Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-12-02
THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.
SOME DETAILS OF OPERATIONS AND THRILLING
ACCOUNT OF A SANGUINARY BATTLE.

On the 4th September the expedition against the
Crimea sailed from Turkey. The war vessels and
transports numbered some seven hundred, and
conveyed an army of $4,000 men.
On the 14th September troops to the number Of
$4,000 were landed at Eupatoria, without opposi-
tion from the Russians, and Immediately took up
the line Of march for Sebastopol
On the Goth of September the battle Of the Alma
was fought. The English suffered loss Of 393
killed, 1872 wounded, and eighteen missing the
French lost 256 killed and 1,087 wounded. The
Russians were compelled to abandon the field,
Their loss was 1902 killed, 2,3l5 wounded, and
405 received contusions.
Sebastopol was invested on the 9th September,
and tho bombardment commenced on the 18th of
October, in which both the land and sea forces en-
gagged. The fire was continued on both sides
throughout the day. and it found not only that the
Russian batteries very well served, but that the
weight Of metal was quite equal not superior, to that
of their On the second day the bombardment
resumed and the defence of the Russians stl
better, since they caused two explosions among the
French works, which killed and wounded q number of
men, and forced them almost entirely to suspend their
operations For the greater part Of this day. therefore,
the English FIRE continued alone. 1t was ncverthe-
less kept up until deficiency Of ammunition was expe-
renced at the time the English loss in killed and
wounded for the entire two days. had amounted to only
ninety-six men.
Meanwhile the fleets commenced their attack the
sea batteries north and south of the harbor Their firing
lasted about five hours and then ceased with the dark
Of evening The result was that the celebrated
Quarantine Fort senced by the French while Fort
Constantine almost entirely disabled by the English
The French had sixteen killed and two hundred wounded
and the English fortysix killed and two hundred and fifty
ndnd Nnu If tha dos we'd
nenty disabled although had her masts carried away
another had her poop blown off, and two set fire
by redhot shot, The damage to tho Notifications
readily repaired.
We now extract from the correspondence Of the
London Times:
HEIGHTS BEFORE 81 lAsropoL.
OcToDER 19.-The epemy scarcely fred bot drying
the night of the 18th oar batteries equally Silent.
The French their side ops,ad few guns ~ thr right
attack, which they had been winr r. uto position
all night but they did not succeed il hrg many rounds
before the great preponderance of the enemys metal
made itself felt, and their works damaged serious
y in fact theirl lines though the enemys bat
teries than in instances we're not suii-
ciently close for the light brass guns with which they
were armed At daybreak the firing continued usual
from both SIDES The Russians having spent the night
in repairing the batteries nearly in the same posi-
ton ourselves and unaided, at least unassised to
the full extent had to expect by the French
were Just able to hold our during the day.
Some smart affairs of skirmshers aud sharpshooters
took place in front. Our rfemen annoy the Russian
gunners greatly and prevent the traleurs from showing
near our batteries
Our ammunition is running short but supplies are
pected every moment. Either from want of cartridges
from the difficulty of getting powder down to the works
our l2gun battery was silent for some time Two more
6Spounders brought up to Capt Gordon's attack,
and two ordered to be added to Capt. Chap
mans attack last night but they could not be got into
position in time for the opening of the fire.
The smoke thick at intervals to-day that but
tt1a hn hrti Hhp Erppc
fire sackened very much towards O'Clock, the enemy
pitching shells right into their lines and enfadng part
Of their works. The French fleet said to be busy
hammerng about tho FORTS but did not see them
do not assert it to be fact that they did Hour after
hour continuous boom of alone audible,
and the smoke screened oil else from view At 81 o'clock
there explosion of powder in the opposite
to our right attack. The Flagstaff Fort seemed much
knocked about by the French; the Redan and Round
Tower earthWorks fire nearly well As it
very desirable destroy the ships anchored in the harbor
below and to fire tho dockyard buildings rockets
brought into play, and, though rather erratc in
their fight, they did some mischief though not much
expected Wherever they fell the people could be
flying the streets when the smoke cleared. AT
O'Clock Nj. the town on fire, but after the smoke
had excited hopes for time it thinned away and
went out altogether At 81 there another explosion,
but whether it occurred in the French or the Russian
lines could not ascertain, the whole of left
covered with yapors of uphur and vlanoas sapetre
As rather prodigal of powder and
ammunition is not er.abundant, they again nd
were much less frequent to the Russians than before
that it almost seemed who did know the truth
that the enemy overpowering FIRE. They kept
smartly at work from three guns in the Round Tower
works and from come four or fye in the Redan
batteries The Lancasters in force to-day The
men begin understand he and the true value of the
arm is becoming apparent. There is difficulty in
tanning where the shot and shell from them strike,
great is the distance of range.
Our loss has been trifing. Yesterday the 18Th the
total Of killed and wounded as well as can make it out
n1invr cd c,pla,i Il u
Some deserters came in from the enemy and for
warded to headquarters, where they examined by
the Interpreters. They declared the town in very
bad state that sickness prevailed among the soldery
and that there great numbers Of killed and wound
ed from fire. These seemed glad at escaping,
and their personal appearance nearly good
that of the who fought at the Alma Admiral kor
nile is they state, dead he wounded in the thigh
80 severely while experimenting the fire in the Round
Tower battery that he had to undergo amputaton,
from the effects Of which he died.
OcToBER 20.-Two 68-pounders were mounted last
night in batteries and the firing which nearly
ed after dark, renewed by daybreak. We are all
getting tired Of this continual pound pounding which
makes great deal of noise, wastes much powder, and
does very little damage 1t is very hard batter down
earthworks. Most people about London have the
artillery butt at Woowich How long has il lasted
"heavy fire" of artillery? Then, again, the Russians
have plenty Of aborers. They easily repair ut night
what destroy aud damage during the day. IL is diff
cult for US TO do the Our out with
fatigue the daily service exhausts them and the arti
erymen cannot have than FIVE honrs' rest in the
twenty four They relieved every eight hours but it
takes them three hours to get down their work and
turn from it to the camp. Our quite dis
appointed and tired out / fear people in Eng