The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-17 00:00:00

SEBASTOPOL.

THE QUEEN'S APPROBATION

OF THE ARMY.

(From a Third Edition of the Morning Post.)

We are in receipt of further letters from the

seat of war.

The following General Order, ccniveying the
Queen's approbation of the conduct of the British
Army, on the memorable occasion of the Battle
of the Alma, has been issued to the Troops :

~ GENERAL ORDER.
HEAD-QUARTERS BEFORE SEBASTOPOL,
27TH OCTOBER, 1854.

" The Commander of the Forces has much plea-
sure in publishing the copy of a despatch received
from the Minister at War, conveying her Majesty's
gracious approbation of the gallant conduct of the
army at the battle of Alma.

" Lord Raglan feels it to be his duty to draw the
attention of the troops to the sorrow her Majesty
expresses for the loss of so many valuable officers
and men, as well as the gracious manner in which
her Majesty is pleased to sympathise in the suffer-
ings of the wounded, and the grief of those whose
relatives fell upon this occasion.
" ' WAR DEPARTMENT, 10th Oct., 1854.

" Mr LORD,—Major Lord Burghersh arrived
here early in the morning of the Bth instant, and
delivered to me your Lordship's despatch of the
23d ultimo, communicating the details of the
glorious and important victory on the banks of
the Alma, which your telegraphic despatch, re-
ceived on the Ist of this month, had already led
me to anticipate.
" I lost no time in submitting to her Majesty
your Lordship's able and interesting description
of this great conflict, and it is now my gratifying
duty to express to your Lordship the sense which
the Queen entertains of the valuable service which
you have rendered to this country, and to the
cause of the Allies, and the high approbation
which her Majesty has been pleased to express of
the brilliant gallantry of the forces under your
command, their discipline—worthy of veteran
soldiers—and their irresistible resolution, which
no disadvantages of position could subdue.
" The Queen commands me to convey through
your Lordship her Majesty's commendation and
thanks to Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown,
the other generals of divisions, and to all the
officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates
of the army, who have on this occasion revived
the recollection of the ancient glories of British
arms, and added fresh lustre to the military
fame of England.
" Her Majesty feels additional pleasure iu thus
recognising the noble daring of her soldiers, and
sympathising in their victory, when she reflects that
that courage has been evinced, and those triumphs
won aide by side with the troops of a nation whose
valour the British army has in former times ad-
mired and respected in hostile combat, but which
it has now for the first time tested in the generous
rivalry of an intimate brotherhood in arms. Her
Majesty trusts that the blood of the two nations
so profusely shed on the banks of the Alma—a
subject of deep regret to herself and her people—
may consecrate an alliance which shall endure for
the benefit of future generations when the remem-
brance of this battle-field is hallowed by gratitude
for the consequences, as well as the glories, of
victory.

" Within the compass of a despatch your Lord-
ship has comprehended every detail which is ne-
oessary to render intelligible the plan of operations
agreed upon by Marshal St. Arnaud and yourself,
and the mode in which that plan was carried out
by the ability of the officers and the bravery of
the men of the Allied Armies. On one subject
alone you are silent—your own distinguished
service. To this, however, others have borne
witness, and her Majesty is profoundly sensible
that, if her army has shown itself worthy of its
ancient renown, its Commander has proved him-
self able to uphold it, and has fulfilled the pre-
diction written forty years ago by him under
whom he learned the art of war, and whose
loss we still mourn, that he would " become an
honour to his country."

—"
' I am instructed by her Majesty to express
to your Lordship the very sincere sorrow which
she has experienced from the perusal of the long
list of gallant officers and men who have been
either killed or severely wounded in this memor-
able engagement. Such a victory could not be
attained without a heavy loss, and there is every
reason to believe that no disposition of your
forces would have entailed a less sacrifice,
and at the same time obtained a result so de-
cisive that it may be hoped much future bloodshed
will be prevented. Her Majesty trusts that such
of her subjects as have been plunged in grief by the
loss of relatives and friends will find some con-
solation is the reflection that those who have not
survived to share in the triumph of their com-
rades have fallen in a just cause, and their names
will henceforth be inscribed in the annals of
their country's glory.
" The Queen will be 'nest anxious to receive
such further despatches from your Lordship as
may tend to relieve the affectionate anxiety Of
the friends of the wounded, and her Majesty trusts
that a very large proportion of these brave men
may before long be restored to the ranks of your
army, and may enjoy in future times of peace the
well-earned honours of their gallant exertions.
" The patience with which the regimental offi-
cers and men bore, without a murmur, the unusual
privations to which they were necessarily subjected
after they landed in the Crimea, has elicited her
Majesty's warmest sympathy and approval. Their
sufferings from disease before that time were such
as might have subdued the ardour of less gallant
troops, but have in their case only proved that in
the hour of battle they remember nothing but the
call of duty.
" Your Lordship's cordial acknowledgment of
the invaluable service rendered by Sir Edmund
Lyons and the officers and seamen of the Royal
Navy will be as highly appreciated as it is justly
deserved by those gallant men. Deprived of an
opportunity of vindicating their ancient prowess
against a fleet which refuses to take the sea, they
have rendered every assistance in their power to
the operations of the army, and their noble con-
duct on the field of battle, where they soothed
the sufferings of the wounded, and performed
the last sad offices to the dead, will ever be re-
membered to their honour, and bind still woo_

indissolubly the bonds which have long united
the military and naval service of the Queen.
" I have the honour to be,
'My Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedt. humble servant,
" NEWCASTLE.
" General, the Lord Raglan, G.C.8.,
&c., &c., &c.
" By order (Signed)
" 'J. B. B. ESTCOURT, Adj.-Gen."'

Our correspondent's letters are to the date of
the 3d of November, on which day the assault
was hourly expected to take place.
Tho Russian batteries are described as being
nearly destroyed. Long intervals occur between
the firing of any shots from them, even when the
Allies open the fire early in the morning.
The French have made a large breach in front
of their left battery, where the enemy are con-
tinually planting fresh guns. The besieged in
this quarter have been compelled to mount some
guns on the roofs of the adjoining houses.

The French are carrying a mine under the
main fortification in their front. If they are able
to do this successfully tho town will be entered

with ease.

The enemy are carrying stores to the north side
of the harbour, from which it is hoped that they
abandon all hope of retaining possession of the
south side of the town.

The Russians in the rear continue to annoy
tho Allied Forces. They have retired as far back
as the river Chernaya, but retain possession of the
redoubt captured from the Turks on the 25th
ultimo.

The rear of the Allied Forces has been greatly
strengthened, and no apprehensions from this
quarter are entertained.
The Allied batteries opened on the morning of
the 3d instant, with a tremendous fire on all sides,
which was proceeding when the mail left. It was
expected that the town would be stormed within
forty-eight hours_
The Turks will, it is said, form the Tan of the
storming party.

Major Nasmyth is ill, and unable to attend to
the duties of his new appointment.
The weather had become very cold at the date
of the mail leaving.

The disastrous affair at Balaklava on the 25th
was thus alluded to by Lord Raglan on the 29th,
iu the following
" GENERAL ORDER.

" The Commander of the Forces feels deeply
indebted to Major-General Sir Colin Campbell
for his able and persevering exertions in the ac-
tion in front of Balaklava, on the 21st instant,
and he has great pleasure in publishing to the
army the brilliant manner in which the 93d
Highlanders, under his able directions, repulsed
the enemy's cavalry. The Major-General had
such confidence in this distinguished regiment
that he was satisfied that it should receive the
charge in line ; and the result proved that his
confidence was not misplaced.

The charge of the cavalry on that oecasion is
thus commented on by the General Commanding-
iu-Chief :

" GENERAL ORDER.

" The Commander of the Forces considers
it his duty to notice the brilliant conduct of
the division of cavalry'under the command of
Lieutenant-General the Earl of Lucan, in the
action of the 25th instant. He congratulates
Brigadier-General the Hon. J. Y. Scarlett, and
the officers and men of the heavy brigade, upon
their successful charge and repulse of the Russian
cavalry, in far greater force than themselves ;
and, while he condoles with Major-General the
Earl of Cardigan, and the officers and men of the
light brigade, on the heavy loss it sustained he
feels it to be due to them to place on record the
gallantry they displayed, and the coolness and
perseverance with which they executed ono of the
most arduous attacks that was ever witnessed,
under the heaviest fire, and in the face of power-
ful bodies of artillery, cavalry and infantry.

On the repulse of the sortie on the right of our
lines on the 26th ultimo, the Commander of the
Forces has issued the following :—.