The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-10-25
The Invasion of the Crimea--Incidents
of the Campaign, &c.
DESTRUC TON OF OLD FORT.


Of the Campaign, &c.
DEsTRUc ITO OF OLD FORT.
The place selected for landing is a
low strip of beach and single cast up
by the violence of the surf, and forming
a sort of causeway between the sea and
a %stagnant salt water lake-one of these
remarkable deposits of blackish water so
frequent along this shore of the Crimea
and which abound close to our present
quarters. The lake is about one mile
long and half mile broad, and when
we first arrived it's boarders and surface
were frequented by vast focks of Wild
fowl. There is another sheet to the
south CT US, and there is another to the
north, between our camp and Eupatoria.
The causeway is no more than two hun
dred yards broad, and it leads at the
right or southern extremity of the lake,
by a gentle ascent, to an irregular table
land or plateau of trifing elevation, dot
ted with tumoli, or barrows. such as are
seen in several parts of England, and
extending to the base of the very re-
markable chain called, from their shape,
the Tent mountains. Towards the sea,
this plateau presents a precipetous face of
red clay and sandstone, varying in hight
from 100 to $50 feet, and it terminates
by a descent almost 20 the sea level, at
the distance of nearly two miles from the
shores of the lake. Thence towards the
south there is a low sandy beach, with a
fringe of shinglc raised by the action of
the waves above; the level Of the land,
aud saving it from imundation. This
low coast runs as far as the eye can
reach till it is lost beneath the base of
the mountain ranges over Sebastopol.
The country inland, visible ftom the
decks of the ships, is covered with cattle,
with grain in stacks, with farmhouses,
and seems capable of producing immense
quantities of live stock and fodder
The stuble fields are now covered with
wild lavender, southern wood, and other
fragrant shrubs, which the troops are
now busily collecting for fuel, and which
fill the air with an aromatic perfume.
We could see the people driving their
carts and busy in their ordinary ocau-
p%ations. Now and then some Cossack,s
were visible, securing along the roads
from the city of S~imteropol, the capital
and down south towards the menaced
stronghold of the Gar, but they were
not numerous.
LANDING OF THE TROOPS
As the ships of our expedition drew
in lines parallel to the beach the French
feet passed under steam, and exteGded
itself on the right, and ran in close to
the shore, below the cliffs of the plateau.
ILL., o,~o1l x,01 okoo n, n-z -arR ,arat
nearer than ours were allowed to go,
and a little after seven o'clock the first
French boat put off from one of the men
of war, not more than fifteen or sixteen
men were on board her. She was
beached quietly Oh shore at the southern
extremity of the red cliff. The crew
leaped out, they formed into a knot, on
the strand, and seemed busily engaged
for q few moments owe II spot of
ground, as though they were digging a
grave. Presently a flag staff wasyisible
above their heads, and in a moment more
the tricolor was run up to the top, and
futtered out gaily to the wind. The
French were thus the first in taking
possession and seizing the Crimea.-
There was no enemy in sight. The
most scrutinizing gaze at this moment
could not have detected a hostile uniform
along the coast. The French admiral
fred a gun shortly after eight o'clock,
and the Decentralization of their troops
commenced. In twenty-five minutes
they say that they got 5000 men on
shore. The instant the French had
landed, a regiment was pushed on to
reconoiter, skirmishers or pickers were
sent on in front. As each regiment
in column, its predecessor, de-
extended front, and advanced in
light marching order e1 tiy95UeUr,
spreading out like a fan over the plains.
1t was most curious and interesting to
observe their progress, and to note the
maner in which they were ap-
propriating the soil. In.about an hour
their first detachment had landed
nearly 5000 troops on shore, and their
advanced posts were family discernible
between three and four miles from the
like little black specks moving
over the corn fields, and darkening the
highways and meadow paths.
The French army were On board a
line of battle ships, and were at once
from their decks to the land by
the men ofwar's boats. The Montebel-
10 carried upwards of 1 400 men, in addi-
tion to her crew. The Valmy had in
Ill 5000. The Vile de Paris and
Henri Quatre we're laden with men in
proportion, and all the line of battle
and steamers had full cargoes of
,roops. In fact, it was found that their
small briggs and schooners were neither
iafe nor comfortable and that they were
better suited for carrying stores and
lorses than mon. The feet of french
men of war carried more thar 10000
aen. Our army amounted to $4,000
nen, and we're embarked in a vast num-
re of tr transports, covering a great ex-
ent of water. But they were carried
n comfort and safety, and though there
7as still much sickness on board, it was
s nothing compared with the mortality
mongst the closely packed FRENCH
Perhaps no army eve was conveyed
nth such luxury and security from shore