The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-10-31

feSusr siege OF Seoasopol would begin on tine oth inst
and he thought the fortress would be taken in ten
days.
VIENNA, Oct. II, 1854.
II il reported from Constantnople 9Th inst that the
Russians 90 900 strong, under Menschikof have
again beaten and that the southern heights of sebas
topo taken The surrender Of the city looked for
between the 18th and 10th instant.
Against these set the following received from Berlin
81 PKrxRsBUR0, Oct Is, 1854
Nothing OF importance had been undertaken against
Sebastopol TO 9th of October, being last advices.
The Russians fully determined to defend the Cri
mea should Sebastopol fall As proof Of the i'm
portance attached to the defence is currently given
in Russia that the Grand Duke Constantine viii himself
take command Of the Southern army The question Is
discussed with much earnestnes ~ the possibility Of
renforcements reaching Menschkof to enable him
to the offensive in the field against the allies and
compel them to raise the siege. The Russians have al
ready 80 900 entrenched at Bakshisera nucleus
for the expected and the army Of the
Crimea will be- by the middle Of October in a position
to operate with 900 In the ael in aid Of the be-
sieged garrison, which Numbers 3o000-the total Rus
sian force thus being Ok, 900 men.
To meet this force the allies have at the present
ment sea- and shore, equal number-that is to
say 90 900 men, and they continually bringing up
reinforcements, having Of course the free
mand Of the Eight thousand additional Turks
under orders to embark from varna and the Egyptian
extra contingent of 1000 will proceed direct from Alex
andria to the Crmea The Russians will thus be out
numbered, and the allies have siege artillery, (for
which 500 00e shot and shell already anded and all
pol will fall and perhaps speedily. But it by
follows that its fall will end the Turkey is well
nigh exhausted Of recruits France is true has still
unless she brings forward her Sepoys from India Rus
sia, the contrary, has immense reserves, and may
protract the war indefinitely.
RUSSIAN ACCOUNTS OF THE CAMPAIGN.
from the London Times, Oct IL
The Emperor Of Russia Is resolved to spare his subjects
the keenest pangs Of unsuccessful for although his
army has been defeated his fortress invested, and
great portion of his feet destroyed the st. Petersburg
Journal continues with mistaken confidence and COM
pacency to record the gratifying progress of the cam
umph Of the imperial arms Such is the holiness Of the
Russian Generals in telling lessuch 10 the ability of
the Russian in suppressng truth that the
most calamitous and hunnlating events OF the
cheerful and encouraging aspect in their hands
for although Prince Menschko has not yet done much
competent to embesh dreary tale Of plumbers and de-
feat. The despatch of this commander to his imperial
Majesty of 3Oh uit which has been officially published
in the Journal of st. Petersburg surpasses all the pre-
vous achievements Of this kind which have met with
All mention Of the battle of the Alma and the march
Baakava suppressed but the Russian General informs
his sovereign having executed his flank movement
Bakshsera (Which he appears in reality not to have made
at a he was ready the offensive and that the
allies had divided their forces the English having betaken
themselves to Ealaklava BY sea- while the French APP
preached the north Of Sebastopo until Prince Mensch
k0G made movement in advance, when they abandoned
that position declined the combat and at last effected
junction with their allies the south. We may safely
leave gallant allies to take suitable notice Of the
assertion that French army declined to meet on any
whatever that Russian corps which had been de-
feated week before in the strong position on the Alma
notorious and extravagant fasehood that the English
division beook itself to Balaklava by It is part
of the ridiculous inventions practsed by the Russian
the creduly Of its subjects to represent
the Engshman a sort of amphibous animal ex-
tremey ormdab the ocean, but helpless out OF salt
water Hence all the advantages of the in which
forces have borne part ascribed to our ships
Tie defeat the Alma is attributed to the fire OF the
steamers although their shells only reached the ravine
where portion OF the Russian reserve was placed at the
beginning of the action and again. the movement on
Baaklava is described MS maritime operation This
astonishing and deliberate missatemcnt published in
the official Journal the authority OF minister OF the
Crown and high dgnifary OF me empire IN command
tended to conceal at least from the public the disgrace
full negligence and ncapacity which suffered the allied
armies to march without q check through the whole
Russian system of defence. II this be a specimen of
Prince Mcnschkos dispatches, fear that until the
Gar has the advantage Of reading Lord Ragans excel
lent reports he will have most imperfect notion of the
events of this campaign We have no wish to lower the
character antagonists, and, the contrary,
should infinitely prefer to stand opposed to who
tach the meaning do ourselves to the words
"truth" and ''honcro but when we see the simplest
and most notorious facts thus unblushngy distorted
compelled to believe that the perception of
veracity is wanting to such government. Yet in the
communication we read that Captain Clcbow,
Russian officer has been tried by court martial and de-
fulncss and improper conduct Unless Captain Clebow
is the most i'll used Of mankind he ought to share with
Prince Menschikof the penalty Of such an offence,
Although we have never been disposed to assign to
Russia to the Russian army the exaggerated and
ponderating position she claimed in Europe 1t certain
that the milf airy Of the last twelve months
and the whole conduct Of this the part Of Russia
exhibit very striking contrast to the energy Of her
generals and the tenacity Of her troops from 40 to SO
ycara IN at Russi in SOL
der the only soldier in Europe who bore himself as
well under defeat after victory and who always
ready tho day following the loss of great battle to
dispute the next inch Of ground with undninished per-
nacity. The two hercest and most indecisive battles
fought by Napoleon incontestaby those OF
Eylau and the borodino Nothing could be bold
and kful than the vigor with which Bcnningsen forced
the Great Emperor to quit his quarters in the heart Of
Polish winter in 1907 and to plunge into the snow
drifts and the gloomy forests which led to the field of
Eylau Already at Pultusk and at Golymin Lanncs and
Davoust had learned to their cost that the enemy
before them very different from those Prussan
thusiasts whom they had routed and annihated few
most Formidable check that had yet been given to the
irresistible military prestige Of Napoleon himself For
600 Russians who fell killed and wounded those icy
plains 600 French soldiers perished No trophies
taken on either side the field of battle
~ held by the French and for nine days after the act
ton Napoleon unable to The Borodino was
even more errble the armed hosts of all the contnen
OF Europe arrayed against Russia under the stand
ard of France and when they reached the plain before
Moscow 125 900 combatants each side present
under The contest long, obstinate and bloody
beyond all experience in that age of horrible
Upwards of thirty generals killed and wounded
each side. The number Of Russians who fell was es
mated at 600 killed and 80 600 wounded that Of the
French at IL 600 killed and 49, wounded but Of these
mutated survivors by far the greater number persisted
afterwards either in the fire of Moscow the hor
Of the approaching winter So nearly was the fate
of the day balanced that Napoleon hestated to employ
his reserve because he knew that it the last hope
his army and battle gained at such price the
warming Of impending defeat.
These memorable events and the fatal reverses they
afterwards brought upon the French army the orr
gin Of the high military reputation Of Russia in
tines Her generals had displayed great strategical
gacty In the campaign and great resources in the field
while her troops showed all occasions unbroken
/ courage and unAinchng endurance In the Hungarian
OF 1s4e in the Turkish campaign OF the past
in the present Crmcan operations trace OF these emf
ncnt qualities be discovered and it is contemplate
officers who may have been present in their early
youth at the gigantic battles Of 1907 and 1912 resortn
10 palpablc dcccpons to conceal their blunders and
their weakness The 6rst great error Of Prince Mensch-