In his retreat, the Russian general, Prince Gortschakoff, maintained the character for generalship he had so fully earned in his defence of Sebastopol. As the place was no longer tenable against the troops and artillery brought against it, nothing could be better than his arrangements for the safety of his army. He fought till the place crumbled away beneath him, and then made a judicious retreat with a very small loss of men. The amount of stores found in the town, after such a contest, seems almost incredible,—the capture of 4,000 cannon is a thing unheard of in the history of war.
And so far has this important siege terminated: right and civilization have so far triumphed over wrong and barbarism; “vaulting ambition hath o’erleaped itself,” and the arrogant schemes of the Romanoff race have met with such a check as must, at least, retard them for half a century. Great has been the cost,—severe has been the struggle,—but, as the cause is holy, let us trust that Providence will make the end correspond with the beginning, and that the result of all will be Peace.
FINIS.
COX (BROS.) AND WYMAN, PRINTERS, GREAT QUEEN STREET.
FOOTNOTES
[1] See the [siege of Ismaïl].
[2] Michaud’s “Hist. des Crusades.”
[3] Gibbon.
[4] Rollin.
[5] The quintal was of several kinds: the least weighed 125 lbs., the largest more than 1,200 lbs.