Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-09-14
THAT OTHER FAMOUS SIEGE
In Which the Russians, Though Stupid
Were Indeed Stubborn.

| OJ lHPSt DltS. anu oi' Ahci I'll 80, 'HD'
three of them were captured. The
battle was described as truly a strife
of heroes" In contrast to the Port
Arthur siege the assailants at Sebas-
tcpol were frequently the Russians
Night attacks appeared to be their de-
llight. and though in all cases they
were repusad with loss. the sorties
! Y ere well planned and bravely carried
out
The beginning of the end of the
siege came on Juae I. when the
French captured the Mamelon tower
and the English carried what was
known as the Quarres. These events
we're marked by desperate fighting
and the loss of thousands OF men.
These conflicts We're followed on the
18th by assaults On the Malakoff and
! the Redan in which the French OBJ
! tanned possession of the former fort
| hut were unable 10 retain it, the Rus
slams losing 1000 men in its recapture.
Matters thus drifted along, with al
most daily combats. until September,
when the Russian commander. Gen.
! Prince Gortschakof. discovered that
his works were being mined. The
| Nuscoyites then put forth their ener-
eies in one desperate assault. The
battle of what is known as Tchernaya
was fought, and the Russians were
forced back to their Notifications.
On Sept 7 the final attack on Sc
bastopol was begun, with the eXplo-
sion by the French of three small
mines.
INSTANTLY from the sea to the dock
yard creek" wrote an eye witness OF
the scene. there seemed to run a
stream of fire and of fleecy. curling
rich. white smoke. as though the
earth had been suddenly rent in the
throes of all earthquake and was vonl-
iting forth the material of her volea
havoc on the works and in the city.
In its terrible course it swept the Rus
sian flanks and searched their center
to the core. This was followed by a
yoley that probably never before was
uttered since the cannon found its
voice. 1t paralyZed the Russians.
whose commander described it as the
fire of hell The stone walls were
Ike houses of cards before this temp
est. but the huge mounds Of earth
seemed quietly to enguf all the miss
lies that could be hurled against them. |
The bonDariment had a terrible ef-
feet on the Russians, who had only Il
few guns left to reply with, but they
kept up the fire with animation and |
undismayed courage. There was not !!
one instant in which the shells did |
not whistle through the air not mo-
ment in which the Sky was not seam
ed by their fiery curves or Illuminated |
with their explosion
During the night thc homhardment. I
aided by the ships Of the fleet. was !
continued, and at 4 council Of war the
great attack was planned for the next I
Gay, the French to assail Malakoff and /
the British the Redan. This program |
was carried out After SIX desperate |
attempts, MacMahon. who led the I
T'resch, captured the Malakoff, beat /
ing back three dense columns Of Rus
slams emerging from the center, left |
and right. The passages were choked /
with dead bodies, which seriously i'm
peded the retreat Of the Muscovites.
Column after column poured through
the embras}res. and scarcely had the
leading men of the invaders cleared
the ditch when the tr-color flOatel
over the bastion.
The English, however, found more
difficult proposition in capturing the
Redan. A storming party had got in
but were speedily moved down with
grape shot Other regiments adj
yanced, but they. too fell before 2
Panic seized unon part of the En%lsll
troops, who We're impressed with the
iaea that the Redan had been mined
aud would blow up. Besides, large ,
masses of Russians, supported by
srape from several field pieces, had
dashed in upon the broken confused ,
Parties of the British and crushed :
them as if beneath an avalanche. But ;
the Enelishmen were not to be denied.
and fought desperately to gain an ad-A
vantage. The Muscovites were soon
forced to retire by the preponderating ,
fire Of British batteries and riflemen.
and the great fort had been won.
In this final attack the French lost ,
l,GfG killed, including five generals
md $50 other officers, while the Eng
iSh lost $50 killed includinv twenty