The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-10-10
The Bombardment on the Eve
Of the Assault.

GoRTscHxKoFr calls it, which was open
cd on Sebastopol for three days previou
to the grand assault, we take from tn
correspondence Of the London Time
of the 2Ist Sept.
ASPECT OF THE BArrERIEs At THE DAw,
OF n
Sc5asLopoI Sept. 5.-At dawn on tn,
morning of tue 9Th of September tn,
French opened fire. The air was pure
and light, and a gentle breeze from til,
southeast, which continued all day
drifted over the steppes and blew gently
into Sebastopo!. The sun shonc serene
ly through the vapors of early morning
and wreaths of snowy clouds, ON thu
long lines of white houses inside those
rugged defences of earth and gabionade
which have so long kept our armies ga
King in vain on this q august city,
The ships lay floating on the waters oil
the roads, which was smooth as a mirror,
and, like it, reflected them and outside
our tow feet and that of the French
equally inactive, and not quite so inact-
tive, and not quito so useful to US, we
reposiug from Kazatch to Constantine
as idle as though they were {" painted ="
upon ia painted -oesann-
If one of the few persons who,were in
the secret of the opening of the French
batteries had been on Cathcart's hill
on the morning of the 9Th he would have
beheld then. just ere half past 5 o'clock,
the whole of this scene marked out in
keen detail in the clear morning air
The men in our trenches can be seen
sitting down behind the traVerses, or
strolliBg about in tho rear of the para
pets. Small trains of animals and files
Of men are passing over the ground be-
tween the trenc es and the camp, and
the only smoke that catches the eye
arises from the kettles of the soldiery,
or from a rifle in the advanced works
| On the left, however, it can be seen
that the French trenches are crowded
with men, and that their batteries are
all named, though the men keep well
out of view, and the mantlets and screens
are vet down before the muzzles of some
of their guns. The men beneath the
parapets swarm like bees. A few gray
coated Russians are in view repairing
the works of the Flagstaff Battery, or
engaged in throwing up q new work,
which promises to be of considerable
strength, in front of the second line Of
their defences.
THE FLAME OF FIRE M I'll RON ORR
Suddenly along the earthen curtain
between Nos. 7 and 8 Bastions three
jets of flame spring up into the air, and
hurl up as many pillars of earth and
dust, which are warmed into rudy
hues by the horizontal rays of the sun.
The French have exploded three fou-
gases to blow in the counterscarp, and
to serve as a signal to their men. In
stantly, from the sea to the Dock-yard-
creek there seems to run a stream offre,
and Aeecy, curling, rich white smoke,
as though the earth had suddenly been
rent in the there's of an earthquake, and
was vomiting forth the material of her
volcanoes. The lines of the French
trenches were at once covere | as though
the very clouds of Heaven had settled
down upon them and were whirled about
in spiral jets, in fcstoons, in clustering
punches, in columns, and in sheets, ell
commingled, involved together by the
vehement flames beneath. The crash
of such a tremendous fire must have
been appalling; but the wind and the
peculiar condition of the atmosphere did
not permit the sound to produce any
great effect upon our camp 4; in the city,
for the same reason the noise must ave
been terrific and horrible. The iron
storm tore over the Russian lines, tos-
sing up, as if in sport, jets OF earth and
dust, rendIng asunder gabions, and
" squclching :" the parapets, or bound
ing over among the houses in their rear.
The terrible files of iron, about four
miles in front, rushed across the plain,
carrying death and ruin with it, 81 ept
with its heavy and irresistible wings
the Russian TANKS, and searched their
centre to the core.
AND THE STORM.
A volley 50 startling, simultaneous,
and tremendously powerful was proba-
bly, never yet uttered since the cannon
found its voice. The Russians seemed
for a while utterly paralysed. Their
batteries were not named with strength
enough to enable them to reply to such
In overlapping and crushing fire; but
the French leaped to their guns with
astounding energy, raPidity, aud
strength, kept on filling the very air
with the hurtling storm, and sent it in
unbroken fury against their enemies
More that 200 pieces of artillery of
large calibre, admirably served and
well directed, played necessarily on the
hostile lines. In a few moments a great
veil of smoke-''a war-cloud rolling dun"
spread from the guns on the south of
Sebastopol but the roar of the shot did
not cease, and the connonade now pealed
forth in great irregular bursts, now died
away into hoarse murmurs, again swell
ed up into tumult, or ratified from end
to end of the line like the file fire of in
fantry. Stone walls went down before
the guns at once, but the earthworks
waved to receive shot and she'll alike
However, so swift and incessant was the
passage os these missiles through the
embrasures and along the tops of the
parapets, that the enemy had to lie
close, and could scarcely show them
selves in the front line of dcfences-
For a few minutes, then, the French
had tall their own way, aud appeared
to be on the point of sweeping away the
place without resistance; but after they
had fired a few rounds from each of their
numerous guns, and began to turn our
allies fire. They made good practice,
but fred slowly and with precision, as if
they could not afford to throw away at
ounce of powder.
SHOT FLYING, BOUNDING, AND HAMMER