Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-12-02

protection Of thic chain Of sharpshooters aru viii
carbnes Ours rect lived the enemy with ixectet
fire, and n few ins, ants sharp fire Of small arms wa,
opened all along the Ii ne Of battle. From the
men Of the battle the numerous sharpshooters Of she
enemy armed with cal Dimes with conical balls made
great rnvages ranls. great number Of officers
fell the first vctims tha murderous weapon and this
circumstance naturally had great influence the fur
her progress of the battle After occupying the vine
yards Of the right bank Of he Alma the enemy batta
lions formed into counns ssed the river and depoy-
ed again in lines on the opposite bank notwithstanding
the constant fire Of our batteries Prince Menschiko
orders 70 tho first 1e to ceve the enemy at the
point Of the bnyonet in order to dive him the river
again. Several times battaoHs headed by their in
trepd chiefs charged the enemy with the bayonc but
each time meeting with the terrible rolling fire Of the
deployed line BY the Thick chain ID skrisheys With
the carbnes they repused with great loss. The
enemys infantry sustained With frmnsss and without
wavering the wcdireced reof our artillery tho de-
poyed batalions lay down and took cover behind the
shelter afforded By the ground, while their shApshooters
sions of eight guns "A y nsn disabled.
M NJ /. sss I; 3
the projectles of the fleet. Under cover the ne
the ships French column having at its head some Az
rcan troops called Zouayes, crossed the valley OF the
Alma the seashore and rapidly climbed the cliff by
path through narrow rayine The appearance OF these
troops our fank and almost on our rear, obliged
Prince Menschko to bring up from the reserve the reg
ents Of Mnsk and Moscow and squadrons of hus-
The French had however, succeeded in establishing
battery on the heights which received with
suoh sharp fire that they obliged to fall back.
Prince Menschkof then seeing his left wing turned, and
the centre and right wing not being able to maintain their
ground consequence of the losses they had
suffered began withdraw his troops towards the Katcha
order their retreat he brought up the brigade
of hussars and this measure, and perhaps the consd
cradle losses which the enemy had suffered checked the
midnight crossed the Katcha In this sangunary combat
both parties suffered very considerably. We had ,I6
killed. 315 wounded, and 405 received contusions
Forty superior and subaltern officers are among the
killed. and among the wounded Generals Kyitsnsky
Sichelkansf Goguinof and Kourtianof and ninety
superior and subatern officers The loss of the enemy
not known with any certainty but according to some
reports, it even exceeded ours but under any crcum
stances is impossible that the obstinate attack of their
battaons under the shower Of shot and grape has
not cost the Allies very dear"
The following the reports of the siege of Sebas
topol by Prince Menschkof under date of the 18th
and 18th:
OCTOBER 17TH.-In the night of the 10th the enemy
pierced embrasures in their trenches and this morning
six o'clock opened very active fire against bate
res and bastons which replied with still greater acty
ty and with fair success. Towards noon the pieces
placed the tower of the Maakho hill were dismount-
but the batteries erected that side and all the bas
tons ceased firing and with SO much success that
towards the evening the English had only two pieces
naming to continue the fire. The French batteries had
been senced much sooner in consequence of an expo
sion Of their powder magazine On our side as far as
presume before having received detailed information
from each bason and each battery the loss cannot have
been considerable but 1t is important in this sense that
Gen. Kornilo, struck by cannon ball In the leg soon
expired At half past II o'clock whilst the cannonade
still coBt;nued from the batteries of the trenches the
ships of war OF the enemy opened terrible fire by broad
sides and without interruption against the battery No.
TO- the Alexander battery and the Constantine battery
which replied to them with the same yiyacity The dem
nity Of the smoke in dead calm and extraordinary
heat completely concealed the sea, to such th
1t was saite impossible TO distinguish the injnrdope
either il og batteries board the enemys vesyes
the numberof which to have been fourteen az
Of this cannonade. The fre did NOT be-
gin to sacken until the approach Of night Although
have not yet any precise data to go on as to the results
OF the bombardment cannot help giving an account IN
all haste your Majesty Of what has taken place during
this day. During the bombardment was in Sebastopol
and saw the army. communicated to the ipeffaby
gracious expressions of the rescript OF your Majesty
(which hos been brought to me by the Imperial Abide
Camp Abedinsky) adding that after the bombardment
the army would perhaps defend from an
assault in combat hand to hand hope thatthe army
will show itself worthy Of your Maesys expectations
ocroBER 1SThe fire of the batteries and of the enc
ys ships of war-whch had not ceased oil yesterday,
from the rising of the nghtfa and which was as
tonishing by its and its noisedd not do as much
damage as might have been expected The Alexander
battery well battery No. 10 for which most fears
damage was done the Constantine battery As to the
basons which fred the enemys batteries, the great
est part have been injured with the exception OF the
bason No. 3, of which nearly the whole thirty-three
pieces we're dismounted and where have suffered most
loss Of men, Although have not yet received the lists
of the killed and wounded yet, from the general nfor
nation collected the spot it s consoatory to see that
our loss scarcely amounts to 800 men hors de COMBAT
Amongst the wounded is Admiral Nakhmof and Captain
Yergomyschef Of the Imperial navy but the first very
slightly As fresh bombardnent was expected Tor this
day. the whole of the night passed at Sebastopol
pairing the damage done, and all the pieces which had
been dismounted replaced As to the baston No.
it strengthened by battery erected on Its Hank
This day the whole fire of the enemy has been directed
against the Maakho tower and the batteries raised
that side The has remained without any damage
very serious character and to the batteries they
have replied with The fire Of the English bat
teries which was much less than yesterday sens
bly, diminished in the afternoon probably in consequence
Of General Semakne having by my orders marched with
his detachment from the village Of Tchorgoun on the
heights of Balaklava and that by showing himself on the
rear of the English camp he occasoned some disorder
that the army hastily formed and put itself in march in
the direction Of Baaklava BY this demonstration OF
detached corps the object in view was attained Of turn
ing away the attention Of the enemy from the fortress
On the 18th the French batteries fred but little against
Sebastopol The vessels which had bombarded yester-
day. and which apparently only French, have haul
ed off this morning in the direction Of the lighthouse OF
Chersonesus Yesterday account OF the smoke, and
to-day from the fog sea- it has been impossible to
certain what damage the vessels sustained One ship Of
the line appeared to have had Of her spars carried
ayay and two others to have taken FIRE from redhot
shot but this cannot affirm with certainty"
The Invaide Russo and the Journal de ST. Petersburg
OF the Goth utmo publish the following bulletin Of the
operations at Sebastopol: