The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-12-30

Beyond this the Russians, Cuardsmcn,
and line regiments lay thick as leaves inter
mixed with dead and wounded horses. The
latter with fractured limbs, were then rising,
and after staggering few steps rolling over
among the corpses, snorting and plunging
| fcarfully. Up to the right Of the wall was
the way to the Two gun Battery. The path
| lay through thick brushwood, but the path
was slippery with blood, and the brusliwood
I was broken down and encountered with the
dead. stood upon its parapct at about at
night, and felt my heart sink as gazed up
on the 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
lnkermann, with the Tebernay like u band
ofsivcr flowing gracefully between the hills,
which, for varied and picturesque beauty
might vie with any part Of the world
| Round the spot from which ! surveyed the
| scene lay upwards Of 5000 bodies. Many
badly wounded lay there; and their low,
dull moans Of mortal agony struck with ter
| rible dstinctness upon the ear; or worse
still, the hoarse, gurgling cry and vehement
! struggle Of those who were conyulscd before
| they passed away.
Round the hill small groups Of men with
| hospital strctchcrs were searching on for
those who still survived and others again,
with lanterns 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 hus
bands had not returned, hurrying about with
| loud lamentations, turning the faces Of on
dead to the moonlight, and eagerly seeking
/ for what they feared to find. These latter
were far more TO be pited than the nanimate
| forms Of those who lay slaughtered around.
/ The ambulanccs, as fast a. they came up, re-
ceiyed their load of sufferers and even blan.
/ kets were employed TO convey the wounded
/ TO the rear Outside the battery the Rus
! SLAMS lay two and three deep. Inside the
I place was literally full with bodies OF Rus
SLAMS, Guardsmcn, jJth and 20th.
The fine tall forms Of our poor fellows
! could be distinguished at a glance, though
! the grey great coats, stained with blood. rem
dered them alike externally. They lay as
I they fell, in heaps, sometimes our men over
I three or four Russians, and sometimes a
/ Russian over three or four Of ours. Some
had passed away with smile on their faces,
and some as if asleep others were horribly
contortcd, and with distcndcd eyes and swol-
len features appeared to have died in agonyd
but delying to the last. Some lay as If pre-.
pared for burial, and as though the hands Of
relatives had arranged their manslcd limbs !,
while others again were in almost startling
positions, half standing or kneelng, clutch.
ing their weapons or drawing cartridge.
Many lay with both their hands extended
towards the sky as if to avert blow or ut.
ter prayer, while others had malignant
scowl of mingled fear and hatred, as if in
deed they died dcspairing. The moonlight
impaired an aspect Of unnatural palcncss to
their forms, and as the cold damp winds
swep. round the hills and waved the boughs
above their up.urned faces the shadows
gave horrible appearance Of vitality; aud
itsccmed as if the dead were laughing and
about to rise. This was not the case on one
spot, but all over the bloody field