The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-01-03
PRoaREss oF 1HE MlAR.

tween the Russian and Allied forces
presents a sad showing for the successo
the ALLIED Troops. The Washington
U,si0n, contrasts the state of the two
armies ssGp5is 5s n = ,a5saaiEaa
II The Russians is uniinpared in its
tsstrengsh, adding daily to the ranks thou
sands of fresh troops that pour into the
Gremia under the Inspirations of sue
cesses and victories, and comes up to
battiein the fanaticaf belief that the war
is holy and that God and victory are on
their side. f The allies are worn leut
with toll, fatigue. hardships of every
kind, and the weight of disaster, dis
couragement, and defeat !, hangs in
ehrushihg incubus on the soldier heart
Their valorsshas not az Ferted disaster,
nor have their fidelity, steadiness and
eonstancy yet won theslightest advantage
from their enemy. Their best generals
have fallen, thousands of the pride and
flower of veteran regiments have gone
headlong tog tho dust, and Sebastopoll
yet stands in unimpared. strength, and
its defiant cross yet floats onseyery. sbas-
/ tion and fort before that beleaguerod
city. rssz1f zssssszs. Eslssss g 49, ssss
We are convinced that seBastopof
viii not be taken but If she falls, she
falls with aslesss of life too shocking to
contemplate The seige that commenced
under every auspicious favor has failed l
Season, weather all things favored the
allies in its beginning. ssl a4Ig fss lsasfssl
! Sebastopol was then weak NOW it Is
strong ,reipforeementb by moret than ] co.
900 troops The allied navies are now
useless, as the storms of that coast have
set in. Every aspect Of the war has
changed. The besieger5 have become
the besieged. The allies, ,atwhose mis-
sion was. to take trenches and forts, are
entrenehiug themselves. The. weather
and season are now against them. s'7i'
Turkey hasbeen crushed by her wars
England has been drainedslby her vast
and remote colonies, and by immigraz
ton to this country, of all her surplus
population that heretofore filed the
ranks Of her armies and manned her
enormous Aavies bsSheyE 6st now 60 to
heagrieultaral9anks, to- the slahorarsli1ii
her mines, or, to, the operatives of her,
manufactures. Thai gcikS not d. a
drain from any of these sources drains
out the vitality and life Of old England,
and fills her armies with raw! and sad
material for the trade ofswar.e49 4Ba5i5a
France has been in lesser degree ex-
hausted of the means of war. Her pos
sessions in Africa have invited away
thousands and thousands of the classes
thatshaEe heretofore borne her eagles to
her battles andglories.4I Louis Nopoleons
is not yet firmly enough seated on. his
throne to spare the bayonets required
to take Sebastopol He is. well aware
of the smothered vengeance that his
bayonets hold in check cat home, and
knows too well his interests to lessen
the guns on which he has placed his
throne
How stands Russia None of these
caues have weakened her arm of power
The sinews of war are yet lgifdled about
that empire with the strength ofiron and
the might of steel. all thei powers.
of the world she is the strongest in war.
Her geographical limits are barriers
against invasion, and where they are weak
her fertresses and the hearts of seventy
millions of willing subjects make her ali
most ipvulnerable. In her, limits she
embraces every soil and climate, and is
less dependent on the world than any
other great power. Besides, her masses
of subjects are naturally Inartial in
spirit, ferlessly brave and by habit sub,
missive to discipline and toll. IL a
word she, is at present the great militia
ry power to Withstand the world should
it invade her dominions. yet powerlessl
for wars of invasion and aggression.
Such are the conclusions, drawn from
the best military calculations. They
are expressed without ony bras or par
tialities for or against the parties to the
war whose chances we are reckoning s.
close with repeating the belief
that the taking of aSebastopol by the
allies does not come within, the range
Of probability. We indulge the, hope /
that France and England will draw
wisdom from these reverses, and not
launch another unprepayed army in Gri-
mea, to experience the horrors thai fol
low tho. track of .Yengeful war, We
cannot doubt that the taking of Sebasto-
olwould cost the allies two hundred
thousand men. Have they a sufficient 1
stake or interest in this war to pursue
it at such a cost? It is not toFour taste
to draw the frightful pistures of havoc
and Iengance on fields where men cast
off the mercy of human nature; but |
should the series of strong works in and |
about Sebastopol ever, fall, all that We
can conceive of the horrible and sangui-
nary will be witnessed. We would not |
wish to be. the spectators.
The SIEGE OF SEBAsroPoL.-The
nlae,n ,,.ilf r,t 10 t1lao,,S : Il n..lres ls1