The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-12-30

Moonlight View OF Battle Field.
We do not think that the pen of the roman
cist ever depicted more Notwithstanding scene
than the following description, by an eye-wit-
ness, of a portion of the field of Inkerman, as
viewed by moonlight, on the evening after that
bloody battle:
Passing up the road to Sebastopol between
heaps of Russian dead, you come to the spot
where tie Guards had been compelled to retire
from the defence of the wall above Inkerman
Valley. Here our dead was nearly as numer-
Gus as the enemy's. Across the PATH side by
side, lay five Guardsmen, who were killed by
one round shot as they advanced to charge the
enemy. They lay Oh their faces in the same
attitude, with their muskets tightly grasped in
both hands, and all had the same grim painful
frown upon their features, like men who were
struck down in the act of closing with their
foes. Beyond this the Russian Guardmen and
line regiments lay thick as leaves, with dead
and wounded horses. The latter, with fractur-
ed limbs, were now and then rising, and, after
staggering few steps, rolling over among the
cOrpses, snorting and plunging fearfully. Up
to the right of the wall was the way to the
Twogun Battery. The path lay through thick
brushwood, but it was slippery with blood land
the brushwood was broken down and encum-
bered with the dead. The scene from the bat
terry was awful awful beyond description
l stood upon its parapet at about at night,
and felt my heart sink as l gazed upon the
scene of carnage around. The moon was at
its full, and showed every object as if by the
light of day. Facing me was the Valley of
Inkerman, with the Tchernaya like band of
silver flowing gracefully between the hills, which
for varied and picturesque beauty, might vie
with any part of the world. Yet shall never
recall the memories of Inkerman Valley with
any but feelings of loathing and horror for
round the spot from which surveyed the scene
lay upwards of 5000 bodies. Many, badly
wounded, also lay there; and their low, dull
means of mortal agony struck with terrible
distinctness upon the ear, or, worse still, the
hoarse, gurgling cry and vehement struggles of
those who were convulsed before they passed
away. Round the hill, small groups of men
with hospital strctchers were searching out for
those who still survived; and Others, again,
with lanterns, busily turning over the dead,
looking for the bodies of officers who were
known to be killed, but who had not been found.
Here also were English women whose husbands
had not returned, hurrying about with loud la
mentations, turning the faces of our dead to
the moonlight, and eagerly seeking for what
they feared to find. These latter were far more
to be pitied than the inanimate forms of those
who lay slaughtered around. The ambulances,
as they came up, received their load of suffer
ers, and even blankets were employed to con-
vey the wounded to the rear. Outside the bat
terry the Russians lay two and three deep. In.
side, the place was literally full with bodies of
Russian Guardsmen, 55th and Goth. The fine
forms of our poor fellows could be distinguished
at glance, though the grey great coats stained
with blood rendered them alike externally. -
They lay as they fell in heaps sometimes our
men over three or four Russians, and some
times Russian over three or four of ours
Some had passed away with smile on their
faces, and seemed as il asleep; Others were
horribly contorted, and with distended eyes and
swollen features appeared TO have died in ago.
ny, but defying to the last. Some lay as if
prepared for burial, and as though hands of re-
latives had arranged their mangled limbs, while
others again were in almost startling positions,
half standing or kneeling, clutching their wea-
pons or drawing cartridge. Many lay with
both their hands extended towards the sky, as
if to avert blow or utter a prayer, while 9th
ers had malignant scowl of mingled fear and
hatred as if indeed they died despairing. The
moonlight impaired an aspect of unnatural
paleness to their forms, and as the cold damp
wind swept round the hills, and waved the
boughs above their upturned faces, the shad-
ows gave horrible appearance of vitality,
and it seemed as if the dead were laughing,
and about to rise. This was not the case on
one spot, but all over the bloody field"