and the 23d, retiring in some confusion upon
them, threw them for a few minutes into utter disorder.
The Russians, perceiving this, dashed out of the fort
upon them, and a frightful struggle took place, which
ended in their total discomfiture. For a minute or, two
the Scots Fusilier colours stood alone in thi front, while
Gen. Bentinck rallied the men to them, their officers lead-
ing them on gallantly. At this moment I rode off to the
Coldstreams 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, passiug close over our heads,
the men who were here killed being all hit on the
crown of the head, and the COldstreams actually
lost none. When we got about fifty yards 'from
the intreuehment the i enemy turned tail, leaving
us masters of the battery and the day. AS they re-
tired they took all their gene 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, and
inside the intrenclunents 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 for 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 marvellous the more I think of it. Though on
horseback (on my old charger), my cocked hat and
clothes were sprinkled all over with,blood. The loss of
the brigade 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 Benthick, and we were watering our horses at the
time when the shot struck his horse in the shoulder and
smashed poor Cost'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
akar bit. They only went into action with 4 officers,
less than half their complement. We have been occu-
pied About 1,000
___ -__ •_....__
. Rev!taie(tralle e day
o lilnottigiat:4Bidttearth
in
parapet