The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1854-11-22

STRENGTH OF The GARRISON SUPPOSED TO
BE $1,000 MEs--AcTIyE FORCE OF TUE BE-
sIEGERs ABOUT THE SAME, &c.. &c.
tLOndOn Times cOrrsspondentI
CoNsrANrIEoPLE, October l2.--The seem
ing tardiness of the operations against Sc
basiopol disappoints the large number who
from a state OF depression and gloomy fore
boding, passed into the opposite extreme Of
texuItstion after the battle Of Alma. When
the first encounter with the enemy termina-
ted in such brilliant and decisive success,
there was = general expectation that the end
ofthe campaign would not long be delayed;
and after il became known that the enemy
had retreated past the two strong positions
which lie between the first battlefield aud
the walls Of Sebastopol, the supposed dis
coursgement and terror of the enemy
strengthened the anticiputions Of success.
But though the allies have nothing to re-
gret in the course Of events as yet, and
though the capture of the Russian strong
hold is as certain as any military event can
be, yet, as all men with any experience Of
war declared beforehand, the attack on such
place cannot be made without due prepar-
alton, or success attained without serious
loss. s...
The chief enemy is one against which no
courage or skill can avail. Sickness still
continues It's rayages. The effective British
infantry does not Row exceed sixteen thou
sand men. The probable loss in our part
of the invading force from cholera, fever,
and the sword Of the enemy 'is about five
thousand men, since the expedition sailed.
Not indeed, that such number are dead,
but there are so many disabled by wounds,
and weakened by disease, that the force Of
the army is lessened by nearly fifth.
The allies have now about two hundred
guns in position, and in few days opera
tions may be expected to commence. Two
great difficulties are spoken Of as likely to
| delay success or to cause il to be more dear
ly purchased. 1t lis impossible TO attack the
place by regular siege operations, for the
earth on every side of Sebastopol is found
to be less than foot in depth; in some
places the solid rock is only four inches be-
low the surface. This quite dsposes rf the
question of parallels, zigzags, and all the
engineering technicalities which come un-
der the name of regular approaches. 1t on
ly remains to batter the wall and forts at u
long range, and then to carry the place by
assault. However, little is lost by the i'm
possibility of prosecuting irregular seige, for
there is no doubt that ut this season of the
year such operations would extend over q
term TOO long to be ventured on with safety
! to the expedition. The second difficulty
f consists in the fact Of the ground being d.
vided by ravines, SO that the troops marching
up to the assault will be separated and the
different bodies unable to render assistance
to each other. The English, who are in the
post of honor, at six miles distance from
b. their ships, and who have to drag their ar.
! tillery and supplies from Balaklava over q
rocky road, will have the hardest task
They hold the summit of a ridge, and at O
long range can fire with some effect on the
Russian outworks, but as they descend the
slop, their force is broken into two or three
parts, while they are exposed to a fire smi-
lar to that which destroyed SO many brave
men at Alma.
The French and Turks, on the left, will
be less exposed, and the efforts will be prob
ably directed to making'a breach in the wal
which secures the western side Of Sebasto
pol The labor of our allies has as yet beer
far inferior to our own. The French rest OF
Cape Chersonese, and are within three miles
# their ships, in position where they may
inoeed, suffer from the fire of che garrison
but are protected from the attacks of tn,
Russian army which holds the field. 1t i:
now ascertained that eight Russian ship!
have been sunk at the entrance of the bay
They are in two lines, the second line GOV
ering the interstices of the first. The bay
at the point where they lie is about sever
hundred yards across, SO that the entrance
!. is effectually barred to ships-of.the. line
though steamers might manage to obtain an
entrance, the more so as the masts of the
sunken vessels still indicate their position
At the head of the harbor, which runs up tc
the east of the town, large line-of- battle.
ship-probably the Twelve Apostles-is
moored. and can be used as a battery, bu,
there can be no doubt that it will pc speedily
destroyed by the fire of the English guns
The enemy have established steam ferry
between the town and the northern side oil
the bay, by which there can be reinforced by
the troops marched down from the interior
or retreat when the town is no longer ten.
, able. The arrival of Luders is now announc-
ed as certain, and report says that Gortscha-
koff himself is present, either in Sebasto-
pol or with the army which is to operate in
the field. The Russians appear to be well
provided with ammunition. They every
now and then fire a shot at the allies; but
from the great distance, this desultory war
fare has little effect.
As to the strength of the garrison, all
pretense at accurate conjecture must be
vain; but the information given by desert
ers, as we'll as the observation of British
officers, lei ads to the belief that the Russian
soldiers within the town and its outworks
amount to nearly 10000 men. Besides
these there are the 10000 sailors of the
fleet, all of whom have been taken out of
their ships and employed to man the bat
teries. Such force might, indeed, de-
fend the place for months, if actuated by
such courage and fanaticism as inspired the
Turks at Silstria. 1t is about thrice as
great as is actually required by the extent
of the Notifications, and might perhaps Gre
ate only confusion and panic if crowded to.
gether within the limits of the town. But
third of it is probably kept on the north
ern shore of the bay, to be brought into
use as the necessities of the defense de-
mand. 1t would be Of great importance to
stop this communication, but there seems
to be no means of doing SO from our pres
ent position; at least, from the manner in
which 1t is spoken of, it seems to be an
unavoidable difficulty. force of AZ, 200
men might defend every street. in the town,
and the real defense of Sebastopol begin,
where defenses commonly end, at the mo-
| ie oado nd