The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-11-28 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN,

THE details which have been received, and which
we have given in another page, of the great battle
which was fought, near the ruins of Inkerman, on
the sth of November, will be read with the most
intense interest by every one ; for who is it that
claims the paternity of the British soil, and does
not partake of the enthusiasm which such an event
is sure to inspire ? The military history of our
country is a record of victories won under every
disadvantage of climate, situation, and condition,
and against almost any amount of odds ; so that a
defeat of even a temporary character is a rare cir-
cumstance, more than compensated by some subse-
quent triumph ; and the consequence has been, that
England has acquired a prestige for invincibility in
war which has given her a moral supremacy over
all Heathendom, and justified her claim to the proud
position of being the mistress of the globe, and the
arbitress of the destiny of nations. It was left,
however, to our own day, and to the handful of
troops which Ministerial parsimony, if not a worse
motive, had allowed to remain so long without rein-
forcements in the Crimea, to achieve a triumph
which, for consummate bravery, chivalrous daring,
and unflinching courage, throws all former battles
completely into the shade, and proves to the world
that, after forty years' inactivity, the military spirit
of England is more capable than ever of defying a
world-in-arms when the cause is that of justice.
So long as the records are preserved of gallant
deeds, and well-fought fields, the battle of Inker-
man will stand out in bold relief as the one
crowning victory which requires another SHA K-
PERE to do justice to it, and which will excite our
future heroes to emulation. The battle of Water-
loo has given a name to many of our towns, bridges
squares, streets, and terraces, and can never be for-
gotten; but the name of Inkerman , despite its want of
euphony, will be quoted in all succeeding ages as
an instance of victory achieved under greater disad-
vantages, and more indebted to individual heroism

than any yet recorded,
battle of Agincourt :

SHAKSPERE

said of the

" He, that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named !"

" And gentlemen in England, now a-bed,
Will think themselves accursed, they were not here
Aud hold their manhoods cheap, while any !peaks

That fought with us upon St. 6ispin's day

But to what " brightest heaven of invention" must
his muse have ascended to sing the imperishable
renown of the heroes who fought at Inkerman ?
Fortunately for ns, and fortunately for the liberties
of Europe, the heroes are ours, and it is only the
poet who is wanted to adequately sing their praises.
So that we must be content with the plain unvar-
nished tale which LORD RAGLAN, with as much
modesty as valour, so well delivers.
It appears that, by the 3rd of November, it had
been observed that the Russians were considerably
increasing their forces, having evidently received
large reinforcements from the North, and on the
next day (Saturday) this was still more apparent,
and the presence of the two GRAND DUKES had also
been observed in the Russian army. Lord RAGLAN
accordingly took every precaution within his power
to strengthen his position, as it was plain that the
Russians in great force contemplated an attack on
the English army, which, it seems, only numbered
about eight thousand men. The expectation was
not delusive, for on the next day (Sunday), the
memorable sth of November, and now rendered
more memorable than ever,—before it was daylight,
and in the midst of a thick mist, the Russians
came thundering on in dense masses of infantry
and cavalry, aided by powerful batteries of heavy
artillery, and in all the confidence of victory, from
their immense superiority of numbers, which were
supposed to amount to about 60,000. The shock
must have been tremendous, and, under ordinary
circumstances, sufficient to annihilate the small
numerical force opposed to it ; but British valour
compensated for poverty in numbers, and stood the

shock like lions. A small party of French soon
came up to our assistance, and then, according to
the language of The Times correspondent, com-
menced the bloodiest struggle ever witnessed since
war cursed the earth. As the day advanced, and
the Russian columns were beaten back, fresh
masses came to the encounter, to meet the un-
flinching resistance of the English, aided by the
French. For many hours the victory was doubtful,
as the tide of battle swayed hither and thither,
the Russians obtaining a great advantage by the
murderous fire of their immensely-powerful artil-
lery ; and it was not until the afternoon that
British supremacy was proudly asserted, and the
Russian army was compelled to retreat before the
Allied Forces, who were not one-fourth their
numbers, the Russians losing more in killed and
wounded than the whole force opposed to them.
So signal a victory, so triumphant an issue to a
contest in which the odds were so frightfully
against the victors, was not achieved without a
great sacrifice of some of the best and bravest of
our soldiers. We have to lament the loss of Lieut.-
General the Honourable Sir GEORGE CATHCART;