Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 20th January 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 51

Page 51
Page 3
3 of 24

On this page

  • Text (1)

      Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    • Untitled Article

      Untitled Article

  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      X 16 &TASXTY ASION « ST HEff MxtMM . wan S . TJhj 2 W earajeaponaea * , " fcefttte SebMtopol , I > ecember 3 ft , " says : —• "BetWBea ' Noverabtt-1 aa * December aq less tiian l < 0 , 6 & 0 English , 5600 French , and -4960 Turkish troops have been «« vey « di » British ships *© -the Crimea . Itis « , melaaach ^ fect * bat tfeese remftweemfeBta «« flten »» re iiian the h * € » of the ¦ acclimated * eghhe # ts , tmd that it must not be fcsken for granted tfcat tfee soldiers-sent out kere foraa permanent additions to <«» r army . Although Hie mortality « m « Bg them 5 # not v « ry « reat , many of tfee droughts «* & of the newly-HnSveS regiments at « so enfeebled by illness after Ifeeir arrival tiiftt they must fee taken off the effective strength of the -regiments . In extent to

      < oider te affoid tiie public some idea of the . -which sickness has prevailed , I may mention that the 9 th Regiment does not now muster 250 bayonets , and that the Brigade of Guards is not 1000 strong on parade . The draught of 150 men which went out *» the Scots . Fusiliers , under Laeutenant-Colaaei de Bathe , the other day , is reduced to about 20 mesa at present . A short time ago . when this brigade furnished tfae men for pickets in the Tchernaya valley , an order was Bent to the brigadier to strengthen the pickets which he had sent down . He was obliged to represent that when he had done so the force of his brigade would be reduced to 30 men . Such are the sacrifices we make . on the altar of war . May we trust that the victims were all required , and that none of them could have been spared ?" The general mortality Is best seen by found numbers . The correspondent of the Morning Post sends the following statementof the strength of the British force—and also of its weakness : — " January 1 . " * ' Perhaps I cannot commence my letter -with a rnore interesting announcement than the present . numerical condition-of-the British army opposed to tae Russians . Here are the numbers , -which I have on . the best authority : — Sergeants 2 , 191 Drummers « x Rank and File .. - 38 , 085 Total 40 , 932 Of this number , there are at the present time sick and wounded : — Sergeants • 5 Jjg Drummers , « i * i Rank and File 12 , 747 Total ... 7 . - 13 , 410 " STATE OF THE EOADS . No great improvement ; appears to have taken place in the roads at present . One of the avenues , from Seba 3 topol to the coast is thus described : — " I passed several guns and mortars- being , with the greatest difficulty , dragged to the front—although the roads are certainly much improved since the French have worked at them , and , but for which , the conveyance of guns , ammunition , and supplies must have entirely ceased . It is dreadful work for the Artillery , who are perpetually engaged on this work , and the escorts and fatigues with commissariat supplies . The former get through with a little degree of certainty ; but a stranger would hot fecogiuse ; without ^ cldse'lnspe ' ctioinv -thar-the-20 horses that are drawing each gun—a hair of either being scarcely visible for mud—are ridden by Royal Horse Artillerymen , their handsome uniform being bespattered in the same manner , and probably wet through . However the infantry escorts have a much worse lot—wading up to their knees in solid mud , with pack animals laden with salt meat and rum kegs—a favourite divertissement being the saddle turning round and leaving the load hanging between the horse ' s legs—or the animal , which is scarcely able- to crawl , lying down , or , perhaps getting into a place where the mud is so heavy it never gets out again . As these things constantly keep some of the men out the whole night , it seems wonderful how they stand it—or moTe so that the army is fod at all under such circumstances . A party loaves each division every morning for this duty , and rarely returns before midnight ; tho same men probably going on picket , or some other arduous duty , the following day . I have told you the cavalry also take their share of this work , for a party carries biscuit to tho divisions each day . Thank God , there seems to bo no lack of supplies at Bidaklavoy and of a firat-rate description , too ! Salt meat perpetually ia neither agreeable nor wholesome ; but it is to be hoped this will soon bo remedied by tho commissariat receiving a supply of live cattle . Nearly every night we arc now disturbed by a sortie of some kind by tho Russians . There ia no doubt but their batteries arc now inuoh heavier than oura , and then they have tho great advantage of being able to oroct and strengthen them and change their guns with easo compared to ourselves . Tho fioil ia every whoro of such a soft naturo that riding over tho grass after tho heavy rains is heavier work than over a ploughed field . Tho mud in Balnklava , I have before stated , was beyond description , and I can only aay that it now acorns woreo than ever ; and . whut w . ith mud and tho crowds of horses , pack . animals , ambus , limbers , gun-curriagos , ni . d cavalry , besides crowds of men of every disoripUon , it is with tho greatest difficulty , cithor on horso or fool , you can got along . Thoro is still a greater dearth of thing * that are required , in tho shape of eatables ami drinkables , in the shops or

      OtntOEEAT ENEMY—THE ELEMENTS . An officer of the Uoyals . says-:- — " I willl tfesorifoe my last four days ? , work : —Monday we were turned cat by the sortie , and had 4 © remaia out ¦ on picket with the 5 ght company and Grenadiers from 12 o ' clock tHl nearly 4 , so did martlet much sleep ithat night . Next afternoon , a * a quarter to 5 , paraded covering party for the trenches . I was sent in . command of a company as advanced picket on the Sinspheropol ^ road , at the place the Russians tried to force the night before . There was not the least cover for onr men . The road rans through * deep ravine , with rocks nearly 200 feet high , with caves at the top , which seem to have been worn by the action of the water . It was in the

      caves aaid among the rocks that the Russians were hid the night before , and our men fired 15 , 000 rounds of ammunition without , aB far as can be ascertained , the loss of a single man . I captured a Turkish officer , hiding among the rocks , and seemingly trying'to get past my picket into SebastopoL I sent him ^ to headquarters , very much to his disgust . The Russians were banging at us from the three-gun battery ia tie street a * the end of tike road with rouad shot , and grape , but they were all too high . The ? sound whs fax from pleasant , as they rebounded from side to sadVef . the gat ,

      bringing down showers of stones , &e . We were relieved at daylight , and reached camp aboa * 7 . l \* as then warned to go on guard over the reserve ammunition at 9 . Not much sleep that night , as a guard bere is very different from one in England ^ with a comfortable guardroom , good fire , &c . I came off at 10 next morning . At 4 had to parade in charge of a working party for the left siege train . "We were employed in moving shot and shell till 12 , and the party reached camp at 1 this morning , the rain pouring in torrents . I was interrupted here by having to go and read the burial service over two unfortunate victims . When we got to the ground

      the graves were not dug , andjwe had-to remain in the rain nearly half an hour , by which time we were all well saturated . Last night was furiously wet . -I never saw anything like it before—coming down in torrents and flooding everything . A company of the 46 th , who were in my place on the road , were nearly drowned , and stvept into SebastopoL There is a trench across the ravine in the rear , and this for some time pent up the water , till it gave way ; they all fortunately escaped . A Pole lost his way in the storm , and came across oar sentries ; they-wounded him in the head , and he was taken prisoner . Virgil ' s lines , ' dttlce est propatrid mart ' , ' may be very true , but certainly tho preparation to that end that we are all now undergoing does not partake of its sweetness . I forgot to tell you that the rain changed to snow this morning , and it was three or four inches

      deep , but it has all become slush now ; we had taken advantago- of the' dry weather to " dig : a hole in the ground , and put a roof over it , hoping that with a fire in it we should be able to dry our things and cook . Our only material for the roof was mud , which , to our sorrow , we find lots in the water like a sieve ; so this plan will not do . We are looking anxiously forward to the arrival of the wooden houses , which are mentioned in the papers ; but we hardly dare believe in them , as we have bean so deceived about fuel , vegetablea , materials for hutting , &e . We have very little fuel , and are obliged to grub up roots , They said we were to have coal , but not a thing havo they given us yet . I hear Lord Raglan says , ' The army has endured unparalleled privations without a murmur . ' But it shows what h « knows about it , for , from tho highest to the lowest , all complain of this state of inaction and misery . "

      TURKS AND THHIR DEAD UORSEI . The Times correspondent gives us another curiosity from Constantinople . It is thoroughly Eastern in its simplicity : — " Since tlio date of tho last mail about 900 horsey ponies , and mules have been landed bere for the use of tho army , but they die off by dozens every night . Tho mules loft at Varaa were sent down overland to Constantinople and embarked in tho Jason for Balaklava , whore they arrived a few days ago . The Turks have a curious way of accounting for dead horses . It is Oriental , but satisfactory . One of tho men loft in charge of horses at

      Varna cunio down to Scutari to render up his accounts to tho commissariat officer of the department . The first thing ho did was to produce a large sauk , which was borne into the apartment of the functionary by two men . ' Two hundred of your horses havo died , ' said tho Turk . ' liohold . ' what I hove aaid ia the truth ; ' and , at the wavo of hia hand , tho men tumbled out tiro contents of tho sack on . the floor , and , lo ! 400 horse-oars , long and short , and of all sizes and shapes , were pilpd in a heap before tho cyos of tho astonished officer . Tho Simla , tho Cormorant , and two other steamers , freighted with horses , also arrived within tho last fow days , but many of tho animals they brought wero scarcely worth tho cost of

      ^ carriage , « n 4 - wffl " not mug 'ffurvlratheir itertbMps in . the Grbnea . The Firebrand came round from-the fleet ¦ wfth ammunition , baft > t ± ie authorities at Bab&lava ' wbnM net receive it , though there were requisitions for pow *» r « ad shot in the office a * the very thue . "She went "back nearly as she came , tmt the stores were pttt on b <« rfd another man-of-war , and are now here te he landed ^"

      WHY NOT A MEDAI , FOK BA&AKLAVA ? This matter Appears to have been overlooked * t iead-quarters ; the Light Brigade a » d the ; . H « wwy Dragoons , however , scarcely share the classic indifference of the " old Eoman , " who knew that bte statue would be asked for . The corsespondent-of a morning contemporary say * : — " The cavalry , who survived the charge at BalaklaTa —the Heavy Dragoons , who cleft the masses of fiwasuta horse like a levin brand , —the Hussars , and Light Dragoons , and Lancers , who rode through fire and blood to the Russian battalions which in vain sought shelter

      behind their murderous artillery , —think that they too deserve a special mark of their Sovereign ' s favour , and thst ' Balaklava' is not less worthy of reward , if Hie most daring courage and the most brilliant gallantry can earn it , than even ' Alma' or ' Inkerman . ' These « lte matters , however , in which , if wrong has been done , the verdict of 4 Je country will do justice . It is but right , however , to state this—that when the general orders were read to the " various regiments they were received generally with great gravity , and without any external sign of satisfaction , in tlie majority < of instances of which I have heard . "

      THE tt EPAtTtETTES IN KKOSPECT . Napoleon used to say that with his manner of promotion every French soldier carried tlie materials of a marshal ' s baton in his knapsack . Our own soldiers have shown by their letters that they have in them the stuff of which our best officers are made , and grand language , of which their letters are seldom made . " We give below a letter from a colour-sergeant of the 28 th , which contains some of the best descriptions of the broken-up battle of Inkerman which we have seen . One piece ( we have marked it in italics ) is almost worthy of Tacitus , in its strength , brevity ,, and vividness ; and some other passages remind us of the great French friendships of the eighteenth century : — ¦'' .. ' .-. " Camp before Sebastopol , December 21 , 1854 .

      "My dear Friend—In the midst of our hurried and dangerous way of living , my memory clings tenaciotisly to our long and tried friendship , to our old and mutual associations , aud to our old and mutual acquaintances , and I love to dwell upon all these ties even the-feintest : You have asked me for news , but I cannot pretend to give you any ; for long ere my letters would reach yon , anything I could relate as an eye-witness would have become ' fiat , stale , and unprofitable . ' Again , the events which daily , ay hourly , occur around us , do not assume , in the eyes of our people , the importance attached to them at home , where we live so much in heart and fancy . I really believe that the "interest , or rather the enthusiasm created by

      the arrival of despatches and other accounts of our victoriea-at least rivals- the -fervour attendant upon the immediate doing of the work . Men go oat from , the aamp , in the evening or morning , little knowing , and often little caring , that they may win a great battle before their hour of relief comes round , and that they may yield up their heart ' s blood in achieving it . This is our manner of life ; nor is it a very miserable one , though every succeeding day lessens our chance of enjoying it , as every day reduces our numbers , and renders those who are left behind less able to hear the hardships of such a campaign . We have had no great affair since Inkerman , and our whole operations seem

      to consist in defending our position . The men are growing impatient and wearied , and arc constantly wondering . what is doing or what is going to bo done . Every man would willingly go to the breach to get rid of this wearying , yet monotonous life . Moreover , the spectre which hung over our devoted army at Varna is paying t » s very frequent visits . I have buried bix of our company , now reduced to about sixty men , within these ten days ; and wo arc far from being the worst . Tho Oth , a vetoran regiment from India , joined lately , and ^ buried 60 men in one week . Tho Rev . Mr . Wheblo fell a victim to his devoted zeal , and tho gentleman who replaced him returned to Scutari after a fortnight ' s labour . Yet , in tho midst of all this ruin and desolation , ram cheerful ,

      trustful , healthful , and posses * tho fond hope that 1 may ono day grasp your hand , and toll you how much I owe you , as well as my other kind friends , for their earnest wishes , thoir anxiety , their sympathy , and above all , for their prayers , which havo curried 7 no through so ninny < l « nSe «> - I know it is their prayers which aro tho sweet littlo cherubs which sit up aloft nr . fl keep witch o or tho life of pOor . » Toll tl . cn . this , my dear friend , ana tell them also that it is tho consciousness of t » tt kind sympathies that keeps mo "ff ^ - ^ W ^ Ti * midst of our hn . dshij . s . In my nnmo ^* gltfgj * merry Christmas ntxl a hnppy new . yonr . SMWy laugh at my simplicity , and s « y that 1 am ^ With my compliment toll them they nro wronc , tjjg vj Woft I wished . thorn <» morry Christmas it wanted ft *? flays of Uiat plenmmtost of all days , aud that my wiah <| reached

      stores at Balakla * a fiwa ^ w * MP « te « fNBrienc » d-idnt « tfc * r establishment , -which 4 » much to-be -wondered at , considering what a deatend their is » I tlnnk It 33 tely that Hie propraetora kare been ftighte » ed at the accounts of what we ^ ie ti > receive from England , and thoojght they wtHfldnotbe ahie to'obtain tfheir exorbitant demands any longer . I base lately « ot ap * case of sherry sfoom Opnstantniepie ,. which , cost ' there 1 / . l&L , wfcfiwa * in Bal&kilava it is #£ "

      Untitled Article

      jAtfUA * x * 20 , 1855 . ] -T / H-. B ,. LEAPEK Si

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 20, 1855, page 51, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2074/page/3/