New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-28
ON THE REDAN.
THE OLD TRENCHES BEFORE SEbA'iO
POL REVISITED BY FIELD-MARShAh
VISCOUNT WOLSELEY.

lit up by the we-remembered glare anu "o',
brazen yellow OF Crimean autumn sun'
had last seen it in July. 1859. How changed was
the scene in many respects and yet how familiar
was every turn in every boyau OF our trenches
as they lay mapped up before me- What flood
OF memories filed my brain as | looked SOUTH
ward over the well-remembered Quarries ana
the other banks and mounds and hollows wnch
are now all that remains of what. some forty
wears ago were the batteries and approaches OF
our right attack
How vividy the remembrance Of events long
since forgotten revived as looked from the
Redan the small space between IL ana oui
advanced trenches. Had 1t not been FOR the
dread Of mourning the suspicious OF the local
Russian authorities | should certainly have
visited the spot by midnight. Such WISH would
have revived memories that refused to obey my
call in the garish light of day. ! tried IN my
minds eye to repeope trenches and the
Russian works | thought Of the many sorties
I had seen take pace there. and fancled couu
aImos; hear that curiou.y jackal-like cry. so
entirely unlike the British cheer, with which our
enemy would at times rush in among MS at
night spreading panic broadcast for the mo-
ment and then, in a few minutes-when our
mon had had time 10 pull themselves togetner-
RIM hack again rluch faster than they came
For the last three months Of the siege 1t may
he well said that We lived on terms OF the great
est intimacy with the Russians, although II can
not b. alleged that We were good nelghbors' ior
we were always ready to Kill one another' yet
| each had for the other hearty feeling OF good
/ will and respect. All through the day We Kept
/ I'D a miitia! fire at close quarters and at times
/ for hours together. il would seem as II all the
furies Of he'll were let loose To plough up the
/ ground around us until ii seemed to heave as
.I...r IA 1tIfsn
struck with the condition Of the ground within
! and around the Redan the first time examined
! I, There was no spot wnere the earth had not
| been churned and rechurncd by the bursting Of
| numb.ress mortar shells As | was examining
/ the old parapets OF the Redan a man who was
/ digging there showed mo. among other things
! he had found bronze gunshell fuse My hrs'
! glance At II showed me Her Majestys oroau
arrow stamped upon it. Men dig there Tor the
/ copper bronze and lead. 81 which such tons
! weight had boen expended by Us upon the spot
! The last tour Of trench duty did was on the
/ night Of August 3O-3l. just week before the
! place fell. ~ | walked along our advanced sap
under IN. Redan every little event " that night
came before me- As it was fairly typical ot our
nights generally AT that phase Of the siege |
shall enieavor to describe what took place My
orders were II push forward the sap as much as
/ ~ the night | was we'll satisfied. indeed rather
proud ~ the SUCCESS with which had oe"n abe
t. d. s.. had put up and fairy hNed niay
Cahipns which much aboV" an aNerds"
nights work At sucn clos" quarters NV work
ing party consisted II $50 men nat having
/ hicks he other half shoVe,s. In order 10 Work
g. near the enemy with anything Ike safety.
/ such q working party should have been pro,
. tected by strong covering noiN Wen puSh"n
/ forward 80 prevent any surprise from IN" enemy.
1 I'm, IN. relI oi. cer commanding In tho neighbor-
/ ing parallel would not civ" NOR" than dczeh
men. ard thos" h" posted So near inc WORKING
/ party that fully realized IN" insecurity OF our
! pnsi'l0n But was only very young captain
! and had t. make the best " II. Like many 81
our field officers. %" wanted 10 nav" quet
/ time during his tour II duty. and wished 70
/ avoid pushing forward strong covering party 10
any distance LIST 10 should bring on serious
! collision with the enemy.
There was extremely little earth where our
new gabons were erected. and the noise ~ our
| picks upon the rock and stones soon a'lra'len
! hostile attention The Russians lying down an
| moved rs an through ~" night 10y firing volleys
along the ground which inflicted serious Loss ana
| considerably retarded tn progress II our work
! Fortunately for us. there were :" many Rus
| slams I'm our front and ON our right hank that
| thu, could not opcr 4 grape-hrc upon us. lest
! they Kill their own men. Ther" was hg scr""h
F ar rinr-uit near US which ! was anxious We
/ eh,rld ak. and hold 10 cover the working party.
l hu, tn, field officer would not hear ~ II. though
I from behind II IN" enemy kept up very gan
| ing fire all nigh upon US Tn" objects 81 inc
! engineer In charge ~ IA" advanced parry NJ
seldom the sam. AZ those which IN" h"ld "ill''r
had in view. His object as ALREADY I'narhru'
/ ,,as = peaceful. easy tim" Of IL while in the
trenches while he engineer desired before al
other things - push th" sap nearer ana nearer
the Eedan. | had passed most IF the night IN
mpmrntarV expectation uf a -ufI". ana 'pii'e IL
aid AT las with = vengeance. TIL" men had b'en
working well in solemn silence. not W"ru
,,,s su1kru above a whisper and no smoking
va allowed Lest the ~ pip. should indicate our
whereabouts. We had made swallow Hth.n
- from about eighteen in,hes IN some places -
TWO and a half feet At Nhers behind our row
m. felt
worked the sooner they would hay" some iaiI
49, -, ~. .1,s, mr.. they were then exposed
>, Hut I'm the twinklinR ~ An eye All was
changed for with shrill scream inc NuSSldiiS
w.r. up,n us Those + TIE covering party VINO
were not killed rushed madly IN @ninns WE
/ uirk -ani-shoV-l men. whom unreaS. n'NG pam,
made her own in instant. a. tnrE ru,u,u
wildly FOR the parallel in rear had some UNI
,ultv IN luining them there" ana wheH ! uiu :"
,,as rot COMPLIMENTARY in what said 10 thenl'
for fcl, rha. an ihc good work we had dohr
during the night would now bee Destroyed. SUM
supuosc by my ouspokcn reproa'hes IN less nm
Xxx Z, ,,l<es me - tell this story. thcs" same
men who had only Just bolted from IN" enemy :
swarm"d over IN" paIdpr' 81 ''' I' i ,;ri,sh
ont any orders. ana with a t'"l H'"' ~ =. $50 ,
cb.cr charg.d In among IN" Russians !, was
nrw their turn to run away. ana 'heN "i' ="
at a very lively pace n .h,r, INV
aiIcI who're We had a considerable" MAGAZINE ,nt.
was very nearly blown up one nian III Va, ~ Inv
winter by a tan Albanian. During ssrur ~, ne
contrived To reach tn entrance To II ana n!'t MS
,ie,nl intn IT, For little whi- upon that ",'a,
Kan the enemy had possession ~ "A great oetl ~
that narAIcl but our soldiers. under the u'
~, - colonel Gordon. 81 the Royal Engineers
vhn knew its importance. hohi on nara L" l'e ~
sition where So much ~ our ammunition "''
STORED colonel Gordon was n well.kn"Wh hRuIe
. .vcrv man in the right attack. Whcre the
tventv-onc-gun battery had been n'ncn a'trr
| him Where There were many brave me" Nv
mn ~, >, all for his cool. unOStrntatlouS
nnr,gr Like his name1ak" and devoted FOL
lover General Charles Gordon then only suo-
ai,arn ne was a deeply religious man. very
~" -, -, ali times duty always in his
,hnmshts. lie cared nothing for himself. cared
nothing for praise OF applause ana gr'evea VIII
a sinrrrc and unaffected humility when honofS
~. rr,,,otihn were bestowed upon him; he never
" r,, mr. mnuld realize that he deserved any BY