Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-10-04
DETAILS OF THE BoMBARDMENT OF
SEBAST0pOI

I
sEBAST0POI.
The steamer Pacific brings interesting de-
tails Of the events before Sebastopol, to noon
Of September 8, the hour at which the French
and English storming columns were in the
very act Of rushing to the assault against the
city, which, during three previous days, had
been devastated by the terrific FIRE brought to
bear against it by the Allies.
The opening scene Is thus described by the
correspondent of the London Times
Sept. Sat dawn, on the morning of the
9TH of September, the French opened fire.
| The air was pure and light. and q gentle
breeze from the southeast, which continued
all day, drifted over the steppe and blew
gently into Sebastopol. The sun shone Sc
renely through the vapours Of early morning
and wreaths Of snowy clouds, on the long lines
of white houses inside those rugged defences
OF earth and gabionade which have so long
kept our armies gazing in vain on this /" au-
! gust city" The ships lay floating on the
waters Of the roads, which were smooth as
mirror, and like it, reflected them; and out
side our own fleet was that Of the French
equally inactive, and not quite so useful to US,
were reposing from Kazatch to Constantine as
idly as though they were "pinted " upon o
| painted ocean,"
The writer then proceeds to describe the DO.
sition of the forces, and the "opening of the
ball, observing minuteness in his narrative,
and saying, among other things:
Small trains of animals and files of men
are passing over the ground between the
trenches and the camp, and the only smoke
that catches the eye arises from the kettles of
the soldiery, or from a rife in the advanced
works. On the left, however, it can be seen
that the French trenches are crowded with
! men, and that their batteries arc all manned
though the men keep well out of view, and the
mantlets and screens are yet down before the
muzzles of some of their guns The men be-
meath the parapets swarm like bees. A few
| gray-cOated Russians are in view repairing the
works Of the Flagstaff Battery, or engaged in
throwing up new work, which promises to be
Of considerable strength, in front of the second
line of their defences.
Suddenly, along the earthen curtain be-
tween Nos and BastioDs, three jets of fame
spring up into the air and hurl up as many
pillars OF earth and dust, which are warmed
| into ruddy bues by the horizontal RAYS of the
sun. The French have exploded three fou-
gases to blow in the counterscarp, and to serve
| rs signal to their men. Instantly from the
sea to the dockyard creek, there seems to run
a stream of fire, and fleecy, curling, rich white
smoke, as though the earth had suddenly been
rent in the throcs of an earthquake, and was
|
| The lines OF the French trenches were at once
covered as though the very clouds of Heaven
! had tied down upon them and were whirled
| about in spiral jets, lii feSt0ons, in clustering
| punches, in columns and in sheets, al COM
mingled. involved together by the vehement
| flames beneath.
The iron storm tore up the Russian lines,
| tossing up, as if In sport, jets of earth and
/ dust, rending asunder gabions, and squelch-
ing the parapets, or bounding over among
! the houses and ruins in their rear. The ter
rible files of iron, about four miles in front,
| rushed across the plain, carrying death and
ruin with IL, swept with its heavy and irresist-
ible wings the Russian TANKS, and searched
| their centre TO the corps. A volley so start
| ling simultaneous, and tremendously power
full, was probably never yet uttered since the
cannon found its voice.
The correspondent of the Times, with nice
| partlcularity, narrates the progress of the
combat, until, having reached the climax of
! description, he says there was not one in
STINT in which the shells did not whistle
| through the air-not q moment in which the
sky was not scanned by their fiery curves or
| Illuminated by their explosion. Cur practice
was beyond ali praise. Every shell burst as
| It ought, and the lines Of tho Russian earth
works of the Redan, Maiakoff, and of all their
batteries were rendered plainly visible by the
constant light Of the bursting shells. The
|
At ) o'clock it was observed that a frigate
| liz the second line, near the north side, was
| smoking and as il grew darker, flames were
seen to issue from her sides. Men and officers
rushed to the front in the gre latest delight and
excitement, and as night came on, the whole
| vessel broke out into one grand blaze from stem
to stern. The delight of the crowd on Cath
| to see one Of those COMPOUNDED ships touched
| last,'' These and many different and stronger
| expressions were audible on all sides, but
| there were some who thought that the Russians
had set the ship on fire, or that incendiaries
| and malcontents were ut work, and one gen.
| teman went so far as to say he Thought it
| merely signal-maybe to recall their caval-
| I'd from Eupatoria."
1t is not precisely known how the thing was
done. Some say il was done by the French
| others by ourselves; and bombs, red. hot shot
and rockets have been variously named as the
| agency by which the FIRE was accomplished.
! In spite of the efforts of the Russians, the
flames spread, and soon Issued from the ports
| quarter gallery. At eight o'clock the light
| was so great that the houses Of the city and
l the forts on the other side could be discerned
| without difficulty. The masts stood long, and
towed aloft like great pillars of fire; but one
after the other they yielded; the decks fell in
| about ten o'clock, and at midnight the frigate
| was burnt to the waters edge.
September 8.-Last night, a steady fire was
kept along the front, to prevent the Russians
repairing damages Az 10 p. orders were
| sent to our batteries to open as soon as there
was good light the following morning, but
they were limited to fifty rounds each. At 81
| the whole of the batteries from Quarantine to
Inkermann opened with grand crash. The
| Russians were silent as before. The cannon
AIDE was maintained as it was yesterday.
There were three breaks or lulls in the tenn
pest: from half-past till 10, from IL till 5,
and from half.past till the fire was COM
paratively slack.
September The cannonade was resumed
at daybreak, the Inkernann batteries firing
briskly. A council Of generals was held to-
day ut headquarters, the sick were cleared
out Of the field hospitals, and it gradually
oozed out that the assault would take place to-
morrow at IL o'clock. The firing was tremen-
dous all day but clouds Of dust, which a high