Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1855-02-01
TIE EASTERN WIN

The Russians, despairing of forcing the
lines OF kalafat, evacuated Wallachia. and
drew together their forces for the purpose OF
besieging Si:istria. Before an outwork Of
this fortress many thousand Russians per
isled, without being able to make anv inn
preston on its defenders, sustained and in
structeJ by the knowledge and gaIlantry of
two British officers, and the tide of war.
after having advanced to this point, rolled
backwards across the Danube. Meanwhile
We had bombarded Odessa, in return for an
insult offered to orr flag of truce, but had.
with an ineomprehensible lenity, desis,ed,
after infiicting serious injury on the place,
and lief; it to become depot and place of
the troops now contending agains, us in the
Crimea. The first employment Of our troops
on arrlving'in the East was to fortify CALI
? poll, and throw up works, as if the Russians
had already forced the Balkan, and nothing
were left to the allies but to defend the last
tpromontory Of the Turkish empire. From
SalIipoii our troops were moved to Varna,
where they were encamped in position
pleasing TO the eye, but which little inqai-
~ would have shown to be VIGOROUSLY pes
ti'entIal. After spending the summer on
this unhealthy coast, which cost US mel
ancholy list Of brave soldiers, the army en-
parked tor the Crimua, and, by an exploit
second to none in the annlls Of military and
naval adventure, was carried 10 its shore in
state OF the utmost security and efficiency,
and landed without loss, and almost without
confusion. 1t were mere waste Of space to
redescrbe events the memory Of which is
already riyetad in the public mind-the I'D
vance On the Alma, the indecisive skir.nisl
Of the l9th, the glorious victory of the Goth
OF September, purchased by the lives of SO
many brave men, the march to Balaklava,
and the commencement oCihe siege. Up to
the Eth Of October, wien we opened fire,
all appeared to have gone prosperously -
Some regret or doubt might be felt as to the
policy Of following the enemy to throw up,
undisturbed, strong earthworks in our front;
but our Engineers were confident that they
would fall before the first efforts of our bit
tories, and civilians were disposed to &C.
quiesce in tactics which promised a sure
success without the eiusi1n Of blood On
that unhappy day the real nature Of our en-
terprise disclosed itself The French bit
tcIles were slenced ia few hours, AMI our
own could barely maintain Themselves
against tie overwhelming fire Of the Russi-
ans ; but, worse than all. cur feet failed in
the attempt 10 silence Fort Constantine, and
failed, apparently, Because only small P.1:
efthe ships was brought up to the point from
which alone their broadsiles could hope to
be effective. The battle of the 23th OF Oc
tober followed, in which our Light Cavalry
were sent TO dest.,. ction, foresecn and fore
known, Ivy some incomprehcnsibie mistake
of orders, and in which it was shown that
the Turks who accompanied us to the Cli-
mea were of very different stamp from tine
defenders of kalafdt and Slis.ria. Then
came the memorable Battle Of Inkermann,
with its surprise, so little honorable to our
General and the officers of his staff; its COM
bats, so glorious to our soldiers and its re- |
suits, SO fatal 10 the enemy and so melan-
choly TO US.
The winds and waves soon entered into
rivalry with the rage Of man, for hurricane
unexampled even on that stormy coast swept
over the allied fleet, and inCulfad men, ships. !
stores, and treasures, OF nulnbcr and amt
hardly paraleled in the annals Of disaster.
From that time the army has been suffering. I
In patience and in silence, the most fatal |
and unnecessary misery. White the weather !
was fine no attempt was made to connect,
the camp with the shipping BY a road. and |
the result has been that stores and comforts |
landed al Bdlaklava are as much out Of the |
reach of our soldiers as if they were still on !
the banks of1he Thames. Within eight |
miles OF them are clothes, food, materials |
dor house building, fuel and many other COM
forts but the soldiers have been in rags, |
have been placed on half rations. have been
reduced to burrow in the ground fer shelter,
and driven to the utmost extremity to obtain
frewood from a surface of land saturated
with rain. There have been guns and am
munilion in abundance at Balaklava, while
tie siege has been interrupted for want Of
guns aud ammunition. The soldiers have
now been for three months in the same posi-
ton their baggage is within eight miles CT
them, but they cannot receive it, and in this
position the last news Of the old year leaves
an army victorious wherever il has met the
enemy, not worn down by long marching
or separated from its base of operations, hut
concentrated on a single point close to its
supplies, and provided for out OF the riches,
storehouse in the world.
We will still hope everything from our
men and our gallant allies, but the result
undoubtedly is that under the pressure Of the
present war our military departments, with
ihe siagle exception Of the Commissaria,,
have completely brokendown. There is 10
system, no forethought, no contrivance.-
The medical department has been i'll supple
ed with all the materials necessary for its
efficiency. Whatever has been sent out lss
uniformly been in the wrong place, and it
seems to be nobody's business to regulate
the destination and distribution OF The stores.
A few wagons to replace the wretchcd arah has
Of the country would have saved incalcu-
liable suffering and loss, bu, they were not
sent, and railroad is now projected, which
will probably be begun jus, a, the time
when the road, which should have been
made so long ago, shall have been compile
tel. There is little use in wasting time in
endless accusations and recriminations.-
The first duty of the aation Is to see tina,
the want Of system, from which so many
evils have flowed, is eiiec,uahy corrected,
and to bring the efficiency OF its military