War-Department, September 12, 1855.
LORD PANMURE has this day received a Despatch and its Enclosures, of which the following are copies, addressed to his Lordship by General Simpson.
Before Sevastopol,
September 1, 1855.
MY LORD,
THE siege operations during the past week have progressed slowly, the brightness of the nights rendering the work to be performed a task of great difficulty. The head of the sap is now about 150 yards from the salient of the Redan, and the enemy interrupt the work by every means in their power.
On the night of the 28th, a 13-inch shell fell into a magazine on the left face of the Mamelon, which exploded, causing some few casualties, but in no way interrupting the continuance of the fire.
On the night of the 30th ultimo, the Russian pickets made a rush at our advanced trench, upset a few gabions, and unfortunately killed Lieutenant Preston, of the 97th Regiment. In this affair, Captain Pechell, of the 77th Regiment, who commanded the advanced party, and Lieutenant-Colonel Bunbury, of the 23rd Regiment, who commanded the supports, behaved with great gallantry.
Great activity prevails on the part of the garrison in making use of the new raft bridge across the harbour, and stores of all kinds are daily transported to the north side.
Large working parties are employed in throwing up works on the north side, but as yet they are in too unfinished a state to judge of their exact nature.
From the information we continue to receive, it appears that the enemy is concentrating his force between the Mackenzie Heights and Fort Constantine; and although several minor changes of position have been made, no movement of importance has occurred to indicate a positive intention to attack.
All our accounts confirm the reports of the great losses of the enemy daily in Sevastopol, and that some discontent prevails in their ranks.
I have the honour to enclose the lists of casualties.
I have, &c.,
JAMES SIMPSON,
General Commanding.
The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.
War-Department, September 19, 1855.
LORD PANMURE has this day received Despatch (of which the following are extracts), and the subjoined returns of casualties from the 31st ultimo to the 2nd instant, addressee to his Lordship by General Simpson:
Extract of a Despatch from General Simpson to Lord Panmure, dated, before
Sevastopol, September 4, 1855.
“FROM the heavy fire maintained by the enemy on the head of our sap, the progress made has been slow, and accompanied, as must be expected, by several casualties amongst the sappers and working parties; and it is with great regret that I have to report the death, last night, of Captain Pechell, 77th Regiment, whose conduct I had occasion to bring before your Lordship’s notice in my despatch of the 1st instant.
“Within the last few days a second bridge has been commenced from the north shore to Karabelnaia, the object being evidently to expedite the removal of stores from the dockyard.
“The continued reports we receive, induce General Pelissier and myself to believe that the enemy still meditate an attack in force on our positions on the Tchernaya, to meet which the troops are kept in a continued state of readiness.
“The 82nd Regiment have arrived from Corfu, and have disembarked this day. I intend them to relieve the 13th Regiment at Balaklava, which has joined the 1st Division under Lord Rokeby.
“The health of the troops is excellent.”
War-Department, September 21, 1855.
LORD PANMURE has this day received a Despatch and its Enclosures, of which the following are copies, addressed to his Lordship by General Simpson.
Before Sevastopol,
September 8, 1855,
MY LORD,
AT daylight on the 5th instant, the batteries of the Allied Armies opened a steady and continuous fire against the enemy’s works.
During the night one of the vessels, supposed to be a frigate, stationed on the north side of the harbour, was set on fire by, it is believed, a shell from a French battery in their right attack. The firing, during the 6th, 7th, and up to the present moment, has continued uninterrupted, and but feebly responded to by the Russians.
Another frigate was discovered yesterday afternoon to be on fire, and has been entirely destroyed.
From the length of time it continued burning, it is supposed to have contained stores.
About eleven o’clock last night a heavy explosion took place, but I have not as yet been able to ascertain in which part of the enemy’s works.
I have, &c:,
JAMES SIMPSON,
General Commanding.
The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.
War-Department, September 22, 1855.
MAJOR the Honourable Leicester Curzon arrived this morning with a Despatch from General Simpson to Lord Panmure, of which the following is a copy.
Before Sevastopol,
September 9, 1855.
MY LORD,
I HAD the honour to apprize 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.
The Tricolour planted on the parapet was the signal for our troops to advance.
The arrangements for the attack I entrusted to Lieutenant-General Sir William Codrington, who carried out the details in concert with Lieutenant-General Markham.
I determined that the second and light divisions should have the honour of the assault, from the circumstance of their having defended the batteries, and approaches against the Redan for so many months, and from the intimate knowledge they possessed of the ground.
The fire of our artillery having made as much of a breach as possible in the salient of the Redan, I decided that the columns of assault should be directed against that part, as being less exposed to the heavy flanking fire by which this work is protected.
It was arranged between Sir W. Codrington and Lieutenant-General Markham that the assaulting column of 1000 men should be formed by equal numbers of these two divisions, the column of the light division to lead, that of the 2nd to follow. They left the trenches at the pre-concerted signal, and moved across the ground preceded by a covering party of 200 men, and a ladder party of 320. On arriving at the crest of the ditch, and the ladders placed, the men immediately stormed the parapet of the Redan, and penetrated into the salient angle. A most determined and bloody contest was here maintained for nearly an hour, and, although supported to the utmost, and the greatest bravery displayed, it was found impossible to maintain the position.
Your lordship will perceive, by the long and sad list of casualties, with what gallantry and self devotion the officers so nobly placed themselves at the head of their men during this sanguinary conflict.
I feel myself unable to express in adequate terms the sense I entertain of the conduct and gallantry exhibited by the troops, though their devotion was not rewarded by the success which they so well merited, but to no one are my thanks more justly due than to Colonel Windham, who gallantly headed his column of attack, and was fortunate in entering, and remaining with the troops, during the contest.
The trenches were, subsequently to this attack, so crowded with troops that I was unable to organize a second assault, which I intended to make with the Highlanders under Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell, who had hitherto formed the reserve, to be supported by the third division under Major-General Sir William Eyre. I, therefore, sent for these officers, and arranged with them to renew the attack the following morning.
The Highland Brigade occupied the advanced trenches during the night. About eleven o’clock the enemy commenced exploding their magazines, and Sir Colin Campbell having ordered a small party to advance cautiously to examine the Redan, found the work abandoned; he did not however, deem it necessary to occupy it until daylight.
The evacuation of the town by the enemy was made manifest during the night. Great fires appeared in every part, accompanied by large explosions, under the cover of which the enemy succeeded in withdrawing their troops to the north side by means of the raft-bridge recently constructed, and which they afterwards disconnected and conveyed to the other side.
Their men-of-war were all sunk during the night.
The boisterous weather rendered it altogether impossible for the Admirals to fulfil their intention of bringing the broadsides of the Allied Fleets to bear upon the Quarantine Batteries; but an excellent effect was produced by the animated and well-directed fire of their mortar vessels, those of Her Majesty being under the direction of Captain Wilcox, of the Odin, and Captain Digby, of the Royal Marine Artillery.
It now becomes my pleasing duty, my Lord, to place on record the high sense I entertain of the conduct of this Army since I have had the honour to command it. The hardships and privations endured by many of the Regiments during a long winter campaign are too well known for me to comment upon. They were borne both by officers and men with a patience and unmurmuring endurance worthy of the highest praise, and which gained them the deserved applause and sympathy of their country.
The Naval Brigade, under the command of Captain the Honourable Henry Keppel, aided by Captain Moorsom, and many gallant officers and seamen who have served the guns from the commencement of the siege, merit my warmest thanks.
The prompt, hearty, and efficacious co-operation of Her Majesty’s Navy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, and ably seconded by Sir Houston Stewart, has contributed most materially to the success of our undertaking; and here, perhaps, I may be permitted to say that, it had pleased God that the successful result of this memorable siege should have been reported by my ever to be lamented predecessor in this command, I am sure that it would have been one of his most pleasing duties to express the deep sense which I know he entertained of the invaluable assistance and counsel he received on all occasions from Sir Edmund Lyons. When at times affairs looked gloomy and success doubtful, he was at hand to cheer and encourage; and every assistance that could tend to advance the operations was given with the hearty good will which characterizes the British sailor.
Nothing has contributed more to the present undertaking than the cordial cooperation which has so happily existed from the first between the two services.
I cannot sufficiently express my approbation of the conduct of the Royal Engineers under Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Jones, who has conducted the siege operations from the beginning of this year. For some time past he has been suffering on a bed of sickness, but the eventful hour of the assault would not permit him to remain absent; he was conveyed on a litter into the trenches to witness the completion of his arduous undertakings.
My warmest thanks are due to the officers and soldiers of the Royal Artillery under the command of Major-General Sir R. Dacres, who, during the arduous operations of this protracted siege, have so mainly contributed to its ultimate success.
I must beg further to record my thanks for the cordial co-operation and assistance I have received in carrying out the details of the service from the Chief of the Staff, the Adjutant and Quartermaster-Generals, and General Staff, as well as Generals commanding Divisions and Brigades of this Army.
I must reserve to myself, for the subject of a future despatch, bringing before your Lordship the particular mention of officers of the various branches of this Army, whom I shall beg to recommend to your favourable notice.
I entrust this despatch to the care of Brevet-Major the Honourable Leicester Curzon, who has been Assistant Military Secretary to my noble predecessor and myself since the commencement of this war, and who will be able to give your Lordship more minute details than the limits of a despatch will allow.
I have, &c.,
JAMES SIMPSON,
General Commanding.
The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.
Admiralty, September 22, 1855.
DESPATCHES, of which the following are copies, have been received from Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty’s Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
No. 753. Royal Albert, off Sevastopol,
September 10, 1855.
SIR,
OF the operations on shore, which have produced the successful result of the singular and memorable siege of Sevastopol, Her Majesty’s Government will be informed by General Simpson; but it is my duty to report to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty what has taken place afloat and on the seaboard under my own observation.
It had been arranged by Generals Simpson and Pelissier, Admiral Bruat and myself, that precisely at noon on the 8th instant the Allied Fleets should open fire upon the Quarantine Batteries that enfiladed the approach of the assaulting columns; but unfortunately the weather, which had been fine for some days, changed on the morning of the attack, and a north-west gale and heavy sea rendered it impossible for any vessels to act upon batteries situated on the lee shore of this exposed roadstead. It will, however, appear by the enclosed reports from Captain Wilcox, of the Odin, and Captain Digby, of the Royal Marine Artillery (whom, as well as the junior officers mentioned by them, I beg leave particularly to recommend to the favourable consideration of their Lordships), that the mortar vessels attached to the fleets kept up a very effective fire from their position in the Bay of Strelitzka.
As the day closed, things in the harbour seemed to be in the same state as they were in the morning, but, during the night, several heavy explosions were heard, and at dawn we observed that the fortifications on the south side were in flames, and that the 6 remaining ships-of-the-line had been sunk at their moorings, leaving afloat no more of the late Russian Black Sea Fleet than two dismasted corvettes and 9 steamers, most of which are very small.
Soon afterwards the enemy were seen retreating across the newly constructed bridge, until the south side of the harbour, on which the naval and military arsenals, the public buildings, and the town of Sevastopol are situated, appeared to be completely evacuated, and then the southern portion of the bridge was hauled over to the north shore.
It is now my pleasing duty to render justice to the admirable conduct of all whom I have had the honour and happiness to command during the last nine months of this arduous struggle, and whose duties I shared in before; for although, with the exception of the Naval Brigade in the camp, whose gallant bearing from the beginning under the command of Sir Stephen Lushington, has been beyond all praise, and never more so than during the last two bombardments under the command of the Honourable Captain Keppel, it has not fallen to the lot of the Navy, on this occasion to perform distinguished deeds of arms such as those of their gallant brethren in the Army; still, whilst straining every nerve, night and day, under very trying circumstances, to supply the means for carrying on the siege, in the glory of which they could not share, the generous cheer of encouragement, unalloyed by envy, has always been heartily given in the day of triumph; nor have sympathy and assistance ever been wanting in the hour of distress and suffering; the same sentiments have pervaded all ranks – captains, officers, seamen and marines, all agreeing with each other in following, as I believe I have said once before, the excellent example set them by my able second in command and coadjutor Rear-Admiral Houston Stewart.
Perhaps in closing this letter I may be permitted to indulge in the expression of the gratification I feel in reflecting that under all the circumstances to which it relates, my gallant colleague Vice-Admiral Bruat and I have gone heart and hand together, and that the most perfect understanding and hearty co-operation in the great cause of humanity in which we are all engaged, have invariably prevailed throughout both fleets.
I am, &c.,
(Signed) EDMUND LYONS,
Rear-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.
To the Secretary of the Admiralty.
Admiralty, September 26, 1855.
A DESPATCH, of which the following is a copy, has been received from Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty’s Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
No. 771. Royal Albert, off Sevastopol,
September 15, 1855.
SIR,
THE Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will have been already informed by my letters from Kertch of last June, and by my recent telegraphic messages from hence, that the Russians had annihilated their fleet in this part of the world, leaving the Allies undisputed masters of the Sea of Azof, as well as of the Black Sea; that they had blown up and abandoned their last holds on the coast of Circassia, and that after a gallant defence against an unparalleled siege they had been defeated and obliged to evacuate the south side of the Harbour of Sevastopol, on which are situated the naval and military arsenals, the public buildings, and the town.
2. I have now to request you to acquaint their Lordships that the enemy has not succeeded in his endeavours to destroy all the forts on the south side. Fort Paul, it is true, is literally blown to atoms, and Fort Alexander is very much damaged, but the Quarantine Fort has not suffered considerably by the explosion of the magazine, the sea face remaining perfect, and most of the guns being fit for use, few of these being even spiked. At Fort Nicholas the preparations for blowing it up had not been completed, and though the flames have made some havoc in the interior, the stone work appears to be uninjured, and the earth works on the sea-defences remain in a perfect state.
3. The five docks and the adjoining basins are magnificent, and together with the steam machinery for filling them from the Tchernaya and for pumping them out, are in excellent order; and the resources of all kinds still remaining after the enormous expenditure during the siege, showed very plainly the importance the enemy attached to having a large depôt at the threshold of the Bosphorus.
4. The bottom of the splendid harbour is now encumbered with more than 50 sunken vessels, including 18 sail of the line and several frigates and steamers, whose menacing attitude but a short time ago materially contributed to bring on the war in which we are now engaged.
(Signed) EDMUND LYONS.
Admiralty October 1, 1855.
A DESPATCH, of which the following is a copy, has been received from Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty’s Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Royal Albert, off Sevastopol,
September 18, 1855.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to enclose, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a printed copy of a General Order which has been issued to the Army on the re-embarkation of the Royal Naval Brigade.
I am, &c.,
(Signed) EDMUND LYONS,
Rear-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief.
To the Secretary of the Admiralty.
Head Quarters, Sevastopol,
September 17, 1855.
No.1. The service for which the Naval Brigade was attached to this Army having been completed by the fall of Sevastopol, the Force has been ordered to rejoin the Fleet.
The Commander of the Forces heartily thanks the Officers, Petty Officers, and Seamen, for the very efficient services they have rendered in the batteries, and on all occasions when their aid against the enemy was required; and he has to notice the patience and courage with which, side by side with the Soldiers of this Army, they have endured the dangers and hardships of nearly a year’s duty in the trenches.
General Simpson cordially acknowledges the obligations he is under to Rear-Admiral Sir Stephen Lushington, K.C.B., who so ably commanded the Brigade, from its formation until his removal by promotion to a higher rank, and to Captain Honourable H. Keppel, R.N., who succeeded him, and retained the command until the conclusion of this ever-memorable siege.
By order,
(Signed) H. W. BARNARD,
Chief of the Staff.
War-Department, October 11, 1855.
LORD PANMURE has this day received a Despatch and its Enclosures, of which the following are copies, addressed to his Lordship by General Simpson.
Sevastopol,
September 29, 1855.
MY LORD,
SINCE my last despatch the troops have been employed, to the number of 9,500 men, daily, in making the road from Balaklava to the camp; and as, after a few hours of rain the whole distance is converted into a mass of deep mud, the work that has to be performed, from this reason as well as the great distance that the stones have to be transported, render it one of great labour and difficulty.
Large fatigue parties are daily employed in the town, dismantling and conveying timber and other materials from the ruins of the buildings, and I hope, by this means, to get a considerable portion of the troops under cover previous to the commencement of the bad weather.
The enemy have been firing from the batteries on the north side at the working parties in the town, and, although causing some little annoyance, they have not prevented the work being carried on, and, I am happy to add, that one man killed and one wounded are the only casualties occasioned by their fire.
I regret to have to report to your Lordship that owing to the explosion of a Russian magazine on the 27th instant one officer and 19 men were wounded. I ordered an investigation to be made, and, from the report I have received, the origin was from the explosion of a hidden fougass, a number of which have been dug up in various parts of the town and batteries.
The invention of this machine is peculiarly Russian.
I have received a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Ready, 71st Regiment, commanding Her Majesty’s troops at Yenikale, reporting the proceedings of a trifling affair, in which a detachment of the 10th Hussars, in company with the Chasseurs d’Afrique, were engaged on the 21st instant with the Cossacks.
Colonel D’Osmont, commanding the French troops, at Kertch, received information that the Cossacks were collecting and driving away all the arabas from the neighbourhood, and, as he determined to endeavour to prevent this, he invited the assistance of the English cavalry to cooperate with the Chasseurs d’Afrique. For this service, Lieutenant-Colonel Ready ordered two troops, commanded by Captains the Hon. F. FitzClarence and Clarke, of the 10th Hussars.
The Cossacks were supposed to have assembled their arabas at two villages, named Koss-Serai Min and Seit Ali, equidistant from Kertch about 15 miles, and from one another, 6½. Captain FitzClarence’s troop was ordered to the first village, and Captain Clarke’s to the latter. At each of these villages they were to join a troop of the Chasseurs d’Afrique who had preceded them. On arriving at Koss-Serai Min, Captain FitzClarence found both troops of the French Dragoons, and immediately sent off an order to Captain Clarke to join him that night; the letter was unfortunately not delivered until the following morning. In complying with this order, Captain Clarke, whose troop consisted only of 34 men, fell in with a body of about 50 Cossacks, which he immediately charged and pursued, but as they were soon reinforced by upwards of 300, he was forced to retire upon the village, with a loss of his serjeant-major, farrier, and 13 men taken prisoners.
Captain FitzClarence’s troop, with the Chasseurs, the whole under the command of the Officer commanding the French troops, having seen a large body of the enemy, skirmished with them at some distance, and moved in the direction of the village of Serai Min; where, after having joined Captain Clarke’s troop, the whole force commenced their march upon Kertch.
At about the distance of half a mile front the village they were attacked by a large body of Cossacks, who were, however, beaten back by repeated charges. The loss of the 10th Hussars
consisted of-
2 Privates, supposed to have been killed.
1 Wounded.
1 Troop Serjeant-Major, 1 Farrier, 13 Men, 15 Horses, Missing.
From information that has since been received, the Cossacks were supported, within a quarter of an hour’s march, by eight squadrons of Hussars and eight guns.
Colonel Ready informs me that nothing could exceed the coolness and courage of the troops in the presence of such overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who were only kept at bay by their steady movements.
I have the honour to enclose the lists of casualties.
The health of the Army, I am rejoiced to say, is excellent.
I have, &c.,
JAMES SIMPSON,
General Commanding.
The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.
War-Department, October 18, 1855.
LORD PANMURE has this day received a Despatch and its Enclosures, of which the following are copies, addressed to his Lordship by General Simpson.
Sevastopol,
October 6, 1855.
MY LORD,
MARSHAL PELISSIER having signified to me his wish that the cavalry force under General d’Allonville, at Eupatoria, should be reinforced by some English Cavalry, I at once acceded to his request, and have ordered the brigade of light cavalry, under Brigadier-General Lord George Paget, composed of the Carbineers, 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, and 12th Lancers, and one troop of the Royal Horse Artillery, under Captain Thomas, to be sent for this service.
I am in hopes that transport will be found to convey them early next week.
I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship the copy of a report I have received from Lieutenant-Colonel Ready, with the details of an expedition undertaken against a fort and buildings on the island of Taman. The object was entirely carried out, and the troops have been enabled to supply themselves with a large amount of firewood and building materials.
Since I last had the honour of addressing you, I have seen Lieutenant-General Vivian, and I am happy to inform your Lordship that he quite approves of the decision I had formed of uniting the Contingent at Kertch. Some few thousand men have already arrived there, and every exertion is being made to ensure them their supplies of food and fuel for the winter.
The corps of General de Salles have, during the past week, pushed forward their advanced posts to the high ground on the left bank of the Belbek, overlooking Foti Sala.
Their supports occupy a ridge from this place, stretching towards the south to Markul.
The main position of the army is on high, bold ground, extending from Aitoda to Markul, with the reserves posted between the village of Urkusta and the Bridge of Tinli.
The corps is further to be reinforced with the view next week of making a strong reconnaissance of the ground from Foti Sala towards Wyenbash, on the left bank of the Katcha.
I have omitted to report that Lieutenant-General Markham has been compelled, by illness, to return to England for a few months. He sailed on the 29th ultimo.
I have, &c.,
JAMES SIMPSON,
General Commanding.
The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.