The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-10-10
Foreign News.
The Foreign News by the Arago
Battle Of Traktir Bridge.
tFrom the Correspondence of the London Daily
Newsl

About an hour before daybreak the
Fren~eh-ssn4iaals frnnt-nihe-bri
thought they could perceive shadows
gliding past them in the darkness, and
fired. There was nc reply, and silence
deep as death followed ; about the same
time a few shots were heard from the
hill occupied by the Piedmontese out
post, but as the utmos. stiffness pre-
vailed afterward on every side, no pre-
cautiors were taken till just as the first
streak of light made itself visible in the
horizonsa sharp fire was opened from a
a party of skirmishers against the tete
de poat, and a regular assault made up
upon the Sardinian picket. General
dello Marmora was already IN the ground
and sent a battalion of bersaglieri to re-
enforce the post, so that they might de-
fend themselves till the troops could be
cot under arms, and the necessary ar
rangements made. When the reinforce
ments arrived, half the picket was al
ready horS du combat, and the assailants
were up on the parapet of the little re-
doubt, firing down into them. To pro-
long the conflict here would only have
caused a useless massacre, and the Sar-
diniaus consequently withdrew behind
an epaulenlent on the other side of the
river, near the aqueduct, aud there de-
Tended themselves till the day broke
clearly, and the attack then became gen
eral.
On the side of the Fir. nch the tete dc
pont was assaulted in great force, and
carried very soon after the encmy's first
showing himself ON the ground, notwith-
standing the heroic resistance of the
Twentieth Regiment of the line, which
in one battalion alone lost twelve off.
GERS. The bridge was now occupied,
two batteries of artillery were brought
across so as TO sweep the road leading
between the W nights toward Balakla-
va, aud a strong column was pushed on
to the assault and mounted the declivi-
ty. Strange to say, although. Gen. Pc
l%issier had received full warning the
previous night, he refused to believe in
an attack until it actually commenced,
and consequently no dispositions were
made and nobody was ready. The Rus
slams had already reached the crest of
the hill while the French were still
asleep. Many of the officers were ava
kened by the round shot passing through
their tents. A sergeant had his head
taken off while writing the orders of the
day for the division. At this critical
moment two battalions alone of the Se-
cond Regiment of Zouaves held the
whole assaulting column in check, and
contested the ground inch by inch, until
they were forced back upon their own
tents. In the meantime the alarm was
sounding, the troops got into order, the
artillery into position, and a vigorous
onset drove the Russians down the de-
clivity, leaving it covered with their
dead and wounded.
All this, be it NELL remembered, &C.
Cured in the gray of the morning, which
the smoke of the action converted into
something like positive darkness, leaving
everybody as yet in complete ignorance
as to the force they had to contend with
or the dangers they had to bear. In
the short pause which followed. and du-
ring which both sides prepared for a re-
newal of the struggle, the sun came out
from behind the hills, the smoke rose,
and ii c valley of the T~chcrnaya lay be-
fore US like a picture. The tract of ia
ble-land lying at the foot of the Mac
kenzie nights was covered with masses
of cavalry, infantry and artillery. About
thirty guns we're ranged in a crescent
outside the bridge, and Numbered I'M
ceasingly against the French position.
On the hills from which the Piedmon-
tese picket had been driven were crowds
of men around a battery of field artille-
ry, which fired necessarily though against
what 1 could never clearly make out
I must not forget to mention, however,
that they had previously shelled two
~battallions of Turks encampcd in the
hollow neal the Woronzoff road, and
forced them to retire. This retrograde
movement was the only part the latter
to add that they were under arms all
ready, in case the positions had been at
tackled.
Ike Piedmontcse were drawn up in u
line behind a small eminence close to the
ford on the Tchorgoum road, and their
batteries on the nights to the right were
vigorously replying to the Russian fire /;
the three divisions of French, Camoux,
Erbillon and Faueheux were under
arms, front line a little way back from
the brow of the hill, aud a great num-
Der of Zouaves were lying down in shell
ter behind a small ridge. Below, on
the plain, along the hollow on which the
English light horse died so CALAMITY
last winter, every turf beneath their feet
a soldiers sepulcher, were ranged the
English and French cavalry, squadron
aftep squadron, extending back nearly to
the Turkish redoubts, ready to act in
case the enemy should force the Pied
montese position and attempt to debouch
upon the open ground behind. The PEN
mons of the lancers huttered gaily in
long lines in the fresh morning breeze,
and when the sun rose high in glory,
and poured down It's rays full on the
plain, making scarlet look redder, and
steel and brass brighter aud more re
splendent. gliding the hill tops, making
the tents glitter, aud rol ing smoke and
mist in great packs up the valley to-
ward Inkerman, the scene became one
of passing splendor as well as of passing
interest. We looked in breathless anx-
iety for the renewal of the conflict. The
combatauts had taken breath, their
blood was up, for hundreds on both sides
lay already stark and stiff on the river
side around the bridge, and the a%rtille-
ry evidently was simply playing an in