Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-10-05
$urFign iNrms.
The Fall of Sebastopol.

3 u
icfies against Sebasiopol, on the 18th of
October, 1854. final and victorious assault |
was made upon the southern part of the |
town. Before night the French flag waved |
IN triumph upon the MalakoT Tower which |
had fallen before the indomtable courage |
and perseverance Of the dssaiants and within |
a few hours more the Russian garrison had |
evacuated the Karabelnala suburb and the !
southern portion of the fortress, after blow
ing up the magazines and principal works,
setting fire to the town 10 many places, and
then cndeayoring to withdraw by the bridge
across the hnrbor from this terrific scene Of
devastation and defeat SO fell Scbastopol
The catastrophe SURPRISES IN horrible inter
est all the preceding scenes Of this gigantic
contest The columns of the allied armies,
combined in a fourfold attack, struggled all
day with equal valor, though with unequal
success, against the principal points marked
out for assault. The extreme right OF the
French attack was directed against the work
called the Litte Redan, which was at first
carried by the impetuosIty of our allies,
though they we're subsequently driven back
by the fierce resistance of the Russians. fhe
second and principal assault Of the French
army WIS against the Malakhoff, which was
not only of the day. but of the siege.
third attack was made by the British forces
on the Great Redln, and although we learn
that the salient angle of this formidable work
was at one moment carried and occupied by
our troops, 1t must be added that they were
subsequently driven out Of It by the fire Of
the Russian batteries which commanded 1t,
and this check, IN some degree, diminishes
the exutatlon which will be felt IN this
country at the triumphant termination of the
siege. The French columns on the left also
assaIled. in the fourth place, the Central Bat.
terry The first prize Of this glorious victory
belongs Of right to our gallant allies the
French, since the MalakOff Tower, the key
of the main portion, fell before the vigor OF
their assault bit, with that chvalrous feel
ing which is the nob,st bond OF men who
have fought and conquered together, the
names Of III those who carried the rugged
defences Of Sebas,opol deserves to stand side
by side on one page, and no inydious dis
tinctlons shall sully or lessen their common
renown.
The Russians on their side unquestionaby
defended the place with the utmost determln
alton, aud on more than ore point they had
/ the advantage over the besicgers. hut II
was the courage of desperation, for this eff
/ fort was their last. No sooner were the
outer works taken, which laid the town and
the port at the mercy of the Allied forces,
than the men Of war and the steamers in the
narbor were all set on fire, blown up, sunk
81 destroyed, either by the FIRE Of the allie
batteries or by the orders Of the Russian
authorities. Such was the fate Of the Rus
sian Black Sea fleet, on which the Imperial
Government had expended incalculable sums
Of money and lncessant labor-that feet
which two years ago threatened the very ex-
lstence Of the Turkish empire, but whose
solitary naval achievement was the atrocious
outrage upon far inferior force at Snopc
OF the authors Of that neiarlous attack what
remains The Emperor Nicholas sleeps IN
the vaults Of 1t. Peter and st. Paul, no long
er conscious of the chasisemeut his wicked
ambition has brought down on his empire
and his heirs. The admlrals who command.
ed and the crew who fought on that occasion
have most of them fallen 10 the batteries Of
Sebastopol. The very ships which Russia
coniended at the conference of Vienna a.
essential TO her dignity and power, are torn
plank from plank and scattered upon the
waves The dockyart and arsenal were
\ already, on Sunday, IN possession of the Allied
troops Prince Gortschakof had, II seems
! solicited an arinlstice, though we know not
whether II was granted but his troops were
| hUrrylng away with the utmost preclDitation
and considering the moral aud physical re-
/ suits of such a defeat upon the remnant Of
his army. il may be doubted whether the
Russian General can attempt to make any
further stand on the north side of the harbos.
Z These great events terminate the siege of
! No 10 al E. ~ a. 4
armies have achieved within the last three
days the grand objects of their enterprise.
They have wrested from the whole military
power Of Russia fortress which she had
converted into a place of extraordinary
strength and defended with innnmerable
hosts of her best troops. They have annihi.
lated the naval power on which she relied 10
secure her supremacy ~ the Euxine, and 10
establish her authority from the shores Of the
Caucasus TO the mouth of the Danube. But,
above all, they have shown the serye and
creduous nations OF the Eas that the Powers
now paramount IN the world are not those OF
ianaticism and barbaric absoutisn, but those
OF liberty and of civilization. Inthis struggle
Sebastopol became at once the test ofslrength
and the reward of victory.
/ In another article the Times says:
The position of Prince Gonschakofi's army
after the main body had effected It's retreat
! across the haTbor was as follows Ills ex-
{ IRENE night, consisting Of the corps most ac-
lively engaged 10 the defence of the place,
rests upon the Severnaia work, OF Star Fort,
and holds the strongly intrenched positions
on the north shore, where, no doubt, consld
cradle preparations Ii we been made for this
emergency. His centre covers The Belbek,
and is protected IN front by TIL feldworks
thrown up along the ridge of lnkermann.
His left wing consists of l.iprandl's corps,
occupying the ground from Mackeuzes
Farm to the heights of Aitodor ON the Bsk-
shisera road. No attempt was made BY the
relieving army under Liprandl to effect d.
version during the assault OF the eth, and the
severe defeat of the 10Th of August appears
to have satisfied the enemy that the lines of
the Tchernaya were not TO be carried But
the result of the general assault and the oc-
cupatIon of the southern side by the allies en-
tlrely changes the strategical positions of
the combatants, and also the objects of the
campaign. The struggle for the possession
of Sebastopol is at an end The prize is 10
our hands, and, as the defence OF the fortress
and the harbor was the grand object of the
Russians, they have nothing left on that spot
TO contend for. The mere occupation OF the
north side of the port is barren advantage,
for though il might hold garrison, 1t cannot
shelter defeated army and il obvious
that, after the failure of the main object, all
the ability and generalshlp of the Russians
will be required to save the whole body of
their forces IN the Crlmea from destruction.
We therefore infer that the northern forts
will either be held for time by the limited
garrison, or more probably, altogether aban-
doned, in the hope OF saving the army.
No doubt, Prince Gortschakof''s plan of
campaign has long since been made judy
ing, therefore, from the accustomed tactics
OF the Russian army. as well as from the ex-
treIne difficulty Of his present position, we
incline to the opinion that he will adopt the
course Of general and immediate retreat.
10 hold the Crlmea without Sebastopol and
even after the harbor of Sebastopol itself
h's been transformed by conquest into the