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

Ter amount of artillery than had ev-
er before been employed for such a
purpose.
For this the situation of Sebas-
topol was emincntly favorable. The
guns were probably taken from out
OF the ships which were sunk al
the mouth Of the harbor. If II
were so, this would have supplied
1000 guns. Their shot and pow
der almost certainly were saved
The arsenal cannot itself have con-
tanned less than 1000 or 5000 guns.
We never keep less than from 1000
to 5000 at Portsmouth or Devon
port, and generally about $4,000 at
Woolwich. SO that we may safely
calculate on Russia having some
5000 or 1000 in her great southern
arsenal. Even in the last lombard
ment, we could not put more than
300 or 400 guns into position so
that Russia could have fought us on
equal terms, and renewed the fight
ten times over. Shot is easily man
ufactured, and powder was constant
ly brought up from the rear, so that
the supply of material was practi-
cally unlimited.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
Our engineers seem to have be-
lieved that they understood the de.
fensive properties Of such works,
though even in this they were prob
ably mistaken but they were to-
tally unprepared for such an appli-
cation of them. The consequence
was, that the French opened their
first parallel precisely as they did at
Antwerp, in 1893, or would have
done against any Fashioned fort
The distance was the prescribed
600 metres, the profile, that which
is found in books. The armament
exactly what we are taught it should
be, aud placed on the prolongations
of the Flagstaff Bastion. When all
was complete, they opened their
fire on the 18th of October, and
great was their establishment at the
result. For the first time in mod
ern warfare, the boast of Montalem-
bert was realized-the first parallel
was pulverized. Their embrasures
were torn to pieces, their guns dis.
mounted, their parapets pierced, and
their magazines blown up. TO use
an expressive though vulgar phrase,
they were Suuffed out, and forced
to withdraw from the combat.
The English Jared better on this
eventful day for having placed
their batteries at the safe distance
Of from 1900 to 1900 yards from
the works, the enemy could do
them very little damage but on
the other hand, they did as little to
the Russians. As far as can be
judged from the result, it does moi
seem that tho English attack wa,
meant TO be more than q diversion
to prevent the Russians from accu-
mulatlng all their power on the
Fren IN. No one could have expected
TO do much damage TO earthworks
or even to masonry, at such dis
lance. As it was. the besieged ca
silly replaced at night the earth tina,
had been disturbed during the day
repaired their embrasures, and re,
placed any guns that had been dam
aged, so as to renew the fight witt
unfinished vigor in the morning
and the numbers of killed and
wounded on either side were insig
nihcant. Had the French succeed
ed in their attack, this feint of the
English might have been all tina
was desired. Their failure discon
certed the whole plan, and it would
have been well if the commander
had seen this, and ,e-dirdnged thei
plans accordingly, instead Of perse
vering in what they must have secl
could not succeed.
While this was going on on shore
the allied fleet stood in, about moo
OH the memorable l7lh of October
to attack the seaward defenses {
the place. This measure, howeve
does not appear to have been unde
taken with The serious intention, {
even the hope of destroying then
but more as feint to take off III
attention Of the besieged from tn
land attack, and, like most halfmef
sures, it failed and was not wort
the loss of men and material that
cost.
Had two or three of the linc-of
battle ships gone straight up TO III,
barrier across the harbor, and bold
/ ly attacked Fort Constantine, or tn,
Battery, within 300 yards, thel
might possibly have destroyed boil
these works, and probably wilhou
suffering more than they did. A
it was, they drew up in a long lin,
across the harbor mouth, outsid,
the reefs, at distance of 1900 L
1000 yards from the shore, and fir
ed all the afternoon without dom,
or receiving much damage, and thel
were thus exposed to the coast bat
teries and the guns in earthworks a
long the cliffs, which they coul'
not touch, though their fire tol'
with dreadful effect OH some Of on
ships that stood in nearer than tn,
lest.
There was nothing to this sea
fight that tended much towards
solution of the long-mooted DISPUTE
of stone walls against wooden ones
a