Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-03-22
EBENsBURG, MARCH %, 1866.

iron guns into position, as grape fred from
brass pieces would destroy the bore from the
softness of the metal. The ships in the har
Dor, and the battery at the Round Tower, also
! threw shot and shell on the SLOPE. Il s3ss
This cannonade was the preface to another
! infantry attack, which again threatened our
right, and battery was ordered to that flank.
While was delivering the order, round shot
passed through my horse close to the saddle,
and rolled us over. He had shortly before
been struck by musket ball in the haunch,
which did not disable him i and had been
wounded by cannon-ball at the Alma. being
one OF the few horses that ever survived such
an event This was the poor fellows last
field; while ON the ground another cannon
shot passed through him. A sergeant of ar
tiIlery-a- very fine young fellow, named
M'Keown, ran to extricate me he had just
lifted me from under the horse, and was just
in the act of steadying myself on his shoulder,
when shot carried off his thigh, and he fell
back on me, uttering cries as if of amazement
at the suddenness of his misfortune. i laid
him gently down, resting on bush, and look
ed at the wonud the leg was smashed, and al
most severed. Calling two men to carry him
to the rear, then hastened to the right after
the battery.
Advancing in the thick bushes beyond the
spot where the battery had come into action,
I turned about and saw it retiring. 1t was
already some distance, and the movement was
explained by the appearance of a line of Rus
sian infantry suddenly extending along the
upper edge of the slope, between me and our
alignment, and at about forty yards distance.
On my left, lower down the slope. as | turned
towards our position, men of different regi-
ments. principally guardsmen. were retreat
ing from the two-gun battery. The Duke of
men to fire, and ran the gauntlet of the whole
Russian line, escaping with a bullet through
his sleeve.
Being lame from recent injury, I consid-
cred myself lost-the bullets cut the branches
and leaves on every side, and all attempts to
rally were met by the unanswerable reply that
their ammunition was spent. At that moment
the right of the position was absolutely with
out defence and the enemy by advancing res
olutey must have turned it. But from panic
or some other cause, they most fortunately re-
tired instead of advancing friendly dip in
the ground afforded shelter from their last
shots, and the men who had retreated rallied
and laid down under the low intrenchment
already spoken of, while their officers distrib-
-rsed flssiI 'aakets-af. a;lll=
iutTeHcuuitHt d uSdNy uTe VI aTslHeTy WAS
directed, which continued nearly an hour
An officer whom | met here, to whom was
lamepting the loss of MY horse, told me he
had placed his in a hollow close at hand where
he was quite seeurc-but going to visit him
presently afterwards, he found that shell
had penetrated this admirable retreat and
blown him to pieces. / saw magnificent
team of chestnut gun-horses prostrated here
by single destructive shell, and five of the
six did not rise again
Many of the men of the fourth division had
but just returned from the trenches when the
attack of the Russians commenced. They as
well as those who had been on duty during
the night, were at once marched to the scene
of action mile and half distant. Arriving
at the tents of the second division, they recei-
we'd contradictory orders, and the regiments
were separated Part of the Goth and 6Sth,
and two companies of the 10th, passing to the
right of the position, were ordered TO support
the remnant of the two gun battery These
! fresh troops at once charged the enemy, routed
them and pursued them to the verge of the
! heights, when, returning victorious, they found
the battery, as they repassed it, again occu-
| pied by Russians, fresh force of whom had
mounted the cliff from the valley. 1t was
while collecting his men to meet this new and
unexpected foe that Sir George Cathcart, who
had advanced with this part of his division,
was shot dead.
At this juncture the remainder of Bosquets
division, except his reserve, came up on the
right, and passing at once over the crest. threw
themselves into the combat and. fighting side
/ by side with our regiments, pressed the Rus
SLAMS back. A porte dyupeou (ensign bearing
the colors) of French battalion, displayed
gallantry in this advance, leaping on the bat
terry and wa ing the colors, amid a shower of
bullets, from which he escaped unhurt. Some
French cavalry were moved up at this time
but the ground was unfit for this arm, and
they were withdrawn. having lost some men
and horses. Shortly after the French regi-
ments came to support ours, we received other
efficient aid.
Seeing that our field artillery was unequally
matched with the Russian guns of position,
Lord Raglan had despatched an order to the
depot of the siege train, distant about half a
mile, for two iron 1S-pounders, the only Eng
lish guns of position landed from the ships
1 which were not already placed in the defen-
sive. works at Balaklava and elsewhere
These were at once brought up by Lieut-Col-
onel Gambler, the commander of the siege
train, who, as he assembled the hill, was wound
i ed by a grapeshot, which confused his ches
and obliged him to leave the field The guns
4 were then brought up and placed in position
among our field batteries by Lieut. Colone
Dickson who directed their fire with admira
bic GOODNESS and judgment, which he contin
ued to display till the close of the battle, un
der a cannonade which, at these two gun:
alone, killed or wounded seventeen men. In
short time, the Russian feld-pieces, many
n III, @~x~1ft Irnxx