Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-10-30


HsioHTs op Alma, Sept. 81.
Horrible Seene-TAe Dead Rnssidn Saldisrs-,
T'ksb DTess-T1s OontsRiS Of their KHop5aeka
| .-.Tbsir T'fnHcifv Of Lifs-f'hsir Di0irust Of
me Allied SolAsrS-Ths Appearance Of ths
PgisontFS--Priaes MsnseAike6 Lost HE PrsS-
enes Of Mind,
II was terrible and Sickening sight TO go over
the battle field. Till deprived OF my horse by al
chance shot, rode about 10 ascertain, ns iar as
pUgsible, the loss Of our ftends, and In doing so
was often brought 10 stand still 10y the difficulty
OF getting through tue piles Of wounded Russians,
mingled too ollen with our own poor soldiers The
hills Of Greenwich patk ia fair time ore mol more
densely covered with human beings than were
the heights Of Alma with deud and dying On
these bloody mounds fell 2,l96 English oiheeTs anu
men, and upwards Of 5000 Russians, Whlle incl
WESTERN Extremity was covered win The bottles u
400 gallant Prenchmen, and Of more lhan S'VVV
Of Their foes.
When Lord Raglan and his slaiT and the Duke
of Cambridge rode round 10 the top OF tho hill
Tile hoops cheeTed him with thrilling theot-a
shout Of victory which nsveEcan 10 forgotten. The
enemy, who weEe Aging IA the distance, might OIL
most have heard Us echoes as II rolled among the
bills. Our men had, indeed, done thelI work
we'll, foE toe action, which commented at l'2b Oh
our part. was over about 4 p, NJ, In fact The
actual close continuous fighting did not last two
hOuTsl
The Russian regiments engaged against US,
Judging gEOm the numbeBOn the caps aud buttons
Of The dead and wounded, were the 18th, 18th,
18th, nth, 1911, 3lst, 500, $50, aud some Of The
Imperial Guard. The Russian regiment consists
Of four haltaliOnS, aud each battalion may be SAID
10 be $50 strong. Tue soldiers were mostly stout,
strong msa. Several Of tile regiments, S2d aud
10th, TOT example, wore black leather helmet,
handsomely mounted with brass cone on the top,
with hole TOT the reception Of lull, leather, OE
-
cap. They Rels oil dressed In long dTab coats
With brass buttons, bearing the number Of tile
TeginsnL These coats fitted loosely, were gnlhrT'
ed in at the back by SuIall SlIap aud button, de-
seconded toi the ankles, and seemed stout, cOmloElR
ble garments, though the Cloth was oOnIse M tex
tuIej the trousers, Ol ooaSe blue stuff were thrust
inside pair VI Wellington bOOlS, open ul tile top,
10 admit Of tlvif being cum Otlably tucked down.
Tie bOOiB were stout, well made, Ond sefVio9nbs.
The knapa acks aslonished our soldiers.
On opening them, zach was found 10 contain the
dIsBs uniform coulse Of tie msn, blue OF green,
with white iaclDgs, and sashes like our, own, q
peiT Of clean drawers, clean ShiEt,A pair Of clean
socks, puiI OF S'Out milS, case containing q
good pair Of scissors matked "Sdpin," an excel
lent penknile with one large bladei Of Russian
manufacture, u ball VI tWtue, q roll Of leather,
wax, thread, needles and pins, hniIbfush aud
comb, small looking.glass, TaEJI, stop aud soap,
shoe. brushes aud blocking. The general remark
oil our men was that the RusSiuns were very ''cean
soldiers" aud certainly the men on the fed had
nlI white skins 10 justify The expression. Eaell
man had loaf Of dark brown bread, Of sour
losls, aud disagte6abe OdoT, in his kuapsack, and
u linen roll containing quantity Of brown coarse
STUFF, broken up into unps aud large gains, which
is crushed biscuit or had gIanulated bread, pre-
pared with oil.
This we were toll by Tue prisoners was the sole
food Of the men. They eat the bread with onions
aud oili the powder IS "TeseRe" Tationi aud II
they march they may DO iOI days without food,
aud remain hungry till they can get fresh loayes
and more ''bEeadslul." II iS perfectly aslouHd.
ing 10 think they can keep together on such diet
-ald yet they ATe strong, muscular men enough.
The surgeon remarked that their lenaoiiy Of lille
YVES very remarkable. Many OF them lived with
wounds calculated 10 destroy two or lhTeo OTlnu
~ men. | saw one VI the SOD regiment on the
field Just allef lie fight He was shot tight through
tile head, and the bIur pIOlIuded in lSge masses
Ut the back OF Tie head aud lIom the front OF The
skull. saw with my own eyes the wounded
man raise his head, wipe the hOmbls mss nom
his brow, aud proceed 10 struggle down Tie hill
towards Tile wOleTl
Many OF tile Russinns were shot in three OF
four places few VI then had only one wound.--
They seemed 10 have general idea that they
would be muTdeTedi possibly, they had been told
no quarter would be given, and several deplOTable
events took place IN consequence, As our men
were passing by two OF Three Ofthem were shot OF
stabbed by men lyi-g ON the gfound, and the cLi
wns raised that "lhe wounded Russians" were f.
ring on our men. There is 0 story, Indeed, that
one officer was severely injured ny man TO whom
he wos in The very acl Of administering succoE os
| he 10y In agony on the hsldi be this rs II may,
there was al one time near chance OF massacre
taking pace, but tue men were soon controlled,
and confined themselves 10 the pillnge which al
ways lakes place OIL Uaullv field.
n d. = kamnr
gTst TO say, saw 90 up toa wounded Russian who
was rolling on the earth in the rear Of the 18th Te
gment, aud before we could say word he dis.
char ed his ride right through Tile wIetched cEsa.
lures brains. Col. Yea rode al him TO cut hin
down, but the fellow excused himself by declaring
tho Russian was going 70 shoot him. This was
The single act Of inhumaniy that saw peIpeiIa.
ted by tie Amy, flushed with victory aud anima.
ted by angTy passions. alolhugh the wounded ene
my had Internationally endangered their lives 10y
acts Of leTOClOus folly. Many Of the Russians had
small ctOsSes and chains fastened Hound their
neoks. Several were lOuEd with KoTans ia their
knnpsacks--mOSt probably recruits from Kansas
TaTsIs. Many VI tue oiticen had portraits oil
wives OF mislfssses, OF muLhels Or sisters, inside
their COATS.
The pTiyates had the little money they pos.
7essed in purses fastened below the left knees,
and the men, Ia their eageT search after the mon.
ey, oiten caused The wounded painful OppEehen.
Slons That they were abJut 10 destroy theu' Last
night all these poor wTetchts lay iE their agony;
nothing could be done 10 held them. The gTOnns,
the yeS, The cries Of dsspaiTand suffering, were
mournlul commentary on the eXultatiOn VI the
vlclors aud on the Joy which Eeigned along the BIZ
Vouac fires Of our men.
Olthe Russians one thing was TemaIka6le.--
The prisoners ave generally cOuEse, sullen and un.
inlelligsnt.looking men. Death had ennoblsd
those who fell, Tor the expression Of their faces
was altogether different. The wounded might
have enVled those who seemed TO have pnssel
away so peacefully.
The soldiers are all shaver cleanly on the chin
and check; only the mouslache is leGl, and tile
hair Is cropped as close 10 the head as possible.
The lslleI is very convenient mode Uf wearing
the hair in those parts Ofths world. The olicers
Uhoss olsupeTiOT rank excepled) are barely dis
iinguishuble from the men, so iar as uniform Is
concerned, but the generals wore sashes and gold
epauleites. The subulleIns wore merely lace
shouIderslTnp, Instead Of The cloth one OF the PIT
Yates. Most VI them spoke French, and lie en
tTraties of the wounded to be taken nlonY with u.s.