New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-14
THE BATTLE OF IyIxERMAyN.

This sangunary battle took place on the 9th Of
November, and yet ii not till the 23d that tie
reports of the a,lied commanders aud of the cor
respondents of the lead ug journals reached Lon
don Very brief accounts Of the affair were
brought to this country by the two recent
steamers but nothing in sufficient detail to enable
ps to form any satisfactory Judgment on the fea-
lures Of the struggle To-day, however the
mails of the Pacific enable 10 furnish the most
complete accounts of the whole, including the
dispatches of Raglan, Canrobert and Menchikoif,
with the very excellent and spirited letters of the
special correspondents Of The London Times and
The Morning HeTad, both of which Journals are
served on the spot by VT teTs of distinguished
ability. With all these, and other documents at
hand we proceed to anayzc the story of the bat
tie, with view to enable our readers to arrive
at al impartial and intelligent opinion concerning
IT,
Like the Prussians az Jena, the British forces
facing toward IDkermann were stationed on
range Of nights accessible in front by a few de-
files only. Like the Prussians the British had al
together neglected to occupy an elevation on their
! extreme left, on which, like Napoleon at Jena,
Mepchikof threw portion Of his army-there
establishing himself upon the flank of the enemy
before daybreab. The intention Of the Russians
was evidently TO profit By this Circumstance in
order TO bring the mass OF their troops 10 bear
upon the flank of the British TO deploy upon the
nights thus secured, and crush the British diys,
ions IS they came up sinely during the fatal but
inevitable mapeuver Of changing their front, or
to "rOll them up, as it is technically called.
To this maneuver Napoleon owed bis brilliant
success over an army which, though clumsy,
slow, and badly commanded, was yet at that time
the best of the old continental armies. The rs-
pidity of bis movements executed with troops
versed in the new mode Of warfare Introduced
by the American war Of independence. by the
French revolutionary wars, and by Napoleon
himself favored this bold stroke. Here, at In
hermann it was with slow and clumsy troops
that Menchikoff attempted this same surprise
upon the active and quick-moying troops of the
British and French; and the result was accord
ingly the opposite Of that at Jena.
The negligence shown by the British in the
manner Of occupying their positions is utterly
disgra ,eiul to their commander There is ex-
cuse either for the non Occu patton OF the knoll on
the south side of Chernsya, or for the absence
Of field-works in this important position, for the
attack of which, as he well knew, many thousand
Russi ms were concentrating. Tbs RGssi,us, as
We have said, profted by this neglect at once, by
occupying the knoll on the north end of the
range, forcing the British position with heavy
field artillery. The British papers say the Rus
SLAMS had "a and S2-pouuders in the field but THE
only shows heir utter ignorance o. artillery mat.
tiers. Tie II sport Of their own artillery from
Balsklava TO re trenches should have shown
them that "a al 32-pounders cannot be taken
into the field, niue. lcss into night surprise.
The fact is, what Il - call 81 and % pouniers
were howitzers, having csliber simils' 70 that
Of the "a and 32-pound gun ut in fact light field
guns, not heavier than the Br fish field howitzers.
The howiizer, throwing a hollow prcjecte with
ssuall charge, and obtaining range by elevation
chiefly, can be made of q larger bore than the
cannon for solid shot. The "a pound hOwitzsr
corresponds in weight and effect with the 6-pound
eun, and the so-called 32-pound (sbOut 6inch)
howitzsrs to l2-poundeis; these hOwitzers are AZ
tached in the Russian service to the batteries of
these calibers. This shows how gnoi ance and
national vanity unite in manufacturing heroes aud
enhancing the glory of nations arms.
So far, everything went in favor Of the Rus
sians. Their generalship had proved far superior
to that Of Lord Raglan. Their plan was excel