Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-11-01

e certain Of our own fa;lu,a It'll. dr..-
{ ed that Sevastopol was ours
All was ready for renewed assanIt
: on the Redan, but the Russians bav,
kept up brisk FIRE from the rife nit.
and embrasures to the last moment, and
having adopted the same plan along
their lines, so as to blind our eyes and
engage our attention, abandoned it, as
is supposed about IL o'clock, and the
silence attracting the attention of our
men, some volunteers crept up and look
ed through an embrasure, and found
the place deserted by all save the dead
and dying. Soon afterwards, wander
ing fires cleaned through the streets
and outskirts of the town-point after
point became alight-the flames shone
out Of the windows of the houses
rows of mansions caught and burned
up, and, ere daybreak, the town of Sc
vastopol-that fine and stately mistress
of the Euxine, on which we had so Of
ten turned longing eye--was on FIRE
from the sea to the Dockyard Creek
Fort Alexander was blown up with a
tremendous crash that made the very
earth reel, early in the night. At sun
rise four large explosions followed in
quick succession, and announced the
destruction Of the Quarantine Forts and
of the batteries OF the Central Bastio1
and Flagstaff Fort. In a moment af
terwards the proper left of the Redan
was the scene of very heavy explo-
sion, which must have destroyed a
number of wounded men on both sides.
FnrtunOtSly the soldiers who had en-
tered it early in the night were with
drawn. The Flagstaff and the Garden
Batteries blew up, one after another, at
4:45. At $50 there were two of the
largest and grandest explosions on the
left that ever shook the earth-most I
probably from fort Alexander and the
Grand Magazine. The rush of black
smoke, Of gray and white vapor, Of I
masses of stone, beams of timber, and
masonry into the air was appalling. and
then followed the roar of great bOm-
bardment; it was magazine of shells
blown up into the air, and exploding
like some gigantic pyrotechnic display
in the sky-the effect of the innumera-
bic flashes Of fire twitte,ing high up in
the column of black smoke over the
town, and then changing rapidly into as
many balls of white smoke like little
clouds. All this time the Russians
were marching with sullen tramp across
the bridge, and boats were busy carry
ing off mdteriel from the town, or bear
ing men to the south side, to complete
the work of destruction and renew the
fires of hidden mines, or light up un-
touched houses. OF the feet all that
remained visible were the eight steam
ers and the masts of the sunken line-of-
battle-ships. As soon as it was dawn
the French began to steal from their
trenches into the burning town undis-
mayed by the flames, by the terrors of
these explosions, by the fire of lurk-
ing enemy. or by the fire Of their own
guns, which kept on slowly discharging
cannon shot, and grape into the suburbs
at regular intervals, possibly with the
very object of deterring straglers from
risking their lives. But red breeches and
blue breeches, kept and Zouave fez could
soon be distinguished in amid the
flames, and moving from house to house.
Ere FIVE O'Clock, there were numbers of
men coming back with plunder, such as
it was, and Russian relics were offered
for sale in camp before the Russian bat
taIons had marched out of the city
The sailors, too, were not behlndhand in
looking for "loot," and Jack could be
seen staggering under chairs, tables,
and numbering old pictures, through
every street, and making his way back
to the trenches with vast accumulatioDs
Of worthlessness. Several men lost
their lives by explosions on this and the
following day. At 7:lO several small
of shells and powder mag
azines took place in the town behind the
Redan and also on the left of Doekyard
Greek.