Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-10-31
THE GREAT BATTLE OF ALMA.
An English Account
From the London Times "Own Correspondent"
THE POSITION OF THE RUSSIANS.


From tho London Times Gown Correspondent"
THE POSITION OF THE RUSSIANS.
AT the top of the ridges, between the gullies
the Russians had erected carthwork batteries,
mounted with 32lb. and 2ilb. brass guns, supper
ted by numerous field pieces and howitzers.-
These guns enflndcd the tops of the rayines pa
rallcl TO them To the base, while the whole oi the
sides up which enemy, unable to stand the
direct fire of the batteries, would be forced 10
cond, were filled with masses of skrmishers arm
ed with an excellent two-grove rifle, throwing
large solid concal ball with force at 700 and 800
yards ms the French learnt to Their cost. The
principal battery consisted OF an earthwork OF
the form of two sides of n triangle, with the apex
pointed towards the bridge, and the sides cover
ing both sides of the stream corresponding with
the bend in the river below it, at the distance of
900 yards. while. with n fair elevation, the B2-
pounder, threw, as we saw very often, beyond
the houses OF the village TO the distance Of | 100
and 100 yards This constructed ON the
brow of hill about 600 feet above the river, but
the hill rose behind it for another 80 feet before
it diippcd away towards the road
The ascent of this hill was cnfaded by the
fro of three batteries of carthwork the right,
and by another the left, and these batteries
were equally capable of covering the village, the
stream, and the slopes which led mp the hill to
their position. In the first battery were l3 81
FOUNDER brass guns of cquiste workmanship,
which told only too well. In the other batteries
were some % guns in all. 1t was said the Rus
slams had 100 guns ON the hills and 10000 men
(iO bataons of infantry 1000 strong each of
the 10th, 81 ST. ;l2d, and sd regiments) We
were opposed principally to the 10th and I'D
regiments. juding by the number of dead in front
of us. have not been able to ascertain by
whom they were commanded, but there is II gen
cral report that Monschikoh' commanded the AR
my in chief, that the left was under Gortsehakotf
arelutivo of the diplonatist, and that the right
under Bodahoif, the military Governor of
Seyastopol.
TIE PLAN or OPERATIONS.
Our plan of operations was that the French
should establish themselves under the fire of the
guns on the heights on the extreme of the enc
my's left. When that attack sufficiently
developed and had met with success, the British
army was To force the right aud part of the cen
ire OF the Russian position, and the day was
gained When we were about three miles from
the village, the French steamers ran in rs close
they could to the bluff of the shore at the south
side of the Alma and presently we saw them
Smelling the heights in splendid style. the shells
bursting over the enemy's squares and batteries,
and finally driving them from their position ON
the right, within 1000 yards of the sen.
The French practice commenced about half.
pnst II o'clock, and lasted for about an hour and
half. We could src the shells falling over the
them; and then the black masses inside the
works broke into little spccks which flew about
III all directions, and when the smoke cleared
away there were some TO be seen strcwed over
the ground. The Russians answered the ships
from the heights, but without effect.
THE FRENCH SCALE THE HEIGHTS.
AT o'clock we saw the French columns strng-
Cling up the hills, covered by cloud of skirmish-
ers, whose fire seemed most deadly. Once, at
i,rbt tt
in n commanding position above them. who fred
rapid voleys among them, the French paused,
but II was only to collect their skrmishers, for
~ soon rs they had formed, they ran up the hill
mt the pas de charge, and at once broke the Rus
SLAMS who fled in disorder, with loss, up the hill
We could see men dropping on both sides, and
the wounded rolling down the steep.
THE ENGLISH ARE ENGAGED.
Lord Raglan waited patiently for the develop
mcnt of the French attack. At length an aid
dc-camp came to him and reported the French
hid crossed the Alma, but they had not estab-
l>hcd themselves sufficiently to Justify MS in an
attack The infantry were therefore ordered to
lie down, and the army, for short time, was
quito passive, only that our artillery poured forth
an uneeasing fire of shell, rockets and round
shot, which plpughcd through the Russians and
caused them great loss. They did not wayer,
however, aud replied to our artillery mantully,
their shot falling among our men rs they lay, and
carrying oft legs and arms at every round. Lord
Raglan at last became weary of this inactivity
his spirit up-hc looked around, and
mon on whom he knew he might stake the honor
and fate OF Great Britain by his side, and, an
tlcipaiing n little in n military point of view the
crisis of action, he gave orders for our whole
line to advance.
Up rose these scrred masses, and passing
through fearful shower of round case shot, aud
shell, they dashed into the Alma, and "houndcr
ed through its waters, which were literally torn
into foam by the deadly hnil. At the other side
OF the river were n number of vineyards, and to
our surprise, they were occupied by Russian ri
lemen. Three of the staff were here shot down,
but, led by Lord Raglan in person, the rest adj
vanced cheering ON the men. And now came
the turning point of the battle, i'll which Lord
Rngan, by his sagacity and military skill proba-
bly, secured the victory at smaller sacrifice
than would have been otherwise the case. He
dashed over the bridge, followed by his staff
From the road over IT, under the Russian guns,
he saw the state of the action. The British line,
winch he had ordered to advance, was struggling
through the river and up the heights in masses,
firm indeed but moved down by the murderous
lire of the batteries, and by grape round shot,
shell, canister, case shot and musketry, from
some of the guns of the central battery, and
from an immense and compact mass of Russian
infantry.
Then commenced one of the most bloody and
determined struggles in the annals of war The
I'd Division, led by Sir d. Evans in the most
dashlng manner, crossed the stream on the right
The 9TH Fusileers led by Colonel Yea, were
swept down by the iiftips. The 55th. Both. and
93th, led by Brgadier Pencfather, who was in
the thckest of the fight, cheering on his men, a
gain and again, were checked indeed but never
drew back in their onward progress, which was
marked by fierce roll of MIME musketry; and
Brgader Adams, with the llst, 47th. and 10th,
bravely charged up the hill, and aided them in