ENGLISH OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS.
From the London Gazette Extraordinary of Sunday, October 8.
War Department, Oot. 8, 1854, Half-past eight o'clock a. m.
Major the Lord Burghersh arrived this morning, with a despatch from General the Lord Raglan, G.C.B., to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, of which the following is a copy "Head-quarters, Katscha River, Sept. 23, 1854. " My Lord Duke—I have the honour to inform your Grace, that the Allied troops attacked the position occupied by the Russian army, behind the Alma, on the 20th instant ; and' have great satisfaction in adding, that they suc- ceeded, in less than three hours, in driving the enemy from every part of the ground which they had held i,1 the morning, and in establishing themselves upon it.
"The English and French armies moved out of their first encampment in the Crimea on the 19th, and bivouacked for the night on the left bank of the Bulganac ; the former having previewily supported the advance of a part of the Earl of Cardigan's brigade of right cavalry, which had the effect of in- ducing the enemy to move tip a large body of dragoons and Cossacks, with artillery. "On this the first occasion of the English 'encountMing the Russian force, it was impossible for any troops to exhibit more steadiness than did this por- tion of her Majesty's cavalry. It fell hack upon its supports with the most perfect regularity under'the fire of the artillery, which' was quickly silenced by that of the batteries I caused Woe brought onto action. Our loss amounted to only four men wounded.
"The day's march had been most wearisome; and, under a burning sun, the absence of water, until we reached the insignificant but welcome stream of the Bulganac, made it to be severely felt. "Both armies moved towards the Alma the following morning ; and it was arranged that Marshal St. Arnaud should assail the enemy's left by crossing the river at its junction with the sea, and immediately above it, and that the remainder of the French divisions should move up the heights in their front, whilst the English army should attack the right and centre of the enemy's position. "In order that the gallantry exhibited by her Majesty's troops, and the difficulties they had to meet, may be fairly estimated, I deem it right, even at the risk of being considered tedious, to endeavour to make your Grace acquainted with the position the Russians bad taken up. It crossed the great road about two-and-a-half miles from the sea, and is very strong by nature. The bold and almost precipitous range of heights, of from 350 to 400 feet, that from the sea closely border the left bank of the river, here ceases, and formed their left, and turning thence round a great amphitheatre or wide valley terminates at a salient pinnacle where their right rested, and whence the descent to the plain was more gradual. The front was about two miles in extent. Across the mouth of this great opening is a lower ridge at different heights, varying from 60 to 150 feet, parallel to the river, and at distances from it of from 600 to 800 yards. The river itself is generally fordable for troops, but its banks are extremely rugged, and in most parts steep; the willows along it had been cut down, in order to prevent them from affording cover to the attacking party, and in fact everything bad been done to deprive an assailant of any species of shelter. In front of the position on. the right bank, at about 200 yards from the Alma, is the village of Bouliouk, and near it a timber bridge, which had been partly destroyed by the enemy. " The high pinnacle and ridge before alluded to was the key of the posi- tion, and consequently there the greatest preparations had been made for defence. Half-way down the height and across its front was a trench of the extent of some hundred yards, to afford cover against an advance up the even steep slope of the hill. On the right, and a little retired, was a power- ful covered battery, armed with heavy guns, which flanked the whole of the right of the position. Artillery at the same time was posted at the points that best commanded the passage of the river and its approaches generally. On the slopes of these hills (forming a sort of table land) were placed dense masses of the enemy's infantry ; whilst on the heights above was his great reserve ; the whole amounting, it is supposed, to between 45,000 and 50,000 men.
" The combined armies advanced on the same alignement, her Majesty's troops in contiguous double columns, with the front of two divisions covered by Light Infantry and a troop of Horse Artillery ; the Second Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans, forming the right, and touching the left of the Third Division of the French army, under his Imperial Highness Prince Napoleon, and the Light Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, the left; the first being supported by the Third Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England, and the last by the First Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge.
" The Fourth Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart, and the Cavalry, under Major-General the Earl of Lucau, were held in re- serve, to protect the left flank and rear against large bodies of the enemy's cavalry, which had been seen in those directions. " On approaching near to the fire of the guns, which soon became ex- tremely formidable, the two leadiug divisions deployed into line, and ad- vanced to attack the front ; and the supporting divisions followed the move- ment. Hardly had this taken place when the village of Bouliouk, immedi- ately opposite the centre, was fired by the enemy at all points, creating a continuous blaze for three hundred yards, obscuring their position, and ren- dering a passage through it. impracticable. Two regiments of Brigadier- General Adams's brigade, part of Sir De Lacy Evans's division, had, in con- sequence, to pass the river at a deep and difficult ford to the right, under a sharp fire ; whilst his first brigade, under Major-General Pennefather, and the remaining regiment of Brigadier-General Adams, crossed to the left of the conflagration, opposed by the enemy's artillery from the heights above, and pressed on towards the left of their position, with the utmost gallantry and steadiness.
" In the mean while, the Light Division, under Sir George Brown, effected the passage of the Alma in his immediate front. The banks of the rives it- self were from their rugged and broken nature most serious obstacles ; and the vineyards through which the troops had to pass, and the trees which the enemy had felled, created additional impediments, rendering every species of formation under a galling fire nearly an impossibility. Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown advanced against the enemy under great disadvantages.
" In this difficult operation he nevertheless persevered, and the First Bri- gade, under Major-General Codringtou, succeeded in carrying a redoubt, materially aided by the judicious and steady manner in which Brigadier- General Buller moved on the left flank, and by the advance of four compa- nies of the Rifle Brigade, under Major Norcott, who promises to be a distin- guished officer of light troops.
"The heavy fire of grape and musketry, however, to which the troops were exposed, and the losses consequently sustained by the Seventh, Twenty-third, and Thirty-third Regiments, obliged this brigade partially to relinquish its hold. "By this time, however, the Duke of Cambridge had succeeded in crossing the river, and had moved up in support ; and a brilliant advance of the bri- gade of Foot Guards, under Major-General Bentinck, drove the enemy back, and secured the final possession of the work. "The Highland Brigade, under Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, ad- vanced in admirable order and steadiness up the high ground to the left, and in cooperation with the Guards ; and Major-General Pennefather's bri- gade, which had been connected with the right of the Light Division, forced the enemy completely to abandon the position they had taken such ping to defend and secure.
"The Ninety-fifth Regiment, immediately on the right of the Royal Fusi- liers in the advance, suffered equally with that corps an immense loss. " The aid of the Royal Artillery in all these operations was most effectual. The exertions of the field-officers and the captains of troops and batteries to get the guns into action were unceasing, and the precision of their fire ma- terially contributed to the great results of the day. "Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England brought his division to the immediate support of the troops in advance, and Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart was actively engaged in watching the left flank.
" The nature of the ground did not admit of the employment of the Cavalry under the Earl of Lucan ; but they succeeded in taking some pri- soners at the close of the battle.
" In the detail of these operations, which I have gone into as far as the space of a despatch would allow, your Grace will perceive that the services in which the general and other officers of the army were engaged were of no ordinary character ; and I have great pleasure in submitting them for your Grace's most favourable consideration.
"The mode in which Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown conducted his division, under the most trying circumstances, demands the expression of my warmest approbation. The fire to which his division was subjected, and the difficulties he had to contend against, afford no small proof that his best energies were applied to the successful discharge of his duty. I must speak in corresponding terms of Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans ; who hirewise conducted his division to my perfect satisfaction, and exhibited equal coolness and judgment in carrying out a most difficult operation. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge brought his division into action in support of the Light Division with great ability, and bad for the first time an opportunity of showing the enemy his devotion to her Majesty and to the pro- fession of which he is so distinguished a member. My best thanks are due to Lieutenant-General Sir R. England, Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart, and Lieutenant-General the Earl of Lucan, for their cordial assistance wherever it could be afforded ; and I feel it my duty espe- cially to recommend to your Grace's notice the distinguished conduct. of Major-General Bentinek, Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, Major-General Pennefather, Major-General Codrington, Brigadier-General Adams, and Brigadier-General Buller. In the affair of the previous day, Major-General the Earl of Cardigan exhibited the utmost spirit and coolness, and kept his brigade under perfect command. The manner in which Brigadier-General Strangways directed the Artillery, and exerted himself to bring it forwards met my entire satisfaction. Lieutenant-General Sir John Burgoyne was constantly by my side, and rendered me, by his counsel and advice, th- most valuable assistance ; and the Commanding Royal Engineer, Brigadier, General Tylden, was always at hand to carry out any service I might direct him to undertake.
"I deeply regret to say that he has since fallen a victim to cholera; as has Major Wellesley, who was present in the affair of the previous day, not- withstanding that he was then suffering from serious illness. He had, du- ring the illness of Major-General Lord de Roe, acted for him in the most efficient manner. I cannot speak too highly of Brigadier-General Estcourt, Adjutant-General, or of Brigadier-General Airey, who, in the short time he has conducted the duties of the Quartermaster-General, has displayed the greatest ability, as well as aptitude for the office.
"I am much indebted to my military secretary, Lieutenant-Colonel Steele, Major Lord Burghersh, and the officers of my personal staff, for the zeal, intelligence, and gallantry they all, without exception, displayed. Lieutenant Derriman, RN., the Commander of the Caradoc, accompanied me during the whole of the operation, and rendered me an essential service, by a close observation of the enemy's movements, which his practised eye enabled him accurately to watch.
"I lament to say that Lieutenant-Colonel Lagondie, who was attached to my head-quarters by the Emperor of the French, fell into the enemy's hands on the 19th, on his return from Prince Napoleon's division, where he had obligingly gone at my request with a communication to his Imperial High- ness. This misfortune is deeply regretted both by myself and the officers of my personal staff. "The other officer placed with me under similar circumstances, Major Vico, afforded me all the assistance in his power, sparing no exertion to be of use.
" I cannot omit to make known to your Grace the cheerfulness with which the regimental officers of the army have submitted to most unusual privations. My anxiety to bring into the country every cavalry and infantry soldier who was available prevented me from embarking their baggage-animals ; and these officers have with them at this moment nothing but what they can carry ; and they, equally with the men, are without tents or covering of any kind. I have not heard a single murmur. All seem impressed with the necessity of the arrangement ; and they feel, I trust, satisfied that I shall bring up their bat horses at the earliest moment. " The conduct of the troops has been admirable. When it is considered that they have suffered severely from sickness during the last two months; that since they landed in the Crimea they have been exposed to the extremes of wet, cold, and heat ; that the daily toil to provide themselves with water has been excessive ; and that they have been pursued by cholera to the very battle-field,-1 do not go beyond the truth in declaring that they merit the highest commendation. In the ardour of attack they forgot all they:had endured, and displayed that high courage, that gallant spirit, for which the British soldier is ever distinguished, and under the heaviest fire they main- tained the same determination to conquer as they had exhibited before they went into action. I should be wanting in my duty, my Lord Duke, if I did not express to your Grace, in the most earnest manner, my deep feeling of gratitude to the officers and men of the Royal Navy for the invaluable assist- rune they afforded the army upon this as on every occasion where it could be brought to.bear upon our operations. They watched the progress of the day with the moat intense anxiety ; and as the beet way of evincing their partici- pation in our success, and their sympathy in the sufferings of the wounded, they never ceased, from the close of the battle till we left the ground this morning, to provide for the sick and wounded, and to carry them down to the beach; a labour in which some of the officers even volunteered to parti- cipate,-an act which I shall never cease to recollect with the warmest thankfulness. I mention no names, fearing I might omit some who ought to be spoken of ; but none who were associated with us spared any exertion they could apply to so sacred a duty. Sir Edmund Lyons, who had charge of the whole, was, as always, most prominent in rendering assistance and providing for emergencies.
"I enclose the return of killed and wounded. It is, I lament to say, very large ; but I hope, all circumstances considered, that it will be felt that no life was unnecessarily exposed, and that such an. advantage could not be achieved without a considerable sacrifice.
"I cannot venture to estimate the amount of the Russian loss. I believe it to have been great, and such is the report in the country.
" The number of prisoners who are not hurt is small ; but the wounded amount to 800 or 900. Two general officers, Major-Generals Karganoff and Shokanoff, fell into our hands. The former is very badly wounded.
"I will not attempt to describe the movements of the Freiich army ; that will be done by an abler hand ' • but it is due to them to say that their opera- tions were eminently successful, and that, under the guidance of their dis- tinguished commander, Marshal St. Arnaud, they manifested the utmost gallantry, the greatest ardour for the attack, and the high military qualities for which they are so famed. " This despatch will be delivered to your Grace by Major Lord Burghersh; who is capable of affording you the fullest information, and whom I beg to recommend to your especial notice. "I have, &e., RAGLAN. " P.S.-I enclose a sketch of the field of battle.
"His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, &c., &c."
Nominal Return of Casualties among Officers in action on the River Alma, Crimea, September 20, 1854.
General Staff-Lieut. T. Leslie, Royal Horse Guards, orderly officer to (the Com-
mander of the Forces, wounded severely. Capt. H. E. Weare, 50th Regiment, D. A. A. G. wounded severely. Freer Drvisios.
Bkrjr--Capt. H. W. Cuet, Coldstream Guards, Aide-de-camp to Major-General Bentmck, killed.
Grenadier Guards-Lieut.-Col. Hon. H. Percy, wounded slightly ; Limit. IL
Hamilton, wounded slightly ; Lieut. J. M. Burgoyne, wounded slightly.
Coldstream Guards-Lieut. C. Baring, wounded severely.
Scots Fusilier Guards-Lieut.-Col J. 11. Dalrymple, wounded slightly ;
LieuL-
Col. C. A. Berkeley, wounded severely ; Lieut.-Col. H. P. Hepburn, wounded severely ; Lieut.-Col. F. Haygarth, wounded severely ; Capt. Lord Chewton, wound- ed severely ; .CapL2. D. Amley, wounded .severely,; Capt. W. G. Rulwer, wounded severely ; Capt. D. F. Buckley, wounded severely ; CapL IL Gipps, wounded slightly ; Lieut. Lord ,Ennismore, wounded severely.; Limit. Hon. H. Annesley, wounded severely.
93dRegissent-Lieut. B. Abereromble,.kilied.
Szconn
Ottif-Lieut.-Gem Sir De Lacy Evans, severe contusion, right shoulder- Lint, Col. Hon. P. E. Herbert, 43d Regiment, Assistant Quartermaster-General, seven contusion back alma; Capt. Thompson, Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-General, on shoulder-blade ; Ensign St. Clair, 21st Regiment, Acting Interpreter, shot through right arm; CapL A. M. SPConald, 92d Regiment, Aide-de-camp, wounded severely.
30th Regiment-Lieut. F. Luxmore, killed; Capt. T. H. Pakenham, wounded severely ; Capt. G. Dickson, wounded severely; Capt. A. W. Conolly, wounded slightly; Lieut. and Adjutant M. Walker, wounded slightly.
55th Begiment-Brevet Major J. B. Rose, killed ; Capt. S. G. Scharr, killed; Major F. A. Whimper, wounded dangerously ; Brevet Major J. Coats, wounded severely; Lieut. G. E. Bisset, wounded severely ; Lieut. E. Armstrong, wounded severely ; Lieut. and Adjt. Warren, wounded slightly.
47th Regiment-Lieut. T. Wollocombe, wounded severely; Lieut. K. G. Philips, wounded severely ; Lieut. J. G. Maycock, wounded slightly.
95th Regiment-Lieut.-Col. W. Smith, wounded severely ; Capt. G. J. Dowdall, killed; CapL-J. G. Eddington, killed ; Lieut. E. W. Eddington, killed; Lieut. R. G. Polhill, killed; Lieut. and Adjt. L C. Kingsley, killed; Lieut. W. L. Braybrookee Ceylon Rides, attached to 95th Regiment, killed; Major H. Hume, slight contusion; Brevet Major A. T. Heyland, arm amputated; Capt. V. Wing, wounded; CapL J. W. Sargent, wounded slightly ; Lieut. A. Macdonald, slight contusion ; Lieut. R. Gerard, contusion in abdomen ; Ensign W. Braybrook, wounded; Ensign J. H. Brooke, wounded in two places ; Ensign B. C. Boothby, foot amputated; Ensign E. Bazalgette, wounded; Surgeon A. Gordon, slight contusion.
THIRD
4th Regiment.-Lieut.-Col. H. C. Cobbe, wounded slightly; Capt. G. L. Thompson, wounded slightly.
Tamar Division.
711i Regiment-Capt. the lion. W. Monek, killed; Capt. C. L. Hare, wounded se- verely; Capt. C. E. Watson, wounded severely ; CapL W. R. D. Fitzgerald, wounded severely ; Lieut. D. Persse, wounded severely ; Limit. F. E. Appleyard, wounded slightly; Lieut. P. G. Coney, wounded severely ; Lieut. the Hon. A. C. R. C,ofton, wounded slightly ; Lieut. G. W. W. Carpenter, wounded slightly; Lieut. H. M. Jones, wounded severely.
23d.Begiment-LieuL-Col. H. G. Chester, killed ; Capt. A. W. W. Wynn. killed; Capt. F. E. Evans, killed; Capt. J. C. Conolly, killed ; Lieut. F. P. Redcliffe, killed; Lieut. Sir W. Young, Bert. killed; Second Lieut. I3. Anstruther, killed; Second Lieut. J. H. Butler, killed ; Capt. W. P. Campbell, wounded severely; Capt. E. C. Hopton, wounded slightly ; Limit. H. Bathurst, wounded severely ; Lieut. F. Sayer, wounded slightly ; Lieut. and Acting Adjt. A. Applewhaite, wounded severely.
83d Begiment-Major T. B. Gough, wounded severely; Capt. H. C. Fitzgerald, wounded slightly ; Lieut. F. Du Pre Montagu, killed ; Lieut. A. B. Wallis, wounded severely ; Lieut. W. S. Worthington, lost one leg ; Ensig,n C. M. Siree, wounded severely; Ensign J. J. Greenwood, wounded slightly.
19th Regiment-Lieut. and Adjt. A. Cardew, killed ; Ensign G. D. Stockwell, killed ; Lieut.-CoL R.Snunders, wounded severely; MMor H. E. SPGee, wounded slightly ; Capt. R. Warden, wounded slightly ; Lieut. R. „Wardlaw, wounded severely; Lieut. L. D. Currie, wounded severely.
88th Regiment-Quartermaster T. Moore, wounded slightly.
2d Battalion Rifle Brigade-Capt. Earl of Errol, wounded in hand.
Artillery-Capt. A. Dew, killed; LieuL A. Walsham, killed; Lieut. R. H. Cockerell, killed.
Royal Bragineers-Lieut. H. Teesdale, wounded severely.
Total killed, 26 ; total wounded, 70; grand total, 102. (Signed) J. B. &THRALL Encomr, Adjutant-General.
Return of Casualties which oecurred in Action on the River Alma, Crimea, September 2D, 1854.
13th Light Dragoons-1 horse wounded. Artillery-3 officers, 9 rank and file, 26 horses, killed; 1 sergeant, 20 rank and file, wounded.
Royal Engineers-1 officer wounded. .
First Division.-'Grenadier Guards..-10 rank and file, killed ; 3 officers, 8 sergeants,
113 rank and file, wounded.
Coldstream Guards-I officer killed; 2 officers, 27 rank and file, wounded. Scots Fusiliers-8 sergeants, 17 rank and file, killed ; 11 officers, 13 sergeants, 1 drummer, 186 rank and file, wounded ; 1 rank and tile, missing. 42d Regiment-5 rank and file killed ; 2 sergeants, 30 rank and file, wounded. 79th Regiment-2 rank and file killed ; 7 rank and file wounded. 93d Regiment-1 officer, 7 rank and file, killed; 3 sergeants, 41 rank and 'file, wounded.
Total-2 officers. 3 sergeants, 41 rank and file, killed; 16 officers, 21 sergeants, 1
drummer, 354 rank and 'file, wounded ; 1 rank and file, missing.
Second Division.-30th Regiment -1 officer, 11 rank and file, killed; 4 officers, 2
sergeants, 1 drummer, 60 rank and file, wounded. 85th Regiment-2 officers, 1 sergeant, 10 rank and file, killed ; 6 officers, 4 sergeants, 92 rank and file, wounded.
95th Regiment-6 officers, 3 sergeants, 42 rank and file, killed ; 11 officers, 12 ser-
geants, 1 drummer, 115 rank and file, wounded ; 3 rank and file missing. 41st Regiment-4 rank: and file killed; 1 sergeant, 22 rank and file, wounded.
47th Regiment-1 sergeant, 8 rank and file, killed; 4 officers, 4 sergeants, 1 drum- mer, 56 rank and file, wounded.
49th Regiment-1 sergeant, 1 rank and file, killed ; 2 sergeants, 1 drummer, 10 rank
and tile, wounded.
Total-9 officers, 6 sergeants, 71 rank and file, killed ; 25 officers, 25 sergeants,
drummers, 355 rank and file, wounded ; 3 rank and file missing.
Third Division.-4th Regiment-2 officers, 8 rank and file, wounded; 2 rank and file
missing. 44th Regiment -1 rank and file killed ; 7 rank and file wounded.
Total-1 rank and file killed ; 2-officers, 15 rank and file, wounded ; 3 rank and file
missing.
Fourth Division.-21st Regiment-1 rank and file killed.
lit Battalion Rifle Brigade-1 rank and file wounded. Total-1 rank and file killed; 1 rank and file wounded.
.Light Division-7th Regiment -1 officer, 2 sergeants, 38 rank and file, killed; 11
officers, 16 sergeants, 1 drummer, 151 rank and file, wounded ; 2 rank and file missing. 23d Regiment S officers, 3 sergeants, 1 drummer, 39 rank and file, killed ; 5 officers, 2 sergeants, 4 drummers, 139 rank and file, wounded ; 2 drummers missing. 33d Regiment-1 officer, 3 sergeants, 52 rank andflle, killed; 6 officers, 16 -sergeants,
-2 drummers, 159 rank and file, wounded 19th Regiment-2 officers, I drummer, 38 rank and file, killed ; 5 officers, 4 ser- geants, 2 drummers, 168 rank and file, wounded.; 6 rank and file missing.
77th Regiment-3 rank and file killed ; 17 rank and file wounded. 88th Regiment-4 rank and file killed; 1 officer,2 sergeants, 14 rank and file,wonnded; 1 rank and file missing. 2d Battalion Rifle Brigade-2 sergeants, 2 rank and file, killed ; 1 officer,":1 sergeant, 3 drummers, 54 rank and file, wounded. Total-12 officers, 10 sergeants, 2 drummers, 183 rank Viand file, killed ; 29 officers, 48 sergeants, 12 drummers, 682 rank and file, wounded ; 9 rank and file, 2 drum- mers, missing.
Cavalry-1 horse wounded.
Artillery-3 officers, 9 rank and file, 26 horses, killed; 1 sergeant, 20 rank and file,
wounded.
Engineers-1 officer wounded.
1st Division-2 officers, 3 sergeants,41 rank and file, killed; 16 officers, 21 sergeants, 1 drummer, 354 rank and file, wounded ; 1 rank and file missing. 2s1 Di Vision - 2 officers, 6 sergeants, 71 rank and tile, killed ; 25 officers, 25 sergeants,
4 drummers, 355 rank and file, wounded ; 3 rank and file missing.
3d Division-1 rank and file killed; 2 officers, 15 rank and file, wounded; 8 rank
and file missing.
4th Division-1 rank and file killed ; 1 rank and tile-wounded. Light Division-12 officers, 10 sergeants, 2 drummers, 183 rank and file, killed; 29
officers, 46 sergeants, 12 drummers, 682 rank and file, wounded; 9 rank and file missing.
Grand Total-96 officers, 19 sergeants, 2 drummers, 306 rank and file, 26 horses, killed ; 73 officers, 95 sergeants, 17 drummers,1427 rank and file, 1 horse, wounded; 2 drummers, 16 rank and file, missing,
(Signed) J. B. BrcErrax.t, Errootrar, Adjutant-General.
From the London Gazette of Tuesday, October 10.
War Department, Oct. 10. His Grace the Duke of Newcastle has this day received two despatches, of which the following are copies, addressed to his Grace by General the Lord Raglan, G.C.B. "Balaclava, Sept. 28, 1854.
"My Lord Duke—In continuation of my despatch of the 23d instant, I beg leave to lay before your Grace the names of the officers whose names have been brought to my notice by the Generals of Divisions and the heads of departments.
Lieut.-Gen. Sir George Brown speaks in the highest terms of Lieut.-CoL Yea, of the Royal Fusiliers ; Lieut.-Col. Chester, of the 23d, who was un- fortunately killed, and of Capt. Bell, who succeeded to the command, and brought the regiment out of action, and Lieut.-Col. Blake, of the 33d; Lieut.-Col. Saunders, of the 19th, who was severely wounded; Lient.-Col. Egerton, of the 77th Regiment, and Lieut.-Col. Shirley, of the 88th ; also of Lieut.-Col. Lawrence, and Major Norcott, of the Rifle Brigade, each com- manding a wing of that corps; Lieut.-Col. Lake, commanding the Artillery, of Capt. Brandling, commanding a 9-pounder troop of Horse Artillery, and Capt. Anderson, commanding a field battery, and Capt. Gordon of the Royal Engineers ; likewise of Lient.-Col. Sullivan, and Lient.-Col. Airey, of the Adjutant and Quartermaster-General's Department, and Capt. Hallowell of the latter, and Capt. Whitmore and the other officers of hie personal Staff; and Capts. Glyn and Mackenzie, the Brigade Majors serving with the division.
"Lieut.-Gen. his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge recommends CoL the Hon. Francis Hood, of the Grenadier Guards, Col. the Hon. George Upton, of the Coldstream Guards, and Col. Sir Charles Hamilton, of the Scots Fusilier Guards ; Lieut.-Col. Cameron, of the 42d, Lieut.-Col. Douglas, of the 79th, and Lieut.-Col. Ainslie, of the 93d; Lieut.-Col. the Hon. Alexander Gordon, and Lieut.-Col. Cunynghame, the Assist.-Adjt. and Quartermaster-Gen., Capt. Butler and the Hon. Arthur Hardinge, the De- puty-Assist.-Adjt. and Quartermaster-Gen. of the division, and Major the Hon. James Macdonald, and the other officers of his personal Staff; also Lieut.-Col. Decree, commanding, and Capts. Paynter and Woodhouse of the Royal Artillery, and Capt. Chapman of the Royal Engineers, and Lieut.-Col. Stirling, and Capt. the Hon. Percy Fielding, the Brigade Major of the divi- sion.
"Lieut.-Gen. Sir De Lacy Evans eulogises the conduct of Lieut.-Col. the
Hon. Percy Herbert, of the Quartermaster-General's Department, who was wounded, I hope not severely ; Major Lysons, of the 23d, acting as Assistant Adjt.-Gen., in the absence from mokness of Lieut.-Col. Wilbraham ; Capt. Lane Fox and Capt Thompson, Deputy Assist.-Adjt. and Quartermaster- Gen. ; and Capt. Allis, and the other officers of his personal Staff. He also praises the exertions of Lieut.-Col. Hoey, of the 30th, Lieut.-Cob Warren, of the 55th, and Lieut.-CoL Webber Smith, of the 95th, who was severely wounded; Lieut.-Col. Carpenter, of the 41st, Lieut.-Col. Haley, of the 47th, and Major Dalton, of the 49th, Lieut.-Cele. Fitzmayer and Dupuis, and Capts. Turner and Swinton, of the Royal Artillery ; and to these I may add Capt. Lovell, of the Royal Engineers, 'Brevet Majors Thaokwell and Arm- strong, the Brigade Majors of the division.
" I consider it my duty especially to recommend Capt. Adye, of the Royal Artillery, the principal Staff officer of that branch of the service, and Capt. the Hon. Edward Gage, Brigade Major of Artillery, and Major Tylden, Brigade Major of the Royal Engineers, and Major the Hon. Edward Paken- ham, and Capt. Weave, who was wounded, of the Adjt.-Gens. and of Capts. Wetherell, Woodford, Sankey, and Hamilton, of the Quartermaster-Gene- ral's Department. " Mr. Commissary-Gen. Filder and Dr. Hall, the principal medical officer, were in the field the whole time, and merit my approbation for their exer- tions in discharging their onerous duties.
" I have, &e., (Signed) &turas. "His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, &c." "Balaclava, Sept. 28, 1854. "My Lord Duke—I have the greatest satisfaction in acquainting your Grace that the army under my command obtained possession of this im- portant place on the 26th instant, and thus established a new and secure have for our future operations. "The Allied armies quitted their position above the Alma on the morning of the 23d, and moved across the Katseha, where they halted for the night ; and on the following day passed the Belbeck.
"It then appeared that the enemy had established a work which com- manded the entrance of the river, and debarred its use for the disembarka- tion of troops, provisions, and material; and it became expedient to consider whether the line of attack upon the North side should not be abandoned, and another course of operation adopted.
"It having, after due deliberation, been determined by Marshal St. Ar- naud and myself, that we should relinquish our communication with the Katecha, and the hope of establishing it by the Belbeck, and endeavour by a flank march to the left to go round Sebastopol and seize Balaclava, the movement was commenced on the 25th, and completed on the following day by the capture of this place by her Majesty's troops, which led the advance. The march was attended with great difficulties. On leaving the high-road from the Belbeck to Sebastopol, the army had to traverse a dense wood, in which there was but one road that led in the direction it was necessary to take. That road was left in the first instance to the cavalry and artillery ; and the divisions were ordered to march by compass and make a way for themselves as well as they could : and, indeed, the Artillery, and the Light Division pursued the same course as long as it was found to be possible ; but as the wood became more impracticable, the batteries could not proceed otherwise than by getting into the road above mentioned.
" The head-quarters of the army, followed by several batteries of artillery, were the first to clear the forest, near what is called, in Major Jarvis's map, Mackenzie's Farm ; and at once found themselves on the flank and rear of a Bearden division, on the march to Basks-Serai. " This was attacked as soon as the cavalry, which had diverged a little into a bye and intricate path, could be brought up. A vast quantity of am- munition and much valuable baggage fell into our hands ; and the pursuit was discontinued after about a mile and a half, it being a great object to reach the Techernaya that evening. The Russians loot a few men, and some Prisoners were taken, amongst whom was a captain of artillery. " The march was then resumed by the descent of a steep and difficult de- file into the plains, through which runs the Tschernaya river ; and this the cavalry succeeded in reaching shortly before dark, followed in the course of the night by the Light, First, Second, and Third Divisions ; the Fourth Division having been left on the heights above the Belbeck till the follow- ing day, to maintain our communication with the Katacha. " This march, which took the enemy quite by surprise, was a very long and toilsome one, and, except at Mackenzie's Farm, where two wells yielding +realty supply were found, the troops were without water; but they sup- ported their fatigues and privations with the utmost cheerfulness, and re- sumed their march to this place on the morning of the 26th.
" As they approached Balaclava, nothing indicated that it was held in force ; but as resistance was offered to the advance of the Rifle Brigade, and grins were opened from an old castle as the head of the column showed it- self on the road leading into the town, I deemed it prudent to occupy the two flanking heights by the Light Division and a portion of Captain Brandling's troop of Horse Artillery on the left ; movements terminated by the sur- render of the place, which had been occupied by very inconsiderable num- bers of the enemy.
" Shortly after we had taken possession, we were greeted by Captain Mends, of the Agamemnon, and soon after by Sir Edmund Lyons himself. "His cooperation was secured to us by the activity and enterprise of Lieu- tenant Maxse, of her Majesty's ship Agamemnon, who reached my camp on the Techemaya, on the night of the 25th, with despatches, and who volun- teered immediately to retrace his steps through the forest, and to communi- cate to Sir Edmund the importance I attached to his presence at the mouth of the harbour of Balaclava the next morning ; which difficult service (from the intricacy of the country, infested by Cossacks) he accomplished so effec- tually, that the Admiral was enabled to appear off this harbour at the very moment that our troops showed themselves upon the heights. Nothing could be more opportune than his arrival, and yesterday the magnificent ship that bears his flag entered this beautiful harbour; and the Admiral, as has been his invariable practice, cooperated with the army in every way possible.
" We are busily engaged in disembarking our siege train and provisions, and we are most desirous of undertaking the attack of Sebastopol without the loss of a day. I moved up two divisions yesterday to its immediate neighbourhood, when I was enabled to have a good view of the place; and Lieutenant-General Sir John Burgoyne and General Bisot, the French chef de genie, are occupied in reconnoitering it closely today.
"The march of the French army on the 25th was still more fatiguing and prolonged than ours. Being behind our columns, they could not reach Ischernaya till the next day, and I fear must have suffered sadly from want of water.
"I regret to have to acquaint your Grace, that Marshal St. Arnaud has been compelled, by severe illness, to relinquish the command of the army. I saw him on the 25th, when he was suffering very much; and he felt it his duty to resign the next morning. I view his retirement with deep con- cern, having always found in him every disposition to act in concert with me. He has since become much worse, and is, I fear, in a very precarious state.
"Fortunately, he is succeeded by an officer of high reputation, General Canrobert; with whom I am satisfied I shall have great pleasure in acting, and who is equally desirous of maintaining the most friendly relations with Me,
" I have, &c. (signed) RAGLAN.
" Grace the Duke of Newcastle, &c."
_ FRENCH OFFICIAL DOCITICENTS.
[From the Moniteur.] Marshal St. Arnaud to the Emperor of the French.
"Field of Battle of Alma, September 21. "Sire—The cannon of your Majesty has spoken ; we have gained a com- plete victory. It is a glorious day, Sire, to add to the military annals of France, and your Majesty will have one name more to add to the victories which adorn the flags of the French army.
"The Russians had yesterday assembled all their forces, and collected all their means, in order to oppose the passage of the Alma. Prince Mensehi- koff commanded in person. All the heights were crowned with redoubts and formidable batteries. The Russian army reckoned 40,000 bayonets, from all points of the Crimea; in the morning there arrived from Theodosia 6000 cavalry and 180 pieces of heavy and field artillery. From the heights which they occupied the Russians could count our men man by man from the 19th to the moment when we arrived on the Bulganak. On the 20th, ;from six' o'clock in the morning, I carried into operation with the division of General Bosquet, reinforced by eight Turkish battalions, a movement which turned the left of the Russians and some of their batteries. General Bosquet ma- nceuvered with as much intelligence as bravery. This movement decided the success of the day. I had arranged that the English should extend their left, in order at the same time to threaten the right of the Russians while I should occupy them in the centre ; but their troops did not arrive in line until half-past ten. They bravely made up. for this delay. At half-past twelve the line of the Allied army, occupying an extent of more than a league, arrived on the Alma, and was received by a terrible fire from the tirailleurs.
"In this movement the head of the column of General Bosquet appeared on the heights, and I gave the signal for a general attack. The Alma was crossed at double-quick time. Prince Napoleon, at the head of his division, took possession of the large village of Alma, under the fire of the Russian batteries. The Prince showed himself worthy of the great name he bears. We then arrived at the foot of the heights, under the fire of the Russian batteries. There, Sire, commenced a real battle along all the line—a battle with its episodes of brilliant feats of valour. Your Majesty may be proud of your soldiers ; they have not degenerated ; they are the soldiers of Aus- terlitz and of Jena. At half-past four the French army was everywhere victorious. All the positions had been carried at the point of the bayonet, to the cry of Vice l'Empereur ! ' which resounded throughout the day. Never was such enthusiasm wen ' • even the wounded rose from the ground to join in it. On our left, the English met with large masses of the enemy, and with great difficulties; but everything was surmounted. The English attacked the Russian positions in admirable order under the fire of their cannon, carried them, and drove off the Russians. The bravery of Lord Raglan rivals that of antiquity. In the midst of cannon and musket shot he displayed a calmness which never left him. The French lines formed on the heights and the artillery opened its fire. Then it was no longer a retreat, but a rout ; the Russians threw away their muskets and knapsacks in order to run the faster. If, Sire, I had had ca- valry I should have obtained immense results, and Menschikofl' would no longer have had an army : but it was late, our troops were harassed, and the ammunition of the artillery was exhausted. At six o'clock in the evening we encamped on the very bivouac of the Russians. My tent is on the very spot where that of Prince Menschikoff stood in the morning, and who thought himself so sure of beating us that he left his carriage there. I have taken possession of it, with his pocket-book and correspondence, and shall take advantage of the valuable information it contains. The Russian army will probably be able to rally two leagues from this, and I shall find it to- morrow on the Katacha, but beaten and demoralized ; while the Allied army is full of ardour and enthusiasm. I have been compelled to remain here in order to send our wounded and those of the Russians to Constantinople, and to procure ammunition and provisions from the fleet. The English have had 1500 men put hors de combat. The Duke of Cambridge is well; his division and that of Sir George Brown were superb. I have to regret about 1200 men hors de combat-3 officers killed, 54 wounded, 253 sub-officers and soldiers killed, and 1033 wounded. General Canrobert, to whom is due in part the honour of the day, was slightly wounded by the splinter of a shell which struck him in the breast and hand ; but he is doing very well- General Thomas, of the division of the Prince, is seriously wounded by a ball, in the abdomen. The Russians have lost about 5000 men. The field of battle is covered with their dead, and our field-hospitals are full of their wounded. We have counted a proportion of seven Russian dead bodies for one French. The Russian artillery caused us loss, but ours is very superior to theirs. I shall all my life regret not having had with me my two regi- ments of African Chasseurs. The Zouaves were the admiration of both armies ; they are the first soldiers in the world. " Accept, Sire, the homage of my profound respect and of my entire devotedness. Marismu. A. DE ST. AENAVD." Order of the Day of Marshal St. Arnaud. "Soldiers—France and the Emperor will be satisfied with you. At Alma
you have proved to the Russians that you are the worthy descendants of the conquerors of Eylau and of the Moskowa. You have rivalled in courage your allies the English, and your bayonets have carried formidable and well- defended positions. Soldiers, you will again meet the Russians on your road, and you will conquer them as you have done today, to the cry of ' Vive l'Empereur ! ' and you will only stop at Sebastopol; it is there you will en- joy the repose which you will have well deserved. "Field of Battle of Alma, Sept. 20."
Marshal St. Arnaud to the Minister of War.
" Head-quarters at Alma, Field of Battle of the Alma, Sept. 22, 1854. " Monsieur le Ministre—My official account gives your Excellency the de-
tails of the brilliant affair of the 20th ; but I cannot allow the courier to de- part without saying a few words of our brave soldiers. The men of Fried- land and of Austerlitz are still under our colours, Monsieur le Ministre ; the battle of the Alma has proved it is the same dash and the same brilliant bravery. A commander may do anything with such men, when once he has inspired them with confidence. The Allied armies carried positions which were really formidable. In going over them yesterday, I perceived clearly how favour- able they were for resistance; and, in truth, if the French and the English had occupied them, the Russians would never have been able to seize on them. At present, when everything is calm, and when the intelligence which reaches us through deserters and prisoners is more precise, we can judge of the injury done to the enemy. The loss of the Russians is considerable ; the deserters declare it to be upwards of 6000 men. Their army is demora- lized. On the evening of the 20th it had divided into two ; Prince Men- schikoff with the left wing marching on Bakchi Sarai, and the right wing on Belbek. But they were without provisions, and their wounded embarrassed them ; the road, in fact, is covered with them. It is a splendid success, Monsieur le Ministre, which does honour to our arms, adds a noble page to our military history, and imparts to the army a feeling of superiority which makes it worth 20,000 men additional. The Russians left on the field of battle 10,000 knapsacks and upwards of 5000 muskets. It was a bona fide rout. Prince Menschikoff and his Generals were boasting enough on the morning of the 20th in their camp, which I now occupy. I think they must at present hang their ears a little. The Russian General had applied at Alma for provisions to last for three weeks. I fancy that he must have stopped the convoy on its way. In three days I shall be under Sebastopol; and I shall then be able to inform your Excellency what it really is. The confidence and spirit of the army are admirable. The vessels which were to go to Varna for reinforcements of every description have been gone since the 18th. The men so sent for will reach me at Belbek before the end of the month.
"My health is still the same ; it holds up in the midst of suffering,
crises, and the performance of my duty. All that does not prevent me from remaining on horseback twelve hours on battle-days: but will not my strength at last give way ? Adieu, Monsieur le Ministre. I will write to your Excellency when I shall be under the walls of Sebastopol.
"Receive, Monsieur le ILinistre, the assurance of my respectful and
devoted sentiments, A. DE ST. ARNAUD, Marshal of France, "Commander-in-chief of the Army in the East."
The illness of Marshal St. Arnaud, mentioned with regretful foreboding by Lord Raglan in his last despatch, proved fatal; the Marshal died on board the Bertholet, at sea, on the 29th. He had long been in broken health ; indeed he was afflicted with a mortal disease before he left France, last spring. At sea, before landing in the Crimea, on the 12th September, he wrote to the Minister of War, reporting how serious his illness had become ; and, expressing a hope that he should be able to lead the army to Sebastopol, he begged that the Emperor would appoint his successor. In the battle on the 20th he kept the saddle for twelve hours. The Journal des Debate states, that when he was remonstrated with as to his great fatigue on horseback, he replied, " lJn marechal de France doit savoir mourir d cheval." And all but die on horseback he did. On the day of the battle, says the Constitutionnel, be never left his saddle, although in great suffering. At length, when the pain became so acute that without assistance he must have fallen off, he had two cavalry soldiers to hold him up. Two days after this, notwithstanding the suffer- ings that he endured, he was still engaged in the duties of his post, giving orders, receiving reports, and dictating despatches. But on the 26th he found that he could hold out no longer. From the bivouac at Tchernaya he again wrote to the Minister at War, to the effect that a choleraic attack had reduced him to such a state of weakness that he could command no longer ; that he had surrendered his authority to General Canrobert, "whom his Majesty's special orders" designed for his successor ; and that he had taken a farewell of the troops, in the following order of the day.
" Head-Quarters, at the Bivouac of Menkendie, Sept. 26, 1854.
"Soldiers—Providence refuses to your chief the satisfaction of continuing in the glorious course now opening to you. Conquered by a heavy malady, against which he has vainly struggled, he beholds with profound grief (but will know how to fulfil) the imperious duty imposed on him by circumstances —the duty of resigning a command which his health, irrecoverably destroyed, no longer permits him to support the weight of. "Soldiers, you will grieve for me ; for the misfortune that befalls me is immense, irreparable, and perhaps unexampled. "I resign the command to Lieutenant-General Canrobert, whom, in pro- vident anxiety for this army and for the great interests it represents, the Emperor has invested with the necessary powers by a sealed letter I have now before me. It is a relief to my anguish, that I have to place in such worthy hands the flag that France confided to me.
"You will surround with your respect, with your confidence, this general officer ; on whom a brilliant military career and the splendour of services performed have conferred the most honourable fame throughout the country and army. He will follow up the victory of the Alma, and will win that happiness I had dreamed of for myself, and which I envy him—the happi- ness of conducting you to Sebastopol
"M.A.E.SILLL DE SAINT ARNAUD."
The lesser incidents of the battle of the Alma arci numerously reported in all kinds of documents ; but chiefly in private letters from the battle- field, the bivouac, and the line of march.
Before rushing to the attack, the First Diviaion lay down in one of the Russian trenches to load and close up. While here, the Honourable Major Macdonald, Aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cambridge, scrambled out of the trench on horseback to reconnoitre the enemy's position. The instant he showed himself a shower of balls and musket-bullets was directed against him. One of the former struck his charger full in the chest, and hurled both horse and rider to the ground. Fortunately, Major Macdonald was only slightly hurt by the fall, and some officers who saw the occurrence rushed to his assistance and extricated him from his mangled steed. With great coolness, the Major mounted a horse which was offered him, and coda back to the trench unscathed, though the bullets were whistling around him iu all directions.
Prince Napoleon, it appears, had a narrow escape. While the sharp- shooters of his division were endeavouring to dislodge the Russian infantry, a cannon-ball was seen bounding along, and was about to fall exactly on the group among which the Prince was standing. General Thomas, who had seen it fall and perceived its direction, cried out, " Take care, Monseigneur The Prince gave his horse the spur, and succeeded in turning him aside in time to allow the ball to pass : it broke the leg of Military Sub-In- tendent Leblanc, who was standing close behind the spot from which the Prince had removed.
The colours of the Scots Fusilier Guards had twenty-six bullets through them. The staff of the colours was broken ; but Mr. Lindsay held fast, and escaped without a wound.
Sir George Brown, seeing the men falling fast around him, called out, " Deploy into line, and charge with the bayonet, and I will lead you my- self !" Gallantly spoken, and more gallantly done by a man of sixty-six. When Lord Raglan and his Staff and the Duke of Cambridge rode round
to the top of the hill, the troops cheered them with a thrilling effect—a shout of victory, which never can be forgotten. The enemy, who were fly- ing in the distance, might almost have heard its echoes as it rolled among the hills.
The following act of courageous daring on both sides is related by a French correspondent—" An Englishman had just planted a camp-flag under the fire of the enemy, in order to mark out the position to be taken by a division which was advancing. A Russian left his rank ,s ran up to the Englishman, killed him, and took the flag. Another English non-com- missioned officer, observing the movement of the Russian, ran in pursuit of him, and shot him with his revolver, recovered the flag, and ran as fast as he could back to his ranks ; on reaching which, he dropped down dead, i having received no fewer than seven balls in his body before he fell."
The Highlanders, says an eye-witness, behaved with distinguished cou- rage. They never fired a shot untilclose upon the Russian regiments, when they gave them a volley and charged. The enemy fell back ; but at a little distance rallied, and lowering their bayonets, advanced a few feet, as if to charge. With a cheer of joy, the Scots accepted the challenge, and charged at them ; but the mere aspect of the Highlanders was enough, and, throw- ing off their packs, the Russians fled. The appearance of the Highlanders, it is said, was so imposing that they were taken for cavalry, and a large. square was formed to resist them !
The Light Division led the English attack. In their advance the troops. had to pass through some vineyards ; and "here," says one writer, "the men gave one of those surprising examples of coolness and contempt of dan- ger which forms one of our national characteristics. In the midst of the most tremendous fire which an army has ever encountered, with comrades falling around them, the men commenced seeking for and plucking the half- ripe grapes, which were hanging temptingly on the hewn vines."
Amongst those who distinguished thtmselves in the battle, was Mr. Charles Lane Fox, nephew of the Duke of Leeds. He retired some months ago from the Grenadier Guards, in which he held a commission ' • but followed them to- the East, and became aide-de-camp to Brigadier Beatson, who undertook to train the Bashi-bozouks. Upon their disbandment, however, he landed, with the brigade of Guards in the Crimea, and appeared upon the battle-field in a shooting-jacket : catching the first stray horse in his path, he was in- defatigable in getting up ammunition, and was complimented for his conduct by the Duke of Cambridge on the field. At the close of the action he was shot through the ankle ; and in that state bore Captain Charles Baring, of the Coldstream Guards, who had lost his arm, off the field. Mr. Fox is now lying at Constantinople, anxiously hoping his wound will permit his appear- ance in good time at Sebastopol.
Among the wounded on our side was Viscount Chewton, of the Scots Fusilier Guards. He was shot in the leg, and fell. When down, the Russians fired upon him and beat him on the head with their muskets ; and nothing could have prevented his brains being beaten out but the thickness of the cap he wore. The Honourable Captain Monck, of the Seventh, was pierced by a ball, which he felt was his death-wound ; but, with expiring energy, he drove his sword through the heart of the first advancing foeman, while a blow from his strong arm levelled another with the ground. A corporal of the Twenty-third found himself alone in the enemy's battery, and actually bayonetted three men before assistance came to him. He was at once promoted to be sergeant.
In the list of killed is the name of Lieutenant W. L. Braybrooke, a Yana- tear, serving with the Ninety-fifth Regiment. This gallant and promising young officer was a Lieutenant and Adjutant in the Ceylon Rifles; and, be- ing on leave of absence from his regiment, his professional ardour prompted him to seek the opportunity for seeing active service offered by the expedi- tion to the Crimea. He had obtained leave from Lord Raglan to serve with the Ninety-fifth Regiment, and it was in charging with this regiment that he met a glorious death. He was the son of Colonel Braybrooke, the Colonel of the Ceylon Rifles.
The Captain Thompson mentioned with praise in Lord Raglan's despatch from the Crimea is a son of General Perronet Thompson, the veteran poli- tician.
The name of the Zouaves stands out prominently in all the letters. The scene of their achievements was on the Russian left.
On a commanding mount, a strong octangular tower, constructed of white stone, was in course of erection. Blocks of hewn stone covered the ground ; but no cannon were mounted there. Against this unfinished tower the Zouaves were directed. "From my top," says a naval eye-witness, "I could see the whole engaged line, from the French to the extreme left of the British : it was indeed a glorious sight ! As the Chasseurs advanced they found ambuscades in each ravine, and the firing hot and strong. One after the other was cleared, and many a poor fellow was stretched on the grass by the time the top was gained. A body of retiring Russians retreated into the redoubt ; from the walls of which, under shelter, they dealt great destruction to the poor Zouaves. Twice was the redoubt surrounded, and twice the clustering Zouaves were driven from it. Then an overwhelming mass en- veloped it ; a brave fellow is seen, assisted by his comrades, to scramble up the wall ; he gains the top ; a tricolor is thrown to him immediately, and the next moment is planted on the wall; and he who threw the colour and
be who planted it fall dead. Thil °United at half-put two o'clock." After the battle Zouaves were seen cutting their names upon the soft stone. At the commencement of the action many ladies were on the heights. Prince Menschikoff had given them to understand that, on the part of the Russians, it would be a mere review—that the Allies would not be able to inset his heavy artillery, and would retreat. A scaffolding had been erected for their accommodation : but they appear to have retreated in great haste when the enemy got too close ; for we are told that next day the French had great sport after the battle with some women's clothes which they found near the redoubt where they lost so many men.
A Russian General was captured after the battle under rather singular circumstances. He had heard the firing, and, perfectly confident that the action must have resulted in our repulse, came with a single attendant to the heights, to congratulate, as he believed, Prince Menschikoff upon his victory. To his intense surprise, he was made prisoner, and brought in by Sergeant Trotter of the Coldstream Guards, who was on duty at one of the outposts. Another General was captured in the redoubt. He was stretched on the ground beside his fallen horse, apparently dead. An artilleryman, who had taken a violent fancy to his coat, was about to divest the supposed corpse of it, when the body began to move, and nearly frightened the man off. It was soon discovered that no harm had come to the General; and on his coat being opened, two stars announced his rank. The General's object was evidently to lie quiet until night, and then make off. It is confidently reported that Menschikoff was suffering severely from ill- ness during the battle ; so much so that he had to be supported. There are also reports of his having been wounded—one account says in the feet ; an- other, in the hands. During the retreat, he was in a square formed by a brigade posted on the road from Kalantai : the English and French cavalry broke the square, and he did not escape without difficulty, owing his safety to the swiftness of his horse.
The details of the spectacle presented by the field after the battle are told by some of the correspondents.
A naval medical officer, writing at sea on the 25th, says—"For the past two days I have been literally in a sea of blood, as I have been employed attending on the wounded Russians on the battle-field of Alma. No de- scription I could give would realize the horrors of war,—the dead, the dying, horses, guns, carriages, pele-mele, headless trunks, bodies minus arms or legs, mutilation of every sort and kind,—my blood almost freezes at the recollection. Every available but was improvised into an operating theatre, and under every disadvantage we performed the most formidable surgical operations. You may judge how expeditiously we had to get through things when I mention that I extracted twenty-three balls in less than three hours. Dressings were out of the question. Our surgical bivouacs were readily known by the number of legs and arms strewn around the scene of our la- bours. Indeed, I cannot liken the field of battle for the two days after the fight to anything better than an abattoir. My assistant for compressing arteries was the first passer-by ; and when his nerve failed him I had to wait until some one else came up. I will not say much for the result of my am- putations ; as, directly one was concluded, I laid him on a bed of hay or straw, and left him to the vie medicatrix Natures. In the redoubts the Russian dead lay literally heaped on each other. Nearly all the balls I extracted were Minis ones."
"The attitudes of some of the dead," says another writer, were awful. "One man might be seen resting on one knee, with the arms extended in the form of taking aim, the brow compressed, the lips clinched,-the very expression of firing at an enemy stamped on the face and fixed there by death : a ball had struck this man in the neck. Another was lying on his back with the same expression, and his arms raised in a similar attitude ; the Minis musket still grasped in his hands undischarged. Another lay in a perfect arch, his head resting on one part of the ground and his feet on the other, but the back raised high above it. Many men without legs or arms were trying to crawl down to the water-side. Some of the dead lay with a calm placid smile on the face, as though they were in some delicious dream. Of the Russians one thing was remarkable. The prisoners are generally coarse, sullen, and unintelligent-looking men : death had en- nobled those who fell, for the expression of their faces was altogether dif- ferent. The wounded might have envied those who seemed to have passed away so peacefully. The surgeons remarked that their tenacity of life was very remarkable. Many of them lived with wounds calculated to destroy two or three ordinary men." "An old General, who sat smiling and bowing on a bank with his leg broken by a round shot, seemed principally concerned for the loss of his gold snuff- box. This, I believe, has since been restored to him." "One officer lay dead, with a little dog sitting between his legs ; a posi- tion from which no persuasion could move him. He had been mortally wounded, and had given his gold watch to a soldier who kindly gave him a draught of water. Another, quite a boy, lay with his hands clasped in the attitude of prayer."
Our men behaved with great humanity to-the Russian wounded, furnish- ing them with water from their own canteens, This conduct, it is said, met with the basest ingratitude. One man deliberately fired at and wounded an artilleryman, who had just given him some water to quench his burning i thirst. An indignant Guardsman instantly clubbed the scoundrel. An eye- witness mentions an instance of a Russian officer who was being assisted by two Marines from the field, where he had lain for two days severely wounded: he solicited some water to drink; and after he had been lifted down and had drunk enough, as one of the Marines was in the act of turning round to pick him up again, the ungrateful villain shot him dead. His comrade amply resented the cowardly act; for, seizing a small spar that the cot was strung to, he beat out the Russian's brains.
FRANCE.—The Bertholet, bearing the body of Marshal St. Arnaud, arrived at Marseilles, from Constantinople, on Wednesday ; Madame St. Arnaud accompanying the body of her husband. Three sets of salutes were fired. The Marshal's remains will be deposited in the Invalides.
Marshal St. Arnaud was born at Paris, in 1801. In 1816 he entered the Garde du Corps of the restored Bourbons. He afterwards quitted the army, for some cause not clearly made out, but reflecting on his cha- racter; and he did not join it again until 1831. In consequence of the share he took in the pacification of La Vendee, General Bugeaud made him one of his orderly officers ; and after acting as one of the guards of the Duchess of Berry at Blaye, he was sent to Algiers. From the rank of Captain in 1836, he passed through a series of promotions for services in African warfare ; being decorated with the Legion of Honour for be- haviour at the siege of Constantine ; winning the rank of Commandant in 1840, that of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1842, and Colonel of the Thirty- second Regiment in 1844. Peaceful times returning, Colonel St. Arnaud pined repute as a colonizer; and in 1847 he became a Major-General. His last military achievement in Algeria was a successful campaign against the Kabyles, in 1850. In 1851, President Louis Napoleon ap- pointed him to the command of the Second Division of the Army of Paris, and shortly afterwards Minister of War. He undertook and exe- cuted the coup d'etat of 2d December ; and in 1852 he was made Mar- shal of France, Senator, and Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. He remained Minister of War until he quitted that post to command the Army of the East.
General Canrobert, who succeeds the Marshal, is forty-four years of age. He is held in repute as a man of judgment, bravery, and probity. He entered the army as a private soldier, but ie of a good family in Brittany, where he has a small estate of about 6000 franca a year. With this small patrimony, Canrobert, when receiving only the pay of a commandant, lived honourably, never incurring debts, and from time to time opening his purse to relieve comrades in distress. He weis Iteper known to engage in speculations of any kind.
GERMANY.—The Austrian Government has replied to the Prussian note of the 21st September, under date the 30th. Count Buol states, that Austria will consider her interests gravely prejudiced " as long as Rust sin does not give guarantees [alluding to the tour points] for the resto- ration of a sure and lasting peace "; that Austria never assumed a right to the separate occupation of the Principalities, and that she is not in a position to claim such a right ; that although Austria had not enforced the four points by active hostilities, yet that " the Emperor has reserved to himself full liberty of action in respect of his ulterior resolutions "; that the Austrian Government cannot be satisfied until the Diet assume the same position with regard to the four conditions as Austria has assumed ; and she deeply regrets the difficulties raised by Prussia. With respect to the occupation of the Principalities, Count Buol writes— Prussia " knows that the treaty of the Porte with the maritime Powers cedes to the latter the choice of any point of the Ottoman territory for the operations of the Allied troops ; that consequently the Porte, even if she should have wished to close the entry to the Principalities to her own Danubian army, was not at all in a position to cede to us a right of exclusive occupation ; and that we, on the other hand, have also laid no claim thereto. We may in respect hereof bring to bear both military and political expediences. We can make it the object of our peculiar care that these sour: tries, already so sorely visited, shall be spared a new infliction of the cala- mities of war, and from being too heavily taxed. We can also make it our aim that we may not be driven merely by hostile events to a decision which might not appear to us to be justified by a voluntary resolution. Here, how- ever, our right in the Principalities has its limits." Austria is anxious to remain united with Prussia and the Diet, but re- serves to herself the right either to bring her propositions before the Diet, or to wait until the Diet itself moves in the matter.
On the receipt of a copy of this document, Baron Manteuffel resigned, and left Berlin. The King held a Cabinet Council, on the 9th instant ; Manteuffel withdrew his resignation ; conciliatory overtures were to be sent to Vienna, and Prussian policy is to be in perfect accord with that of Austria!
DENMAILIC.—The Danish Diet was opened on the 2d instant. The President Oersted read a message from the King, deploring the sad dis- positions shown by the last Diet, expressing fears lest the present Diet should imitate its example, and professing trust in the calm prudence of the Danish people. The King hoped the Diet would admit that the unity under which he was firmly determined to place all the countries confided to his sceptre is indispensable to the wholesome development of the strength and resources of the state. On foreign questions, the mes- sage simply pointed out that Denmark has been enabled to remain neutral during a state of war ; that a larger army than ordinary has been main- tained, but that the additional expense is so small as not to require fresh taxes to meet it.
Previous page
