Pray accept, General, the assurance of my high consideration.
The General Commanding-in-Chief the
Sardinian Expeditionary Forces,
(Signed) La Marmora.
To his Excellency the General Commanding-in-Chief
the English Army.
GENERAL SIMPSON'S DESPATCH.
General Simpson To Lord Panmure.
(Received September 22.)
Before Sebastopol, September 9, 1855.
My Lord,—I had the honour to apprise your Lordship in my despatch of the 4th instant, that the Engineer and Artillery Officers of the Allied Armies had laid before General Pelissier and myself a report recommending that the assault should be given on the 8th instant, after a heavy fire had been kept up for three days.
This arrangement I agreed to, and I have to congratulate your Lordship on the glorious results of the attack of yesterday, which has ended in the possession of the town, dockyards, and public buildings, and destruction of the last ships of the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea. Three steamers alone remain, and the speedy capture or sinking of these must speedily follow.
It was arranged that at twelve o'clock in the day the French columns of assault were to leave their trenches, and take possession of the Malakoff and adjacent works. After their success had been assured, and they were fairly established, the Redan was to be assaulted by the English; the Bastion, Central, and Quarantine Forts, on the left, were simultaneously to be attacked by the French.
At the hour appointed our Allies quitted their trenches, entered and carried the apparently impregnable defences of the Malakoff with that impetuous valour which characterizes the French attack; and, having once obtained possession, they were never dislodged.