The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-09-29
The Fall Of southern seb.stopol.

The Fall OF Southern sebastopol.
There was nothing talked of on the evening
Of Thursday and all day yesterday but the as
founding news of the fall of Southern Sebasto-
pol. If American armies had been engaged the
interest felt could hardly have been greater.
We had been SO sorely hOaxed by the Tartar,
now nearly year ago-the papers so often
reminded us in capitals, on the arrival of each
European mail, that Sebastopol was not taken
the Russians had won SO high a reputation
for steady endurance, and their General,
Todleben, for consummate skill-and the Allies
had shown SO lamentable deficiency of mill
tary talent, that it had come to be the settled
belief of the people of this country that Sebas-
topol would not fall, and that the Crmean
expedition would eliminate in failure and dis
grace. 1t was not so much, as the British
press imagines, that the wish was father to
the thought; but ever since the war broke out
a systematic course of misrepresentation has
been practiced by the journals in the interest
| of the Allies, disasters have been concealed,
successes have been exaggerated, even positive
misstatements of fact have been uttered, with
view, probably, to keep up the spirits of the
people of England and France but with the
more direct effect Of engendering in the mind
of foreigners a general distrust of everything
the Allies might say. Hence it was that the
British and French representations of the
fall of Scbastopol were disbelieved, and the
more sober and reliable announcements of
So deeply rooted in the popular mind is the
feeling to which we allude, that even at this
moment there are many persons who have not
overcome their incredulty, and who await the
arrival of the next mail in the confident ex-
| pectation that it will expose new tissue of
4 exaggerations Oh the part of the Allies.
The position of the hostile armies at the
time our last advices left--that is to say, on
the 18th September-is easily understood.
GortschakoG, having crossed the harbor, aud
strengthened the garrison in the Severnaia and
other northern forts, seemed to have fallen
back with his main body on the Belbek doubt
less in order to form junction with the corps
d'dymes under Liprandi, which is understood
10 occupy the heights between Mckenzie 8
farm and the Bakchisera road Che Allies
had occupied the line of defenceE, from the
4 ".
including the Redan anG the Malakof: other
wise, they had not moved from the ground
| they occupied on the Str September. They
were, as appears from their telegraphie mes
| sages, watching events afraid to enter the
Karabelnaia and somewhat doubtful how to
move. Without stopping to Dwell on the sir
| gular want of vigor indicated by this attitude
| of theirs, it may be safely assumed that
but two courses are open to the allied gen.
| erals, one OF which mus. be taken Immediately.
| They must either offer battle and compel Gort-
schakoif to meet them, on the ground between
| the head Of lnkermann Bay and the Beilek, or
| they must proceed slowly and cautiously to
invest the Star Fort. And as, without great
| timidity on the part Of the Russians, the Allies
can hardly invest the north side of that work
without dislodging the Russians whose right
rests on it, with their left on the Belbek, il
would appear that the necessity for q battle in
the field is common 10 both courses. We may
therefore look forward, with very tolerable
confidence, to hear by the next or the follow
ing mail of sharp engagement In which,
it may certainly be predicted, the Allies, /.
nearly equal in numbers TO their assaiants,
will lie the victors.
Our information is yet too scanty to com
ment upon details. But it appears that the
same i'll fortune which has attended the British
army throughout the war did not desert them
even in the hour of allied victory. The men
who allowed themselves TO be uselessly cut to
pieces at Alma, who were mastered. through
blunder, at Balaklava, who riskcd the safety
of the whole army through their negligence.
and only owed their own salvation to the a..
sstance Of the French under Bosquet, at Tnker-
mann, were consistent in misfortune at the
assault on Sebastopol and, while the gallant
Bosquet was raising the tri-color over the Ma
lakof, were flying in disorder from the Redan
Yet no man denies to the British soldier cour.
age unsurpassed, GOODNESS in presence of dan
ger, strength superior to the average of man.
The long list of British disasters only proves
once more that mere courage without skill
the ris consul e1os of the poet-must break
down of its own weight. Over and over again
the woeful inefflciency of the British officers
has been pointed out BY their own journals; it