New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-06
A FAMOUS VICTORY.
uisiInprOve


victory Of their own pronouncing the opposite eAui-
tations of their enemy as but specimen OF
Muscovite braggadocio and imperial lying Now
while We have no special sympathy with the Car or
with Osten -Sacken, though the latter is no doubt
clever and resolute Che is the brother OF the
General Of the same pame commanding an army-corps
in the Principaies,) it may perhaps be worth wh'e
TO look little more carefully into the merits OF this
victory at Odessa and ascertain if possible on which
side the braggadocio aud humbug really figure espe-
ciay as this is the first and only battle between the
allies and the Russians of which we have yet received
any report.
As appears By the official documents on both sides
the object the allied fleet in appearing before ODESSA
was to summon the Governor deliver up. as repara
ticn for the round shot fred at British flag of truce
all British French and Russian vessels in the harbor
Now they must have known that he would not make
any reply to such a summons. and must therefore
have been prepared to take by force what they had
asked for in van and if they failed in this object they
suffered genuine defeat, whatever damage they may
have done 10 the enemy.
What then. were the odds The very decree OF
the Russian Government, which appointed Osten-
Sacken to the command of the vast territory he gov
ems situated Immediately the rear OF the army OF
the Danube and the fact of his selecting for his resi-
dence the town of Odessa shows the Importance nat
uray and Justly attributed by the Russians to this
point. Odessa is the place, of all others, where
hostile landing might do them the most HARM There
the enemy would find not only all the resources OF
large town but those too of the granary of all Eu
rope: and there they would be nearest to the line ct
communication and retreat of the Russian army in
-rIa flas a Admit
rails n,us have known that they would find the place
defended by numerous garrison and that any attempt
at landing. with what sailors and marines they might
have to spare for that purpose would IT once be re-
PEELED But without landing aud taking possession of
the harbor, if not the town, AT least for moment
they could not expect to liberate the British and
French ships now confined there. Their only remain
ing chance for accomplishing their object would have
been to lombard the town itself most urousy, so as
to make il unsafe for any body of troops to remain in
it, and then to attempt rescue OF the snips But II
is doubtful whether that purpose could have been
effected by bombardmcnt upon large town with
very wide streets and extensive squares, where com
prratyely little room is occupied By combustlbe
buildings The Admras then, must have known
that if their demand on Ostcn-Sacken was refused,
they had no means of enforcing it, They thought,
however that after the firing flag OF truce some
thing must be undertaken against Odessa and so they
went on their errand.
The approaches to Odessa. on the seaside. were
defended by six batteries, which must have been
armed with some forty fifty guns and AZ pounds
csliber. OF these batteries only two or three were
engaged the attacking force OF keeping out OF range
of the remainder Against these batteries eight steam
frpates carving about 100 guns brought to act
but as from the nature Of the maneuyer the guns OF
only one side of the ships could be used the superiority
in the number of the guns the part of the allies was
considerably diminished. In respect of the caliber,
they must have been about equal for if q pound
gun is inferior to long - FOUNDER, ai7 FOUNDER of
heavy metal must certainly be equal TO 50 or 6a pound
shell guns. which cannot stand full charges of powder.
Finally. the vulnerable nature of ships, as compared
with breastworks, and the insecurity of aim produced
By the ships notion are such that still greater
numerical superiority in the artillery OF fleet over
that of strand batteries will leave odds in favor
of the latter. Witness the affair at Eckornisrde IN
scIleswg (ls49) where two batteries with 20 guns
between them destroyed II gun-ship, disabled and
captured "A gunlrigate, and beat oil two heavily
armed steamers.
The fight as long il confined to artillery and
to the eight steamers, may therefore be considered
pretty equal one, allowing for the superiority OF
range and accuracy which, during the struggle, the
Ango-French guns were found to possess. The
consequence was that the work Of destruction went
on very slowly. Two Russian guns dismounted were
the only result OF several hours firing. ~ length the
allies came up closer and changed their tactics. They
abandoned the system Of firing against the stone walls
of the batteries in order to send shells and rockets
into the Russian shipping and the military establish
meDts in and around the harbor. This told. The
object aimed at large enough to make every shell
hit some vulnerable part, and the whole was soon ON
ere The powder. magazine behind that battery on
the moie.Le which had offered the most effective
resistance and had been principally attacked blewup
this and the spreading the fire all around forced its
garrison at length to retire The Russian artillery
had shown this point usual, very little skill
but very great bravery Their guns and shot must
have been very defective and their powder extremely
weak.
This was the only result of the whole action. -Four
Russian guns lad been sienced in the battery on the
moe-heid; all the other batteries hardly received any
damage at all. The explosion Of the powder magazine
have been very severe from s situation close
behind the battery it is evident that the special
magazine Of this battery containing merely the ammu
milton or single day, say GO or 100 rounds for each of
the four guns; now, if we deduct the probable mum
Der of rounds already used in the course of the day
there hardly have remained more than 300 weight
Of powder. " hat the damage done to other estab
lishments may amount to we have no means OF judg-
ngi the allies Of course could not ascertain it, while