The Daily Nashville true Whig. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855, 1855-07-14

rattle Of the 18th June.


The Intelligence of the unsuccessful attack of the
allied forces ON the halakoff Tower and the Redan,
on the 18th of June, reached US at so late hour
Yesterday morning that our own remarks on the
progress of the seige had already goue to press
and our readers will have observed that, although
we were not acquainted with the sinister reports
already in circulation, we were unwilling to place
reliance upon them until they had received the une-
quvocal sanction of official authority. The dis
patches which have since arrived both from Lord
Raglan and General Pelissier, establish beyond
doubt that the combined movements of the allied
armies recommended on the 18th, and that earl
in the morning of the following day-a day hereto
fore known to our military annals by the ustre of
VICTORIAN attack was made on the Great Redan
and the Maakoff Tower, which was repulsed with a
most heavy and grievous loss on our side. The
troops withdrew into our own lines, effectng their
retreat in order, and not being harrassed by the
enemy but in the fearful struggle which took place
upon and within the works, where partial success
was at one time obtained, both French and English
were moved down by the means OF defence accu.
INFLATED by the enemy IN the rear OF the batteries
We learn with deepest pain, that the LOSSES of the
allied forces are believed to be greater than in any
former action of the war. Sir John Campbell Colo
mel YEA of the 7th Colonel Shadforth, of the 57th
End many other officers of distinguished gallantry
fell in our ranks, while the French have lost two
Heneral officers and vast number of men in all
branches Of the service.
This event is calculated to excite the strongest
national regret from the check it gives to the ardent
hopes which had been entertained Of immediate
success, and from the additional losses such a con.
test has caused to both armies yet it must be borne
in mind that in the progress of long and difficult
seige there is nothing extraordinary in the repulse
of or more partial assaults This is in fact the
first time since the commencement of the Crimean
war that our armies have suffered any check in an
important combined operation. The Russians have
been repulsed dozen times during the seige in their
nocturnal sorties and attacks on the French and
English lines, although our works are incomparaby
weaker than the MalakoT Tower and the Redan
Scarcely seige of any magnitude is to be found in
military history in which the garrison has not once
or twice beaten back the beseigers from its works
The Russians made no less than five assaults on ST.
listria, and were five times defeated. The French
were foiled in their first attack on the Mameon,
though they are now VIGOROUSLY possessed of it.
Our sorrow at this failure, and especially at the
sacrifice of gallant and devoted men which it has
cost US, is at least unmixed with dependency al
though, it seems we have yet to learn the whole
extent of the resources of the place and the enemy
to whom we are opposed.
We ventured yesterday, before we were acquaint-
ed with this deporable result Of the attack of the
18th OF June, to express some surprise and regret
that measures had not been taken to derive a more
immediate and complete advantage from the capture
OF the Mamelon and the quarries in the attack on
the 18th.
We observed that, when these outwolks were
carried, comparatively small additional effort would
have completed our success. The Russians were
beaten, their fires had slackened, their defences
were injured and even their fatigue parties had lost
their accustomed energy in repairing the damage
of the bombardment. One would have thought
that might be far easier drive the assault home
at such moment than to 'defer the second half of
the operation to a future opportunity" We ven
ture to quote own words, because they antici-
pated with perfect accuracy the danger which has
since become known to US with such fatal certainty.
The second half of the operation was, or had be-
come the most difficult, and the interval which
elapsed between the 7th and 18th gave the Russians
an opportunity to concentrate all their resources
against the impending attack.
The result of the attack on the 18th concusively
demonstrates, if any doubt was entertained of the
fact the extreme difficulty Of carrying by assault
works of the nature of those which now defend
Sebastopol even when the assault is made by troops
of the most dauntless courage, confident of their
own power to overcome every obstacle. The fronts
attacked do not appear to have been silenced,
were the approaches carried to the foot of the
enemys works. Under these circumstances the
assailants exposed to very heavy loss, and
the result in favor of the defence of the place
Fortunately the allied commanders have other
means at their disposal, which we trust that they
will employ, to retrieve a check which, though not
discredtable to arms, from the extraordinary
courage displayed by the troops is the most painful
occurrence we have had to record in the course of
the war.