Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-03-22


confined space. The whole front of the battle
field, from the ravine on the left 10 the two
gun battery on the right. was about three
quarters of mile. Nine hours of such close
fighting, with such intervals of cessation, left
the victors in no mood for rejoicing. When
the enemy finally retired, there was no exul-
tation, as when the field of the Alma was won
it was gloomy though a glorious triumph.
Neither our loss or that of the enemy was
fully known that day but a glance at any
part Of the ground showed the slaughter to be
immense
A few Of the enemy were dead within our
lines along the whole front Of the position they
lay thick in the coppice. Every bush bid
dead man and in some places small groups
lay heaped. In a spot which might have been
covered by common bell-tent, saw laying
four Englishmen and three Russians. All
the field was strewn but the space in front Of
the two gun battery, where the Guards fought
bore terrible pre-eminence in slaughter. The
sides of the hill, up to and round the battery,
were literally heaped with bodies 1t was
painful to see the noble Guardsmen, with their
large forms and fine faces, lying amidst the low
browed Russians, One Guardsman lay just
in advance of the battery extended On his
back, with his arms raised in the very act of
r,
by bullet entering through his right eye.
His coat was open, and | read his name on
the Guernsey frock underneath odd name,
--.' Mustow." While was wandering why
his arms had not obeyed the laws of gravity,
and fallen by his side when he fell dead, a
Guardsman came up and told me he had seen
Mustow rush ont of the battery and charge
with the bayonet with which he was thrusting
at two or three of the enemy when he was
shot dead. In their last charge the Russians
must have unavoidably trolden at every step
ON the bodies of their comrades In the bush
es all around wounded men were groaning in
such numbers, that some lay two days before
their turn came to be carried away passed
Russian with broken leg, whom some
scoundrel had stript to his shirt, and calling a
soldier who was passing, desired him TO take
a coat from dead man and put on the unfoT-
tunate creature; at the same time directing
the attention of party of men collecting the
wounded to the place where he lay. Passing
the same spot the next day, the Russian, still
stript to his shirt, lay motionless with his eyes
closed / told a French soldier who was near,
to see if be was dead; the Frenchman. stroll
ling up with his hands in his pockets, pushed
his foot against the Russians head the stiff
ened Dody moved altogether like IA piece of
wood, and the soldier, with shrug and one
word :. mart passed on.
Large trenches were dug On the ground for
the dead; the Russians lay apart the French
and English were ranged side by side Few
sights can be imagined more strange and sad
in their ghastliness than that of dead men living
in ranks, shoulder to shoulder, with upturned
faces, and limbs composed, except where some
stifened arm and hand remain pointing up
ward
The faces and hands of the slain assume
Immediately after death, the appearance OF
wax or clay the lips parting show the teeth
the hair and moustache become frowsy. and
the body of him who, half an hour before was
smart soldier, wears a soiled and faded aspect
Down the ravine along which the Woron-
zoff road runs 70 the valley, the dead horses
were dragged and lay in rows; the English
artillery alone lost eighty.
The rayine, like all those channeliing the
plains, is wild and barren the sides have been
cut down steeply for the sake of the limestone
which lies close to the surface, in beds of re-
markable thickness. A lime-kiln. about ten
feet square, afforded ready made sepulchre
for the enemy left on this part of the field.
and was filled with bodies to the top on which
layer of earth was then thrown.
While / was on the ground. day or two
after the batIle, several shells were thrown
from the ships in the harbor, some of which
pitched amongst the parties collecting the
wounded General Peunefeatber, finding
was going to headquarters, desired to deiivel
message stating the fact. Next day fas
of truce was sent into the town TO complain O
this, and further to say that, both in this bat
tie and the action of Balaklava, Russian sol
diers had been seen killing our wounded on
the field: Demanding if the war was to b,
carried on in this manner The answer q
Prince Menschikoff was that the shells hat
been directed, not at the parties engaged IL
clearing the field, but at those intrenching Chs
position and that, if any of the wounded hae
| been put to death, it could have been only il
a few particular instances in excuse of which
| he remarked, that the Russian soldiers wers
much exasperated in consequence of the fir,
| from the French trenches having destroyed
one of the churches of Sevastopoi
WELL ANSWERED Uncle Bill Tidd Was
droycr from Worcester County. Being cx
posed to all weather, his complexion suffered
some but at the best he was none of th,
whitest.
Stopping at public house near Brighton
a man rich in this worlds goods, but of noto
riously bad character thought as Uncle Bill
came in, he would make him the butt of
Joke.
As the black face of the yeather-beaten maj
appeared IN the doorway, he exclaimed
Mercy on us how dark it grows =
Uncle Bill, surveying him from head to foo
coolly answered
Yes. sir; your character and my complex
ion are enough to darken any room.
l.
g-An old bachelor, on seeing the word