The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-01-03
The Fieia afler the BattIsDfInk'
erhnnn-Burtal NJ the nead.
Frcu ne London Ti1ss coTre1pondeni

ermnuu-BuFlal NJ tne Wea0,
FrOuI ths London TInss corrslbptden.. n
Nov. III went carefully I6FeF the posi.
ton TO-DAY. and the mtfe exsmibed il the
more was amazed atthe noble lenacitF %
our men, when assailed by such vast mass
es Of infantry, though ! must give great \
credit to the Russians for the obstinacy
with-which they sought to drive Us back, and
the laboriops determination with which they
clambered up the hillside to attack u.s.
The tents Of the Second Division are pitch
ed on the verge Of the plateau which we
occupy, and from the right flank of the camp
Che ground rises gently for two or three hun |
dred yards 10 ridge covered with scrubby |
brushwood, so thick that IT, is sometimes |
difheult to force horse through it.. Those
bushes grow in tufts, and are about, four !
fee' high. On gaining the ridge you see be-
low you the valley Of the Tchernsya, a
green tranquil slip Of meadow. with d few
white houses dotting It at intervals, some
from enclosures, and tnfts Of green trees
From the, ridge on the hillside descends
rapidly in a slope Of at least GOO feet high
The bfushwood is veryihick upon il, and at
times il is almost impervious. AT the base
OF this slope the. road winds to Inkermann,
and thence, to Sebastopoh The sluggish
stream steals quietly through it towards the
head Of the harbor, which is shut Out from
viewiby the projections Of the ridge towards
the north. At the distancs of a quarter of a
mile across the valley, the sides Of the noun
tains opposite the ridge of the plateau on
which our camp stands rise abruptly in
sheer walls of rock, slab after slab, to the
height OF l,400 or 1000 feet. A road winds
among those massive precipicss up the ru-
ins OF lnkermann--a city of the dead, and
4 gone and unknown-where houses, and pill.
aged mansions, and temples, have been hewn
out OF the face of the rock, by generation
whose very name the NEST daring antiqu-
ties have not guessed at. This road passes
along the heights, and dips into the Valley
OF lDkermaHn, at the neck OF the harbor.-
The Russians planted guns along it the 9TH
er day, to cover the retreat Of their troops,
and at night the lights of their fires are
seen glimmering through the window and
door places from the chambers carved out
from the sides of the precipice. Looking
down from the ridge, these ruins are o. course
to ones left hand. To the right the eye fol-
lows the sweep Of the valley till it is closed
in from view by the walls of the ridge, and
by the mountains which hemming the valley
OF Balaklava, and one can just catch on the
side OF the ridge the corner of the nearest
French earthwork, thrown up to defend our
| rear, and cover the position towards Balak-
lava. Below, towards the right OF the ridge,
t at the distance of 200 feet from the top to-
: wards the valley, is the Sandbag, or two.gun
battery, intended for two guns which had
not been placed there on the 9th, because
) Sir ID. Evans conceived that they would on
ly invite attack, and would certainly be ta-
! ken, unconnected as they have been with
i any line OF defence. On the left hand over
, looking this battery, there is road from
Baaklava right across our camp, through
the Second Divisions tents on their front,
D which runs over the ridge and joins the up
. per road to Inkermann. Some of the Rus
] sian columns had climbed up by the ground
along this road, others had ascended on the
left in front and to the right Of the Sand.
: bag battery. In every bush-on every yard
OF blood stained ground-luy dead or dy-
t ing Russian. TIE well known bearskins oI
our Guards, the red coats of our infantry
e and the bright blue Of the French Chasseurs
e revealing each silent horror in the glades
: and marking the spot where stark and stiff q
e corpse lay comforted on the grass, pointed
t out the scenes of the bloodest contests
;, The dead were happy-the dull, cold eye
It the tranquil brow-the geEtly.opening lips
= which had given escape to the parting spir.
it as it had fled from its bleeding she'll
e showed how peacefully man may die in
= battle pierced by the rifle ball. The Eng
: lish and the French. many of whom hat
s been murdered by the Russians as they Ia,
n wounded, wore terrible frowns on their ia
y ces, with which the agonies of death hat
j. clad them. Some in their last thrues hat
'- torn up the earth in their hands, and helt
j. the grass between their fingers up toward;
V heaven. All the men that exhibited sucl
I, signs of pain had been bayoneted. The
e dead men who lay. with an eternal smile OF
a their lips had been shot. But the wounded
For two days they had lain where the hant
! and the ball had felled them. There were
!. very few, it is true, but all our searching hat
e not discovered the secrets OF that blood
e stained hillside, and it was towards moor
v to-day ere the last of our soldiersshad beer
e found in his lair. and carried to the hospital
y But the Russians groaning and palpitatins
i as they lay around, were far more numerous
i, Some ofthese were placed together in heaps
a that they might be more readily removed
n Others glared on you from the bushes witt
l. the ferocity of wild beasts as they hugge,
il their wounds. Some implored in an un
e known tongue, but in accents not be mis-
s taken, water, or succor; holding out their
# mutiated and shattered limbs, or pointin,
e to the track of the acerating ball. TIL
j; sullen, angry scowlof some Of these me-
VI was fearful II fs ts n@E
is Fanaticism and immortal hate spak
d through their angry, eye-balls, and he wh
}! gazed upon them in pity and compassio
le could at least (unwillingly) understand VIII
l. these men, in their savage passion, XII
ID the wounded, and fire on the conqueror, VIII
N in his generous humanity, had aided thel
II as he passed. 1t was relief 20 see tn,
le their arms were broken-that their cartrid.
,g es were lying open in heaps on the groun'
ed Letter bearers, French and English, clo,l
at ed the hillside, now toiling painfully U
n with heavy burden for the grave, or wit
m some subject for the doctors care; no
mi hunting through the bushes for the dead
" dying. Our men have acquired shockir
no facility in their diagnosis. A body is b.
! fore you; there is a shout, "Come here, boy
n / 5see Russianl' or ga FTenchman,"
on "one of our fellows" .. One Of the par
ce comes forward, raises the eyelid If it
he closed, peeps into the eye, shrugs his shoul
'ut ers, says quietly, "He's dead, he'll wait
ny and moves back to the litter, others pull d