The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-06-09
The War.

The most important features of the news
brought by the Asia appeared in our last num-
ber, as we received them by telegraph from
Halifax. We have some further details now by
mail. but little new in reference to the bonn
bardment of Sebastopol. After a continuous
fire Of thirteen days. during which thirty thou
sand balls and shells each day were projected
by the allies against the Russian batteries there
was as little prospect Of an assault US ever. TO
be sure the superiority of the fire of the allies
was established" according to the dispatches
of the allied generals: wherein the superiority
lies, however, it is hard to discover, seeing that
never before i'll the history Of war was so tre-
mendous fire directed on a fortress and Ger
tainly never was there smaller result from
bombardment of the same duration. and force.
The Maiakof tower, the most formidable of the
Russian positions, was the point against which
the strongest attack of the allies was directed
yet, says the correspondent of the Morning Post
" i cannot perceive that we have done any
damage to the Ma!akoH.' Such an attack as
this may continue for ever without the reduc-
tion of Sebastopol. The guns of the allies
cannot sustain fire like this very long. Each
gun, supposing that there were 800. which is
about what the allies can count, must have
fired, at least. one thousand shots up to the 22d
of April. This is about as much as any gun
can bear without rendering it worthless. AT
that date no effect had been produced upon
sebastopol and few days more firing must
have rendered the ordnance of the allies almost
useless. What those few days accomplished
we cannot tell until the arrival of another
steamer but that an elfectual breach was made,
or that the outworks of the Russians were dis
| abed is aItOupther imDrubable
The French seem to have gained a few
trifing advantages; but as long as the main
points Of the Russian defence are not silenced
the besiegers cannot be considered as having
gained any material advantage. One thing is
quite certain that no serious damage has beer
done to Sebastopol, though the French anG
English batteries have brought all their power
to bear upon it. Lord Raglan while boasting
that the fire Of his artillery has been mos
effective admits that the enemy have used tht
nights to repair the damages with great sue
cess which means exactly that the mischie
done by day is repaired by night, and that thi
wonderful bombardment so fur, is mere vast,
Of metal, powder, and ordnance. For instance
the flagstaff battery. Il very formidable one, wa:
reported as destroyed, when next day, to thu
surprise Of the allies, it opened fire again. 1'h
Relan tower, whose embrasures we're" kn0ckct
to pieces and its guns silenced by the fire O
Chapmans battery in the morning, at fiv
O'Clock the same evening was grinning witt
cannon again, and sending its round shot int
the British battery. This the Morning Pos
calls "another of the peculiar ways Of tn
enemy;" and the Times correspondent says:
at would seem as if orr fire was almost throw
away the enormous mounds of earth cast up at til
Redan, and before the round Tower and Wester
Batteries. The whole of the parapcts of the Reda
and Round Tower are iagsed and ritted with hole
several feet deep, where the shot have sunk I'll
sharp angles of the cmhrasures are knocked ava.
and the abbattis in front is considerably damage
here and there, but the real strength of the place
D ,tn;mpa;red and, as long the Russians can fir
new guns, fresh supplies of ammunition, and men
fight the batteries, not inch nearer to Il
to,rl than ire ,rere in last October"
J. Then the splendid army is gone for nothing
millions of treasure are expended for nothing
j, the stability Of the kingdom is imreriled az