The true Democrat., 1855-11-06

gaps through the inner parapet of the Redan and our men, with an infatuation which all of fcers deplore, but cannot always remedy on. such occasions, began to return the fire of the enemy without advancing or crossing behind the traverses, loaded and fired as quickly as they could, but did little execution, as the Russians were we'll covered by the breastwork. There were also groups of Russian rihemen be- hind the lower traverses, near the base of the Redan, who kept up a galling fire on our men. As the alarm of an assault was spread, the enc. my came rushing up from the barracks in the rear of the Redan, and increased the force and intensity of their fire, while our soldiers drop- ped fast and encouraged the Russians by their immoblity and the weakness of their fusiladc, from which the enemy were we'll protected. In vain the officers, by voice and act, by ex- ample and daring, tried to urge our soldiers on. They had an impression that the Redan was all mined, and that if they advanced they would all be blown up
 The officers fell on all sides, singled out for the enemys fire by their courage The men of the different regiments became mingled to- gether in nextricable confusion. The 18th men did not care for the order of the officers of the 09th, nor did the soldiers of the 33d head the commands of an officer who did not belong | their mcn-the men had lost sight of their own officers All the brigadiers save Col Windham were wounded or rendered unfit for the gui- dance of the attack. That gallant officer did all that man could do to form his men for the attack, and lead them against the enemy. Proceeding from traverse to traverse, he coax ed the men to come out and succeeded several times In forming few of them, but they melt ed away as fast as he laid hold of them, and either fell in their little ranks or retired to CO., yer to keep up their fusilade. Many of them crowded to lower parts Of the inner parapet and Kept up smart lire on the enemy, but nothing would induce them to come out into the open space and charge the breastwork. This was all going on at the proper left face of the Re dan, while nearly the same scene was being re- peated at the salient. Every moment our men were diminishing in numbers, while the Rus sians came up in swarms from the town, and rushed down from the Malakoff which now had been occupied by the French Thrice did Col. Windham send officers to Sir w. Codring- ton, who was in the fifth parallel, begging of him to send up supports in some order of for nation; but all these three officers were wound ed as they passed from the ditch of the Redan to the rear, and the ColoneFs own aid -dc-camp Lieut. SWre of the seventeenth, gallant young officer, was hit dangerously in the hip as he went on his perilous errand. Supports were, indeed, sent up, but they came up ln disorder from the fire to which they were exposed on their way, and arrived in driblets only to increase the confusion and the carnage. Finding that he could not collect any men on the left face, Col. Windham passed through one of the cuts of the inner parapet and walked over to the right face, at distance of thirty yards from | brpo ro tC h b, in parallel line, exposed to a close fire, but wonderful to say, without being touched
 The Colonel got some ritlemen and few of the 68th together; but no sooner had he brought them out than they were killed, wound ed, or dispersed by a concentrated fire. The officers with the nOblest devotion, aided Col. 1 Wlndham, and became the special marks of the enemys ritlemen. The narrow neck of the salient was too close to allow of any kind of formation, and the more the men crowded into It the more they got out ot orier and the more they suffered from the enemy's fire. This miserable work lasted for an hour The Rus slaus were now Ill dense masses behind the 1 breaStwork, and Col. Windham walked back across the open space to the left to make one more attempt to retrieve the day The men on the ptrapet of the salient, who were firing at the Russians, sent their shot at him, and the latter who were pouring voley after volley on all points of the head of the work, likewise directed their muskets against him, but he passed through their cross fire in safety, and got within the inner parapet on the left where the men were becoming thinner and thinner A Russian officer now stepped over the brcastwork, and tore down a gabion with hls own hands; 1t was to make room for field piece. Colonel Windham exclaimed to several soldiers who were firing over the para pet, Well as you are fond of firing, why don't you shoot that Russian?" They fired a volley and missed him, and soon afterward the held-plece began to play on the head of the salient with grape. Col. Windham saw there was TO time to be lost He had sent three of ficers for re-inforccments, and above all for men in formation, and he now resolved to go to General Codrinston. Seeing Captain Grea- lock of the 90th near to him busy in encourag- ing his men, and exertng himself with great courage and energy to get them in order, he sald-" must go to the General for supports Now mind, let It be known, in case 1 am kill led, why went away"
 lie crossed the parapet and ditch, and sue cecded in gaining the fifth parallel through a storm of grape and rifle bullets in safety. Sir William Codrington asked him if he thought he really could do anything with such supports as he could afford: and said he might take the Royals, who were then in the parallel. Let the officers come out in front-let us advance in order and if the men keep their formation. the Redan Is ours," was the Colonel's reply; but he spoke too late-for at that very moment our men were seen leaping down into the ditch, or running down the parapet of the salient, and through the embrasureS out of the work into the ditch, while the Russians followed them with the bayonet, and with heavy musketry, and even threw stones and grapeshot at them as they lay in the ditch. The fact was that the Russians, having accumulated several thou- sands of men behind the breastwork, and see- ing our men scattered up and confused behind the inner parapet of the traverse crossed the breastwork through which several pieces were now playing with grape on the inner face of the Redan, and charged our broken groups with the bayonet, at the same time that the rear ranks, gettingon the breastwork, poured heavy hail of bullets on them, over the heads of the advancing columns. The struggle that took place was short, desperate and bloody Our saldiers, taken at every disadvantage, met the enemy with the bayonet, too, and isolated com- bats took place in which the brave fellows, who stood their ground, had to defend themselves against three or four adversaries at once. In this melee, the officers, armed only with their swords, had little chance; nor had. those who carried pistols much opportunity in using them in such rapid contest. They fell like be- roes, and many gallant soldier with them.
 The bodies of the English and Russians locked in an embrace which death could not re- lax, but had rather cemented all the closer. lav next day inside the Redan, as evidence of the terrible animosty of the struggle. But the solid weight of the advancing mass, urged on, and fed each moment from the rear by compa- ny after company, and battalion after battalion, prevailed at last against the isolated and dis jointed band who had abandoned the protection of unanimity and courage, and had lost the ad- vantage of discipline and obedience. As though some giant rock had advanced into the sea and forced back the waters that buieted it, so did the Russian columns press down against the spray of soldiery which fretted their edge with fro ood cfool and da6 in vain oro; {