The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-04-26
H>Rae War.


The War.
From tho scat of war on tho Danube
there is no official intelligence of great
Importance; we must, however, soon hear
OF fighting in that quarter. The allied
fleets arc in the Black Sea, and Sir Charles
Napier ia advancing in the Baltic. The
Russians are said to have abandoned the
the island Of Aland, and he can occupy it
without difficulty.
In England the opinion is being adopted
that the war must be long and hard one.
They are looking carefully into their state
of preparation to AIRY it on.
Sir Charles Napier has issued the fol-
lowing address 10 the fleet:
LARS: War is declared. We are TO
meet bold and numerous enemy! Should
they offer us battle you know how to dis
pose of them! Should they remain ia
port we must try to get at them!
Success depends upon the quickness
and precision Of your fire! Lads Shar-
pen your cutlasses and the day is your
own!"
A pri"aie dispatch snys ,ha, tho allied
fleets have entered The Black Sea. to effect
movement in conjunction with Omer
Paat.a.
And another contains an account OF
battle between the Russians and Turks,
on the 22nd and 23rd ultimo. Tie Rua.
slams attempting to force the passage of
the Danube. and the Turks opposing them.
The following ia an extract from the letter:
The passage was FIVE or six times fruit.
lcssly attempted on the 22d. The at
Temps were renewed on the following
day with as little success, until between
IL and /, when part Of the Turks, for
some unknown reason, began to retire,
Slowly and in perfect ORDER" from the
entrenchmcnts (probably TO oppose the
landing OF the main corps from Galatch.)
BY degrees the Turks disappeared entirely
from the bunk of tho river, of which be-
tween and in the evening, the Rus.
SLAMS were in full possession. The latter
certainly did not calculate on forcing
Passage Of the river at Matschn with the
10 8 Of no more than 400 men, half OF
whom we've drowned, but such appears to
have been tine case. Tho passage abon,
Tulshu, between that fortress and lsakt.
cha was,. however, far moro serious
affair General Ushakoff had either to
silence three batteries or to take them at
the point Of the bayonet. in the afternoon
il became necessary to have recourse to
cold steel. and battalion ADVANCED IN the
attack. Within less than half an hour one
half Of the men had fallen, and a second
battalion was brought up, but it Jared as
badly rs it's predecessor, A third. battal.
ion. however. succeeded in gaining firm
footing on the right bank.
While this sanguinary conflict was going
on in the immediate neighborhood Of the
batteries, other Russian troops, both infan.
try and cavalry, had crossed the river and
advanced on the flank OF the Turks. Tho
Mussulmana, although feariuly over.
matched, fought desperately for their guns
two batteries of which, with The exception
II one gun, they managed TO carry Off
The third battery was defended by three
companies. which were completely sur
rounded by the Russians who after
struggle OF half an hour succeeded in se.
curing all the gune. though not until one
half OF the Turks had been killed and tho
other half taken prisoners.
Private letters state the loss of The Rus
slams IN the engagement to have been
1900 men. On the 24th the battle was
renewed with increased fury both at Tult.
aha and Nlatshin, but when the post left
it was not known with what result. On
the 23d The Russians. suffered severe de-
feat at that fatal spot, Olteniza. Their
loss was far greater than was the case
last autum, The number of killed and
wounded is aaid to have been tar above
1900 men. but this estimate is probably
greatly exaggerated. At all events, the
defeat was SO complete that it has some.
what diminished the moral effect produced
by the victory at Ma,shn. On the follow.
ing day (he 25th Of MarchD the same
correspondent wrote, "Gen. Ushakoff has
been driven back with. great loss into
Bessarabia, but the Russians are totally
silent on the subject"
.-Os-.
Disastrous Fire.