Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-08-24
FRIDAY, AUGUST "a, 1855

bullet and the bayonct for his means
of safety. Fertilization alone still
retained its clumsy plate armor
and from its unwieldy character it
was easily worked round and de-
stroyed from a distance by the light
ly armed attack, which relied on its
power Of ofense as its only means
of victory. Sebastopol is the first
town in modern times which has
been fortified so as TO RELY on its
means of offense only, with very
slight attention being paid to mere
defensive armor. 1t is by applying
to ratification the principles uni
versally adopted for the last two
hundred years in every other de-
partment of every army in Europe,
that General Todleben has turned
the tables on the attack and opened
a new era in The art Of war. The
Russians seem now to be fully a.
live to the importance of the dis
covery that has been made but so
far as can be judged from the pro-
greSs of the siege, the Allies do not
appear at all aware of its signih-
canoe.
The battle OF the Alma was
fought on the Goth of September.
On the 2Sth the Allies took up their
position on the heights command
ing the South side Of the city, and
immediately commenced their first
parallel. The Russians common
ced their defensive works at the
same time, and, working OH the in
ner and smaller circle, were ready
as soon as the invaders, though
their works were necessarily of
more important character than those
of the attack.
As before explained, a parallel of
attack is a ditch about four feet
deep, with the earth thrown up on
the side towards the city. In par
allel of defense, on the contrary, the
ditch is placed on the outside and
the earth thrown up inwards. To
obtain the same amount of cover,
the ditch in this case should not be
less than eight feet deer, and the ram
part as high. 1t should also be pro-
vlded with TANKS, which are never
employed in aggressive parallels -
II the place is small these TANKS
are great drawback to the power
OF a fort, as limiting the amount of
direct fire +; in place of the size
of Sebastopol it is of less conse-
quence, as there then is sufficient
space independent of them to mount
almost any number of guns which
may be required. If there is leis-
ure and the town is fortified in time
of peace, it would of course be bet
ter that the ditch should be deeper,
and that ioop-holed wall, or some
such defensive expedlent, should be
placed IN it, and the thanking expe-
dents hidden there also; but in the
present instance this was out Of the
question. Tho engineer could not
act otherwise than he did.
Ga the western or French side
4 the vulnerable point was just above
the Harbor Creek. 1t was sought
to secure this by the Flagstaff Bat
lery-a work of more faulty trace
than the Redan; bat before the
works were complete, it was indis-
pensable to secure a flankng de-
Tense on this side and the defects
of its form were remedied by the
Garden Battery in It's rear, possess
sing a very powerful direct fire over
its salient, which has since been fur
ther increased by third line of bat
terieS in It's rear. From this front
down to the Quarantine Harbor the
line is nearly straight, aud without
much thanking defense a ravine in
front and the houses in its rear rem
dering this part comparatively Sc
cure from assault.
The key of the position of the
eastern half of the town was the
) Malakoff and Gen. Todleben's
first care was to strengthen this with
a great circular earthwork in front
of it. All thanking expedien,s
were here abandoned, as a direct
} fire on the Mamelon was indispen-
sable if we had attempted to seize
= that point, as we ought TO have
done, and the tower in the rear wa:
, thought 10 be a sufficient retrench,
: ment to prevent an assault being
, attempted there. When that was
destroyed by our fire, fort was com
: menced in It's rear which answers the
purpose Cor heiior and with range
} of nlle-Ht in front and another line
Of delcsss in its rear, an assault on
The town could not be attempted
} without encounterlng The obstacles
: which stopped the armies on the 18Th
} June.
On The other side of the ravine,
towards the Dockyark Creek, is the
Redan, work of more questionable
design, and more like an inspiration
, OF the baston school, Ii is not,
} however, so bad as at first sight APP
pears, as the prolongatIons Of its
faces fall into rayines, were batteries
, cannot be established and before
the whole system was completed i,
was desirable to have a flanking fire
, over the ground in front. It's defects
} in trace are now amply made up for
, 10y the batteries established on either
flank. These now mount from fifty
: TO sixty guns in positions which can
4, 80, - o.fl.IaI 81 ...lo.- H..