The battles of the world

by J. Douglas Borthwick

Admiral Dundas’s flag-ship, the Britannia, which fired from a longer range than the ones we have mentioned, received less damage, though she did not escape quite scatheless. The enemy’s shot ploughed up the water around, and occasionally a shell or round-shot fell upon the deck or crashed through the rigging. Fortunately, however, only two men were wounded on board this ship.

The French vessels gallantly performed their part in the bombardment. Our allies had adopted the same plan as the English, and lashed small steamers to the large sailing-vessels to bring them into action. Two splendid steamers, the Pluton and the Charlemagne, proudly led the way in, followed by the Montebello, the Jean Bart, and the rest of the squadron. The enemy at Fort Alexander maintained an unflinching resistance, and inflicted severe punishment on the attacking vessels.

Those who witnessed this tremendous bombardment, whether from land or sea, will probably never forget the spectacle. No imaginative description could approach the mingled sublimity and horror of the scene. A fleet of noble vessels, powerfully armed, poured forth sheets of flame from every port-hole on the attacking side; and the ponderous forts, from hundreds of embrasures, vomited a death-dealing reply. The thunder of artillery was deafening, and the sky darkened with the smoke. Thousands of grim and fierce-looking men, their faces blackened with gunpowder and sweat, moved about the decks, and pointed the guns, amid the crash of falling spars and the groans of their wounded messmates. Beyond the town, a sullen roar was heard, which might have been the echo of the sea-battle, but which the sailors well knew was the voice of the guns on land, many manned by seamen from the fleets, and responded to by a thousand of the enemy’s pieces. The awful boom of the guns grew in intensity as some fresh ship arrived on the scene, and contributed her broadside to the attack.

On the land side the combat was an equal one. Volley replied to volley, and no symptoms appeared to induce the belief that either party was the stronger. Suddenly, about four o’clock, a mighty explosion occurred in the Russian lines, which, for a moment, seemed to quell and subdue the roar of the thundering cannon. The earth shook, and volumes of fire sprang upwards and cast a lurid glare on every object. The very artillery was paused, awe-struck by the catastrophe; and the spectators watched the result in breathless excitement. It seemed as if a subterranean fire had forced its way through the surface of the earth to annihilate the presumption of competing man. Then the flame sank, the frightful shock was passed, and a pillar of dust and rubbish took the place of the mingled fire and smoke. The magazine in the centre of the Redan had exploded, and for a brief space not a gun from that great work replied to our volleys. Then the fire re-opened, and the Russian gunners, nothing daunted, again hurled their shower of missiles against our works. Shortly afterwards, a small powder-waggon, belonging to the English, was struck by a shell and exploded, fortunately injuring none.

At length twilight warned the combatants to cease. At about six o’clock the fleets drew off, and shortly afterwards the batteries suspended their fire. The naval attack, so far as damage to the enemy was concerned, was a failure. Many Russian artillerymen were, doubtless, victims to the accuracy of our aim, and the undaunted pertinacity of our seamen. Nothing, indeed, could exceed the brilliancy of the fire; and our gallant sailors of all ranks nobly maintained their reputation. But when the morrow came, the forts were found to be almost uninjured. Not a gun the less frowned from their embrasures, not a stone seemed to be displaced. The blackened mouths of the casemates, and a multitude of scars, as it were, where the fierce storm of iron had splintered the surface of the granite, were all the evidence afforded of that desperate assault. The question between wood and granite had been fairly tried, and granite was the victor. The forts were essentially unhurt; but scarcely a ship had escaped without serious damage to masts, sails, and rigging. The Albion and Arethusa were compelled to proceed to Constantinople to be docked; the Rodney got fast upon the reef, and her masts were soon shattered by the Russian shell and shot—the little steamer Spiteful gallantly towing her off, with considerable damage to herself and loss of men; and the Bellerophon had about fifteen shots in her hull, and her wheel knocked away. Throughout the English fleet, 44 men were killed, and 266 wounded. The French loss was even greater. The Turkish vessels, which occupied the centre of the line, were too far removed from the intensity of the action to sustain any serious injury to the ships or loss to the crew.”

BOMBARDMENT OF SEBASTOPOL.—Final Attempt.—“Generals Pelissier and Simpson had arranged to commence the assault at noon on Saturday. Thu French were to commence by an attack on the Malakoff tower. If they established themselves in that work, the English were to throw themselves upon the Great Redan, while simultaneous assaults were to be made on the right on the Little Redan, towards Careening Bay, and on the extreme left on the Central Bastion and Flagstaff Battery. General Bosquet was entrusted with the direction of the Malakoff attack, which was to be approached on the left flank by General MacMahon, with a powerful corps of Zouaves, Chasseurs, and regiments of the line; the right attack on the Little Redan was to be led by General Dulac, who had a strong body of Chasseurs, and four line regiments, with another powerful force in reserve. General De la Motterouge, with five regiments, was to assault the middle of the curtain connecting these two works. General De la Salles conducted the assault on the extreme left. Five regiments, composing Levaillant’s division, were in front of the Central Bastion and its lunettes; while to its right, General D’Autemarre, with Niel’s and Breton’s brigades, were to penetrate in the track of Levaillant’s division, and seize the Mast Bastion. The Sardinians, anxious to share in the honors of the day, contributed a brigade under the orders of General Cialdini, which was to attack in conjunction with D’Autemare’s division. Finally, ten regiments, under the command of Generals Bouat and Pate, with some troops from Kamiesch, were held in reserve, ready for immediate action. On each attack a competent number of sappers were provided with materials to form bridges, and handy tools; and the gunners had abundant implements for the spiking of guns; field artillery was also posted in commanding positions to render any assistance the fortunes of the day might render necessary.

The English storming party was comprised of detachments from the Light and Second Divisions. General Codrington, of the Light Division, assisted by General Markham, commanding the Second, had the direction of the assault. The first stormers, 1000 men, were selected in equal numbers from each division, Colonels Unett and Windham leading. The Highland brigade and Guards were ordered up to the post as a reserve. General Herbillon, commanding the French corps d’armée on the Tchernaya, had made every preparation to meet any attack which might be made by the Russian army of observation; but the enemy had experienced the prowess of the Allies in the open field too bitterly again to attempt defeat.

Early in the morning, squadrons of cavalry took position on the roads leading from Balaklava and Kadikoi to the camp, to prevent, stragglers and spectators from crowding to the front, and impeding the movements of the troops engaged in the assault. Every precaution, too, was observed to prevent the enemy from having any intimation of the movements of the soldiers. Parapets were heightened, and the regiments, French and English, moved up before daylight, with such promptness and secrecy that many even in the camp were unaware of the nature of the contemplated operations.

The plan of attack had originally included the co-operation of the fleet, but a brisk gale from the north-west forbade them to leave their anchorage; and except some French and English gunboats, which did good service in throwing shells and rockets into the forts, the sailors were unwillingly mere spectators of the fray.

Precisely at twelve o’clock General MacMahon’s division left the French trenches, which were within a few yards of the Malakoff tower, and advanced rapidly up the rugged and steep ascent. It proved that very great damage had been inflicted on the tower, and nearly all the guns dismounted. In a few minutes, with the loss of only one man, the French had leaped into the work, and the tricolor waved triumphantly on the summit of this great fort—the key to the town. The Russians contested their ground with great bravery, renewing again and again their attacks, but every time repulsed with enormous loss. General Bosquet was early wounded, and retired from the field.