Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-03-08
8 ebastOpOl.

The boasting in which the allies INDUCED,
when SebastOpol was first invested, may prove
as Intellectual as that of Wallenstein, who has
been immortalized in the poetry and history
of Schiller, at Stralsund. The walls of this
city were defended with determined courage.
The obstinate resistance excited the wrath
of the imperious General, who exclaimed,
Even if this Stralsund be linked with chains
to the very heavens above, still, -Lswear ii
shall fall" He then advanced in person
against the city, and repeatedly assaulted it;
but learned to know what heroic courage,
under prudent guidance, can effect. He was
compelled to withdraw with a loss of twelve
thousand men, 'rr"
We conjecture that the allies will indeed
take the city but will be compelled to with
draw with the loss of forty thousand men.
We suhjoin the following from the n. Y.
Tribune
The probable development of this melan-
choly campaign-as melancholy and bleak as
the muddy plateau of Sebastopol-will be
this: The Russians, when fully concentrated
and when the weather permits, will probably
attack the Turks of Omar Pasha first This
is expected by British, French and Turks, SC
well aware are they of the unenviable posi-
ton assigned to the latter; it shows, at all
events, that the Turks are sent to the North
with open eyes and no better proof of the
desperate condition of the Allies can be con-
ceived than is contained in this involuntary
admission Of their own Generals. That the
Turks will be beaten may be taken for GER
| tain. Then what will be the fate of the allied
and Piedmontese armies ? The buster about
an assault on Scbastopol is now pretty much
abandoned. On this head We find in the Lon
don Times of Feb. 3, letter from Col Z.
Napier, to the effect that if the Allies attack
the south OF ,SsbasE< ol;sAsF-H 6g6stt = E.
" get into it but they will be pounded I'M
dust by tho overwhelming fire of the north
forts and batteries, and at the same time be-
sieged by the Russian army in the field. That
army, he says, should first have been defeat
ed, and then both the north and south sides
of the place invested As an instance in
point, he recalls the fact that the Duke of
Wellington twice raised the siege of Badajoz,
in order 10 march against relieving army.
Col. Napier is quite right and the ~ ib'u'e
said quite as much, at the time of the famous
| flank march to Balaklava
AS 10 the Allies getting into Sebastopol,
however, he appears to overlook the peculiar
nature of the Russian defences, which make
itimpossible to carry the place at one single
assault There are first, outworks, then the
main rampant, and behind this the build
ings of the town converted into redoubts;
streets barricaded, squares of houses loop
holed and finally, the loopholed lear walls
of the strand forts, every one of which, in
succession, will require separate attack
perhaps separate seigc, and even mining OPP
erations. But beside all this, the successful
sortes of tn Russians of late have sufficiently
| proved that the town has been approached 10
a point where the forces of the opponents are
fully balanced, and the attack deprived of any
superiority except in point of artillery. As
| long as sorties cannot be made impossible, all
idea of an assault is preposterous; the beseiger
| who cannot confine the beseiged tothe space
of the actual fortress, is much less able to
! take that fortress by hand hand encoun-
| ter. ~
Thus, the beseigers viii continue to yege-
tate in their camp Confined to it by weak
ness and the Russian army in the field, they
will continue to melt away, while the Rus
slams are bringing up fresh forces; and unless
the new British Ministry brings into play
some quite unexpected resources, the day
must come when British, French, Piedmon-
tese and Turks are swept from Crimean
soil.