Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-04-26
foreign yutslIigsute.
DETAILS BY THE NASHVILLE,
The siege or sebastopoI.

Since the date of previous adyices, there has
been series of fierce sorties and assaults, be-
tween the Russians and French, for possession
OF the rifle ambuscades in front of the French
position, and under the Malakoff tower. These
rifle pits, which have led to so considerable a
sacrifice of life, are placed in front, and to the
right and left of the tower, and about 600 yards
from the allied works. They are merely exca-
vations in the ground, faced round with sand
bags, and banked with earth, loop-holed for
rifles. They are six in number and each con-
tains ten men--sixty in ALL General Boouet
Considers it point Of honor TO take and hold,
or destroy these ambuscades. He has several
times, by night assaults, driven out the Rus
slams, but as these pits are covered by the fire
of the city batteries, the French have hitherto
found it impossible either to destroy or hold
them. The Importance of this position to both
besiegers and besieged is very great
The Malakof round tower is regarded as the
key of the defenses, and hence the energy Of the
Russians in strengthening it. Considerably in
advance of the tower is the elevated mound or
hill now called the "Mamelon," on which the
besieged areerecting battery of great strength.
little further in advance is the eminence re-
Gently seized so skillfully by the Russians, and
fortified with earthworks it is now crowned by
square redoubt, with 16 guns, visible on it's
three outward sides, but they have not yet
opened fire. Outside of these defenses are the
rifle pits The Russian batteries at Inkermann,
their forts on the other side Of the Tchernaya,
and the works of Malakof, cover this redout,
and converge on the approaches in front Of it.
This explanation will convey an idea of the
strength of the position which the French
nightly contest. Dates of the encounters are
as follows
During the night of March 18th there was
a fierce affair. The Russians had advanced
some rihemen in front Of the French lines, who
caused considerable annoyance When night
fell, a demi-brigade of French went down and
drove them out. All the city batteries along
the front Immediately opened and continued a
furious cannonade for half an hour, during
which a stronger force of the enemy advanced
on the French and compelled them to retire,
with loss of 65 men the Russian loss being
probably more severe. The Russians re-occu.
pied the pits.
In the night of the 18th, the French renewed
the attack and succeeded, with comparatively
little loss, in driving out the enemys rinemen,
and occupying the pits with their own The
French continued to hold those on the right,
under heavy fire, over the 10th and 18th of
March.
noon, March lS.-The enemy have either be-
come desperate or have been inspirited and en-
couraged by their recent encounters with the
French on our right. Their guns are nearly
silent day and night, but they have not been
retired. Every embrasure is armed, the muzzle
of the gun is visible under the screen of cloth,
which is hung across from gabion to gabon.
Their sorties are made night after night, in
greater force and with more confidence on each
occasion. Last night, indeed, they received q
severe check, but 1t was not till they had got
up to our second parallel on the left, or Green
hill attack, had got into our mortar battery on
the right attack, and had inflicted severe loss
on our allies on the right towards Inkermann.
In the affair of last night we had seven Off
GERS killed, wounded, and taken prisoners, and
about 100 men put hOrs du combat or carried
into Sebastopol. The French, it is believed,
lost between 800 and 400 men and Is officers,
killed, wounded, and missing. On the other
hand, the enemy must have suffered loss of
600 or 700 men, although they succeeded in
concealing the severity of their loss by carry
ing off their dead and wounded, as usual. Still,
the number of dead bodies lying along the front
OF our trenches proved that they received a
heavy loss. The bodies of twelve men and one
officer remain in the trenches Of our left attack.
The hill sides below the Round Tower and the
Mamelon are covered with their dead, mingled
with the bodies Of the French. The corpse of
Zounave officer is distinguished on the slope,
close up to the abattis Of the Round Tower,
where the gallant soldier fell as he led on his
men in pursuit Of the Russians.
No flag of truce has been sent in from either
side to demand permission to bury the dead.
They are lying about the gambions which have
been knocked down in front of the French sap
towards the rifle pits in great numbers Look.
ing at any of the inaccurate maps which have
been published Of the position, there will still
be, nevertheless, two mounds indicated to the
east of the Round Tower. The first Of these
is "the Mameon." On the second the Rus
SLAMS have erected work on the spot from
whence the French were repulsed in their at
tempt to dislodge the enemy. The rifle pits
which have been so hardly contested are in
front of the Mamelon. Three of them are still
occupied by the Russians and three of them
now belong to the French; but the latter we're
obliged to abandon them for time last night
during the first rush of the enemy
The enemy have already opened guns from
the Mamelon, which they direct against the
French approaches towards the pits, and we
may expect that the work east of il will soon
be armed also. Its fire will enflade portion
Of our lines, and the Nameon will be able to
direct from one flank an awkward fire on the
flank Of our right attack The Russian engi-
neers have displayed consummate ability in
their works, and it is well for us their artillery
men are not as expert as those who place them
in the batteries. Conscious Of the strength
they have gained by the possession Of those
positions, and the advantages they have Sc
cured in defending the town, the Russians APP
pear determined to make the most Of their new
attack.
The Mamelon is exposed to the fire Of the
guns in the right Of our right attack and to
the fire Of the second French redoubt over In.
herman, and every two or three minutes shot
or shell is thrown into the work, but the enemy
maintain their ground, though the deserters
inform us that they lose loo men every twenty
four hours within the parapets of the Mamelon.
The practice of our artilerymen is splendid.
Scarcely shot fails in striking the top Of the
parapet just at the right place, and black
pillar of loose earth shoots up into the air from
the work after every discharge from our guns ;