Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-10-26
THE BATTLE OF ALMA.

THE BATTLE OF ALMA.
We are in possession of the full details of
the battle fought at Alma, Russia, between
the Allied and Russi an armies, brought by the
Niagara. As the morning papers contain a
long account of this battle, we deem it neces-
sary only to give our readers the following:
THE FRENCH DESPATCH. \
Marshal st Arnaud's last Official Despatch
announcing the Victory OF the Alma.
The Moniteur contains the following official
despatch, addressed by Marechal de st. Ar
maud to the Emperor-the last, unfortunately,
which the Marechal was destined to write:
+ . "Field of Battle of Alma, Sept. 81. -
"Sire,-The cannon of your Majesty has
spoken; we h6ve gained complete victory.
1t is glorious day, Sire, to add to the military
annals of France, and your Majesty will have
one name more to add to the victories which
adorn the fags of the French army -ro-
"The Russians had yesterday assembled all
their forces, and collected all their means, in
order to oppose the passage of tho Alma.
Prince Menschikoff commanded in person. All
the heights were crowded with redoubts and
formidable batteries The Russian army reck.
| oned 40, 900 bayonets, from all the points of
Theodosia 5000 cavalry and $50 pieces of
heavy and field artillery. From the heights
which they occupied, the Russians could count
our men man by man from the 10th to the
moment when We arrived on the Bubbanach
Prince Napoleon, at the head of
his division, took possession of the large vii.
lage Of Alma under the fire of the Russian
batteries. The Prince showed himself worthy
of the great name he bears. We then arrived
l~C 80, I, L~:~
Russian batteries There, sire, commenced o
real battle along all the line-a battle with
its episodes Of brilliant feats of valor. Your
Majesty may be proud of your soldiers; they
have not degenerated they are the soldiers Of
Austerlitz and of Jena. At half past the
French army was everywhere victorious. All
the positions had been earned at the point of
the bayonet to the cry of Vive fEmpereur,'
which resounded throughout the day. Never
| was such enthusiasm seen even the wounded
rose from the ground to join in it. On our left,
the English met with large masses of the enc.
| my, and with great difficulties, but everything
was surmounted =
The English attacked the Russian positions
| in admirable order under the fire of their
| cannon, carried them, and drove off the Rus.
slams. The bravery of Lord Raglan rivals that
| of antiquity. In the midst of cannon and mus.
ket shot he dis layed calmness which never
| left him. The French lines formed on the
heights, and the artillery opened its FIRE. Then
| it was no longer retreat, but rout; the Rus
| slams threw away their muskets and knapsacks
| in order to run the faster. If, sire, I had had
| cavalry, I should have obtained immense re-.
| suits, and Menschikof would no longer have
| had an army but it was late, our troops were
| harrassed, and the ammunition of the artil-
| lery was exhausted. At six o'clock in the
| evening we encamped on the very bivouac of
a R,YocJ H.
where that of Prince Menschikoff stood in the
morning, and who thought himself so sure of
beating US that he left his carriage there. I
have taken possession of it, with his pocket
book and correspondence, and shall take ad-
vantage of the valuable information it COM
tains. The Russian Iarmy will probably be
able to rally two leagues from this, and shall
find it tomorrow on the Katscha, but beaten
| and demoralized, while the allied army is full
| Of ardor and enthusiasm.
have been compelled to remain here in
order to send our wounded and those of the
Russians to Constantinople, and to procure
ampunition and provisions for the fleet The
English have had 500 men put hors de com
bat. The Duke of Cambridge is well; his
division and that of Sir G.. Brown were su-
perb. l have to report about 200 men hors
de combat, 3 officers killed, 81 wounded, 253
| 81 b. officers and soldiers killed, and 1O33
| wounded. Gen. Canrobert, to whom is due in
part the honor of the day. was slightly wound
| ed by the splinter of shell which struck him
in the breast and hand, but he is doing very
| we'll. Gen. Thomas, of the division of the
Prince, is seriously wounded by a ball in the
| abdomen. The Russians ave lost about s, 900
| men. The field of battle is covered with their
dead, and our field hospitals are full of their
| wounded. We have counted a proportion of
seven Russian dead bodies for one French
The Russian artillery caused us loss Int ours
is very superior to theirs. I shall all my life
| regret not having had with me my two regi-
| ment of African chasseurs. The ZOuaves were
| the admiration Of both armies they are the
| first soldiers in the wsrld
Accept, sire, the homage of my profound re-
spect and entire devotedness
MARSHAL A. DE SAINT ARNAUD.