The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-10-10

Iother act III the Tragedy.
We were not kept long waiting
From behind the cloud of smoke which
naturally hung around the Russian bat
~teries came two large columns of the
enemy, marching in quick time, about
two hundred yards apart and exactly
parallel, a short distance from the riv-
er, and in a line with the bank. As
! they wound and twisted, mounted and
aldescended. following the inequalities in
the ground in long compactmasses, their
| bayonets and equipments glancing in
: the sunlight, they looked exactly like
two huge serpents creeping rapidly along
, their scales glistening, and their prey in
sight. On arriving within about eight
hundred yards af the ford, one halted,
and the other turned off abruptly toward
the river. 1t was evident they were
about to assaif the Frenc'h position more
to the right, on the side next the Sur-
dinians. On reaching the water, some
passed Oh small bridges hastily thrown
over, the rest forded, and on gaining
this side the column broke into loose
order and pushedon toward the canal or
a~queduet, which rises within an embank-
ment to the very foot of the hill. Be
fore reaching it they had to traverse
about two hundred yards of smooth
green sward they were no longer ex
posed to the French artillery, because
the guns could not be depressed suff-
GENTLY to reach them, but they had
their flank turned to that of the Pied
montese, who had got the range to an
inch, and fred with an accuracy little
short of marvellous.
The head of the column had hardly
come up dripping from the water, when
they found themselves in the midst of
a storm of round shot, grape and shell,
bert upon relentlessly, unrelaxingly
moving them down by the score, and
covering the survivors with clay and
gravel. But I must do these survivors
Justice, and say that they bore up right
CALAMITY, marched firmly onward and
upward, passed the canal, though the
water was breast high, pushed some
yards still on the precipitous side o fthe
hill, though here everyYound was NOR
.al, for all who fell faEAd helplessly
downward into the a~quedudt, and were
instantly drowned, but at last halted,
turned and 1ed-ncver stopping till they
reached the river, when they got shelter
under the banks and among the old will
lows. An officer remained for some time
alone on the declivity, vainly urging
them to follow him. Rc-enforcements
now came up from the second column
they reformed, but again in loose open
order, or rather no order at all, for they
marched exactly like a flock of sheep.
This was done evidently so that they
might present less mass for the ~artille-
ry to play upon, butait was a great mis-
take, as will be seen afterward. This
time they displayed more pluck and res
%olution; the fell, to be sure, By the
dozen, but they never wavered nor fall
tered, climbed on slowly and laborious-
ly, aud at last reached the crest of the
hill, and came out on the level.
When the head Of the colum2 attain
ed this point the Zouaycs, who were "
ing down behind the ridge on the Rus
sian left, jumped up and ran off to join
the main body, posted near the a%rtille-
ry on the center of the plateau, and at
the same moment the whole Of the French
the artillery included, retired about a
hundred yards before the advancing en-
CITY, Lie uIIpS AdQ CCdSCh, CASSPb
broken and puny file firing from the as
sailants, who pow, unable to form in line,
and mixed up in disorder, doubtless per-
ceived they should have either mounted
in line or halted and deploycd, before
booming out on the open ground above.
For some moments l thought the French
were about to give way and retreat, and
the Russians become masters of the
hight, but l was soon convinced of my
mistake. One could easily see them, it
is true, falling back on all sides, and clos,
ing UP into a small round mass, but in
the twinkling ofaan eye this mas open
cd out like a fan, two black lines shot
from it on each side across the plateau,
the center closed up, divided itself, and
the next moment a sheet of-lame broke
from the whole line, followed by a cloud
of smoke, and the crash of the musketry
fell on our ear in a long, continuous, I'M
faltering whirl, like the roar of a water
fall, drowned every second by the might
Ter thunder of artillery, which had made
half a wheel to the right, and raked the
crest of the hill with a tempest of grape.
Strongly as ones sympathics might
be engaged for the French, it was i'm
possible to repress for the moment a
sentiment of pity as n looked upon
the crowd of Russians looming out thro'
the smoke, as it rolled across them, fee.
bly, returning the fire, unable to advance
and afraid to retreat, ten thousand deaths
in front-ten thousand moro behind
help aud hope nowhere. They paused
for a few seconds, seemed to hesitate,
but were speedily relieved from all en-
barrassmeGt as to the course they SHOULD
pursue by the advance of the French,
whose cheer rang merily through the
morning air as they leveled their bayo-
nets aud rushed to the charge. The
Russians gave one " Hurrah, as if they
intended to come up to the scratch, but
instead of suiting the word, they wheel,
ed about and flung themselves down the
hillside in complete disorder, the Sar-
dinian artillery again playing upon them
as before. Some threw hundreds threw
down their arms and surrendered to the
French, sooner than run the gauntlet
once more across the aqueduct and the
river. The renpaut of the Column got
under cover GA the other side of the
stream, and remained there for some
minutes, until two battalions of Pied
montcse came cut cpon the plain, and
throwing out skirmishers advanced up
on the river. The Russians now retired
in haste, and not in very good order,
skirmishing as they went. until they
reached the high ground on which their
cavalry and the reserve of their a%rtille-
ry~were stationed. During the pursuit