Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1855-05-02
From the New York Herald, 23d uit'
BATTLE OF THE PITS.

French ,oorks bv the Russians in a desperate
sortie- Recapture of the Pits by The French az
tera terrible struggle-Despatches from Com
aaanders on both sides.
Since the date of previous advices, there has
been a series of fierce sorties and assaults be-
tween the Russians and French, for possession
Of the rifle ambuscades in front of the French
positjon and under the Malakaf tower. These
rife. which have led to so considerable a
sacrifice of life, are placed in front and to the
right and left Of the tower, and are about 600
wards from the allied works. They are merely
excavations in the ground, faced round with
sand-bags and banked with earth, loop-holed
for rifles They are six in number, and each
contains ten men--60 in all. Gen. Bosquet
considers it point of honor to take and hold
or destroy these ambuscades He has several
times, by night assaults, driven out the Rus
slams, but as the pits, are covered by the fire OF
the city batteries, the French have hitherto
found it impossible either to destroy or hold
them. The Importance of this position, to both
besegers and besieged, is very great The
Malakoff round tower is regarded as the key of
the defences, and hence the energy of the Rus
SLAMS in strengthening it. Considerably in adj
vance of the tower is the elevated mound or hill
now called the Mameon," on which the be-
sieged are erecting battery of great strength.
A little further in advance is the eminence re-
Gently seized so skillfuly by the Russians, and
fortified with earth-works; it is now crowded
by a square redoubt, with sixteen guns visible
on its three outward sides-but they have not
vet opened fire. Outside Of these defences are
the rihe-pits. The Russian batteries at lnker
mann, their forts on the other side of the Tehh-
NAYS and the works of Malakof, cover the re-
doubt, and converge on the approaches in front
oft. This explanation will convey an idea OF
the strength of the position which the French
tightly contest. Dates of the encounters are as
follows:
March l3 to 90.
On Saturday afternoon, the 10th of March, the
firing was very heavy from the Russian batteries,
and their engineers were working busiy on the
redoubt. Omer Pacha arrived at the camp
March IL, and a council of war was held, at
which were present, besides Raglan, Canrobert,
and Omar, Admirals Stewart and Sir Edmund
Lyons. The exact purport of Omar Pacha's
visit did not transpire, but it was rumored in
camp that he sought some assistance which
could not be granted, and that the utmost he can
therefore do, unaided, will he to hold Eupatoria.
Electric communication is completed between
Raglans quarters and Balaklava,and the railway
is in working order to Kadikol.
fierce affair. The Russians had advanced some
rAemen in front of the French lines, who caused
considerable annoyance. When night fell,
demi-brigade of French went down and drove
them out. All the city batteries along the front
Immediately opened, and continued furious
cannonade for half an hour, during which
stronger force Of the enemy advanced on the
French, and compelled them to retire, with
loss of Is men, the Russian loss being probably
more severe. The Russians re-occupied the
pits.
In the night of the 18th, the French renewed
the attack, and succeeded, with comparatively
little loss in driving out the enemys rifiemen,
and occupying the pits with their own. The
French continued to hold those on the right,
under heavy fire, over the 18th and l7:h of
March.
Night of The 18th, yet another encounter took
place. At u o'clock in the evening the French
who had retired before the fire from the bate
res, marched down to re-occupy the ambuscades
but found the Russians had anticipated them
A fierce conflict Immediately ensued, but it was
evident the Russians were in strong force, and
the French were again and again borne back by
the weight of fire. For four hours and half
they persevered in their attempts, and all that
time a continuous roll of musketry rang out,
broken only by brief pauses in the advance. In
these luls the British could distinctly hear the
voices of the French officers cheering on their
men" En- apant, mes enfans!" En- arant
Zouuares !'-and the tramp of feet and the rush
of men followed; then roll of musketry was
heard, diminishing in volume to rapid fighting
then Russian cheer-then more musketry,
a few dropping shots, and the voices of the off,
GERS once more The Zouaves bore the brunt
of the fight and the action was some what pc
culiar, as the artillery took no part in it, The
British I'd, Sd, 4th and light divisions were told
off for action, and the entire British camp re-
NAMED under arms until the French desisted
from their attack, but as gallant French make
it point of honor to take those pits without
aid, no assistance was offered. The French
were 5000 strong, and they state their loss
at $50 killed and wounded, besides few prison.
ers.
On the 18th reinforcement of $4,000 men
entered Sevastopol. None of the Russian bat
teries fired a shot to-day. Some persons sur
missed that the besieged were short of ammuni-
ton; Others that the silence arose from cereino-
MES connected with the death of the Emperor
Nicholas, the intelligence OF which event had
reached the city three days previous, and caused
the church bells to be rung twenty-four hours,
and the shipping to hoist their flags at half mast
The Russians continue to throw up defences
from the rayines of Inkermann to the seaside
south of the Belbeck To-day another body of
Russians, about $4,000 strong, was observed to