Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-02
Allies before sebastopol- Description of
the siege.
(Ooatinaed from yesterday.)

.A.s.M.H..............-.---A.
Allies before sebastopol- Description Of
the siege.
(Oontinaed from yesterday
Correspondence Of the London Morning Herald.
November The same dull cannonade has
been going on all through to-day without any
marked results on either side. The French In
working at their mine this morning, discovered
strong Russian mine, within few feet Of the para
pet ofther preaching battery 1t was nearly IL feet
below the surface of the earth in the form Of the let
ter I, and contained about Is cwt. of powder. OF
course the instant the discovery made the French
made countermine and removed the powder
This mine has made our allies more cautious in their
approaches, for It is evident the enemy is on the
alert, and sees the formidable use to which the
preaching battery is about to be put. As yet we
have not the least reason to suppose that they sts
pect the existence Of the French mine; OF course,
these matters are kept as secret as possible, but
from all hear, there seems little doubt but that
the assault will take place at day-break on Sunday
the 9th, or at the same time on the following day,
at latest The next mail win certainly convey de-
csive news.
A shot from our Crown Battery this evening
exploded wagon load Of powder, which was en-
tering the enemy's redoubt near the redan wall.
II must have done much mischief as crowd OF
soldiers were standing close by it, and who seemed
to have been blown into the air. The Russians
have, by some means or other, discovered the time
at which the relefs for our covering parties and
picquets enter the trenches and their lire at such
periods is redoubled.
November Q. All the allies were turned out under
arms at little after three this morning, when the
terrific cannonade from every trench and battery
led US to expect an immediate s0rtie. ! never,
since the 18th, when the combined attack was made
by sea and land, heard such tremendous roar OF
artillery as the Russians kept up for about twenty
minutes. After that their fire gradually slackened,
and by four A. M. they were all quiet again. The
only way of accounting for this terrific disturbance
is the superstition that the enemy heard the march
ing OF the reliefs to picquets and covering par
ties, and apprehending an assault on their works
opened fire, when of course the drums and truni-
pets, which freely used to turn out the allies,
must for time have confirmed them III their sus-
picions. The enemy this time fired grape and
shrapnel, which unfortunately did some execution
among our picquets, killing ten or twelve, and
wounding between twenty and thirty. Of course,
as the cannonnade became serious, the whole camp
turned out; the men got under arms, and remained
on the bleak hills shivering with the cold and blink
ing with the fash Of guns until the Russians chose
to cease firing, and allowed us to return to the in
different shelter of our canvas lodgings.
These night attacks, alarms, or surprises are now
matters of course They have long ceased to be sur
prises. We should be more surprised if they did
not occur. In fact, they have ceased to be any
thing except fertile source of basphemies against
enemies in general and Russians in particular.
They are, beyond all doubt, the most disagreeable
and harassng incidents Of a siege. For instance,
after laborious and exciting day--a day Of such
fatigue as renders rest even in tent acceptable
you retire in all the great coats you possess to lie
upon the ground. An hour or 80 gets you over
the feeling Of extreme numbness which at first
leads you to suppose you have laid downin brook
by mistake, and then you gradually drop off not to
sleep, but into hazy state of existence, conscious
Of cold and conscious of wanting slumber; in fact
in that peculiar condition of vitality which, in Eng
land, justifcs the immediate intervention of the
Royal Humane Society. In this ambiguous state
four or five hours pass away; mean, in literal
time, for, if you estimated the period by your own
feelings, you would expect to awake gray and de-
crepid 1t is past two o'clock, the witching time
of night" in the Crmea, when suddenly you feel
slight conclusion in the earth, followed few sec
onds after by the deep boom of gun, and then
there comes the roar Of shell, screaming through
the air. nearer, nearer, nearer until it falls with
heavy dump outside the line of tents. Here 1t for
tunately remains, and, after roaring for moment
like locomotive blowing off, explodes with a loud
bang, and the pieces 60 humming through the air,
then, with prophetic sigh, you guess what is to
follow Eight or ten more shells drop about the
same place, too far off to hit you, but much too
near to leave you perfectly unconcerned, and then
five or six guns begin to 60 off at once and make
roar.
Still the camp is quiet, and the guardsman says,
+" Ais well" as ifhe was at Kensington. The can
nonade continues, and after one or two temporary
lulls breaks out into a regular storm. Shell pour
over the HILL and fall with "dab" into the wet
SOIL and you begin to see dimly the flashes of their
explosions through the canvas of your dwelling;
which at that moment you would so willingly ex-
change for lodgings, even in Islington. Still the
allies make no sign of turning out though the can
nonade gets hotter every moment In another
minute and you can plainly hear the sharp quick
report of musket, followed quickly by another
and another. Then the cannonade ceases, and the
crack of MINES spreads along our line of outposts.
Still the allies are unaccountably quiet, and you
begin to wonder whether Lord Raglan intends
them to be massacreed in their tents, and are just
getting peevish and public-spirted about it, when
the roll of drums In the distance tells you that the
French are beating to arms. AT the same time the
signal, "Guard turn out" is passed along our
lines, all tho bugles begin to blow the "assem-
ble"-there is amoment of confusion in which oaths
prevail most distinctly, and then comes rattle
and hoarse murmur, and you know that 10000
men are under arms and falling into their ranks.
But all this while your especial Correspondent"
has not moved, but feeling for his revolver in his
tent, Is emphatically blessing" both Turks and
Russians, and hoping against hope that there win
be no occasion for him TO turn out. During all this
time the fire of musketry has been increasing and
coming nearer.
Our picquets are evidently retiring, and you be-
gin to think il Is really sortie after all In the
darkness you hear the word Forward" roared out
to the different brgades and peculiar jingle and
catter show that the artillery saddng and pre-
pairing for action With sigh, you feel that you
must go after ALL and issue forth into the raw damp
air and thick wet grass, which vets you as efectu-
ally as II you forded river The cracking Of
musketry and little flashes on the hills over Sebas
topol soon tell which way to take; without such
guides you would assuredly lose your way. You
pass the batteries Of artillery at which an officer Is
cursing vaguely about loss Of time, and cutting
across the camp, ascend the hills just ms you hear
the guns begin to rumble after. Our brigades are
marching forward fast up the hil in line, with sup
ports in open column. No one Is very urbane,
though all yawn and SILVER amazingly These you
feel are the appropriate compliments of the season,
about the many returns Of which, If things go on
in that style, you have serious doubts Arrived
upon the HILL the state OF affairs Is seen at glance
The Russians have fred to "try" us, and their
skrmishers advanced to see if we we're on the alert