New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-06-23


in removing their wounded and in the flank march
to Balaclava the Russians had not been idle Prince
Mentschkoff had gathered his broken army in Sebas-
topol Even on the night Of the battle of the Alma,
| he had formed the m0mentOus resolve Of closing the
Sebastopol roadstead by sinking some of the ships
of the Black Sea feet On the DIST of September
council of Admirals and Captains was assembled IN
the town. Admiral KorniOf, who commanded tho
Russian fleet proposed TO put to sea at once ana at
tack the enemy Il think" said Kornlloii. that'
fortune favoring u.s. might disperse the eneInys
armada and thus deprive the Allied armies OF sup
plies and reGnforcements In the event of failure,
we shall be able to avoid dsgraceful capture for,
surprising that we DO not succeed in boarding tho
enemy's ships we can at adj events blow them up
when close alongside, together with our own" Inc
proposition was dsapproved by ALL except few, Tor
the plan of Mentschikof had been privately made
known to most of the council. Yet when the scheme
TO close the port was openly put forward many began
TO shed tears Kornilo refused his assent utterly,
went to Prince Mentschilloff, and declared his
intention of putting to sea- To this the Prince
peremptory objected and he reiterated the order no
had given Korniloff the evening before on bis ride
from the Ama-he order TO close the entrance OF the
roadstead by sinking some of the ships. kornllot
answered that he would do no such thing Prince
Mentschikoff replied, We'll, then, you NAV return
to your post at Ncoayeff and send for Admiral
Stanncovitch in order TO give him the necessary IN
structions' Then Korniloff said: stop moment.
1t is suicide what you are compelling me to; but
now-to leave Sebastopol surrounded by the enemy
is impossible. am ready TO obey you."
Five lne-ofbatte ships and two frgates were Sc
lected and made ready to be sunk:
cat O'Clock in the afternoon the ships OF the Hce In
GLIDING those which doomed, began 70 move into
md al
Early in the morning Of the next day Ghe 22d the top
gallant masts OF the condemned ships struck, and
their sails unbent. Deserving five ships aud two fgates
ranged the entrance OF the roadstead and either
not seeing that the sails unDent failing to observe
the change the way that leads inference the French
were led to imagine that the enemy was coming out To
give battle and accordingly there joyous cxpeca-
ton that day on board their feet All that day the con-
demned ships remained in their places across the mouth
OF the rOadsead."
ain the night the orders the scuttng OF the ships
were obeyed and dawn the mOrnlngof the 2d there
only be some bare masts in the places where
the sizopol the Varna and the slsria. had been lying
the day before aferward the Oury and the seiaf
troll went down and nc o'clock the passed over
the Flora but the Three Holy Fathers l5lgun ship
was still erect The water rushed in through the open
ings which had been made In her sides, near the water
line but despite the unnatural wounds, she dd not YET
sink Her seadfastness caused men TO think how faith
enemy In the minds of the Of the feet the sight
of the grand old ship thus cngng life added horror to
grief Among such of the officers as were free from
superstitions the PAIN 1t would seem, was akin TO that
which feel when they force themselves 10 rec the
blow given of the brute creation who old and
faithful servant condemned to have hrs days ended and
the commander of the steamfrgae the Thunderbcarer
was commanded 70 fire INFO her sides, IN oreras the
naval recounter Of the expresses tin order To
shorten her agony But this astlspectacle was more
narrowing than all that had gone before In the idea OF
the seamen and many perhaps Of the officers the sacred
name the ship and the notion that some holy emblem
or relic must still be remaining board her aroused
belief or surmise that what the heathenish Thunder
bearer was doing might be deed unspeakaby impiOus.
At quarter before one, the sacred man-ofwar reeed
For u mOment-sO pious men thOuglt-the waves fell
away recoing then closed, and bore the ship down"
An event so striking leads Mr. Kinglake into re-
Election on the fate which to fall upon the sea-
men by being transformed into soldiers The passage
is good instance of the keen common sense which
the historian brings to bear upon the pedanty OF the
military service:
In the capital of many State there SITS an industrious
clerk-a sovereign may be mnster-working hard
t the task of giving base uniformity TO bodies OF armed
men, and never RENTING his toll till at last he Is taught
by disaster that the mind and the soul he has abored so
hard to keep down amongst the main needs OF an
army in time OF war II he body OF troops having
distinctive accOuerment WHICH elpS 70 sustain S
individuality in the midst OF an army and connects ITSELF
In the minds of the men, pride they take 10 their
regiment he hastens OFF the mark which makes
the corps differ from Others and when there Is reg
ment which gOries in its ancient name connecting IL
vaguely with great traditions. and founding upon the
cherished syabes that consciousness OF power whchs
main condition of ascendaney IN war, then the army
clerk suffers such pain from the want OF that sequence
which he has long observed orderly series Of nu-
merals running like one" two" ana three" that
he takes from the regiment lis proud historic name and
orders that for the failure it snail be called by number
in the way that used with cOnyics But OF all tho
clerks who thus abored the business of making armies
by extngulshing men, had been more ruthless than
the one who toed Petersburg for. devoting him.
self TO the merely military distinguished from warlko
pursuits and being little short Of mailman IN MS love
OF things uniform. the Emperor Nicholas for years
had been lowering and lowering the Russian sodiery in
the scale OF humanity, with the intent OF bringing his
army TO base of mechanic perfectiOn and this policy
had been carried such baneul extremes that the most
ustrous OF Russas living generals has assigned It as
one OF the causes which exposed the Cars troops to de-
feat the fleets Of the empire the peryerse energy
OF Nicholas had failed To complete the mischief tended
to work; aud although less he tOrmented his sea
men with drill and marched them, and wheeled them, and
put them in barracks divided them into bodies the
size of battaons with a number belonging to each, he
could altogether extrpate from the sailors the true
sailors spirit. There strength in the nature oi
things which wthsood him; for happily-and this Is
main OF the glory attaching to the servicetho
everchangeful exgcnces which the winds and the
create be by the individual energies OF the very
men who encounter Them aud not by codes OF regu
laton from office. The sailor Of the Black
Sea fleet could feel that his calling ennobed him.
He could but know that II he 20 be Withdrawn
from his ship for Lnd-sery1ee, he would be in danger
OF falling to lower estate"
The sinking of the ships was only one part Of
Prince Mentschikoff's plan, but in itself was wise