Russia had shown her evident intention of laying violent hands on
Turkey, by destroying with a treachery unworthy a civilised nation a
Turkish squadron at Sinope, and England and France being bound by treaty
to protect the Ottoman Empire, without delay each despatched a fleet
into the Black Sea. That of England was under the command of Admiral
Dundas, who had his flag on board the _Britannia_, of 120 guns, his
second in command being Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, whose flag flew
on board the _Agamemnon_, of 91 guns, a name known to fame. The other
ships were the _Trafalgar_, of 120 guns, the _Queen_, of 116, the
_Albion_, 91, _Rodney_ and _London_, 90, _Vengeance_, 84, _Bellerophon_,
80, _Sanspareil_, 70, _Arethusa_ and _Leander_, 50, _Tribune_ and
_Curacoa_, 31, _Retribution_, steam-frigate, 28, _Diamond_, 26,
_Terrible_ and _Sidon_, steam-frigates, 22, _Highflyer_, steam-sloop,
21, _Furious_ and _Tiger_, 16, the former a steam-frigate, the _Niger_,
13, and nine steam-sloops. The French fleet consisted of 15 sail of the
line, and 21 frigates and smaller vessels.
From the first Admiral Lyons contemplated an attack on Sebastopol, and
in order to ascertain the strength of its fortifications, Captain
Drummond, of the _Retribution_, before war was actually declared, was
sent there with a despatch for the Russian governor. He ran in during a
fog, and had brought up before even his presence was discovered. Having
sent his despatch on shore, he waited for an answer, making good use of
his time, and when it arrived, having exchanged salutes with the
governor, he stood out again with the valuable information he had
obtained. Peace not having been actually broken, the _Furious_, Captain
Loring, was sent to Odessa to bring off the British consul, or any
British subjects who might wish to leave it. As the frigate was
receiving them on board, the garrison, notwithstanding the flag of truce
she carried, fired on her. This treacherous conduct deserved a prompt
punishment. A fleet accordingly on the 17th of April sailed for that
port, off which they anchored on the 20th. The line-of-battle ships
could not get close enough to the walls, and a squadron of English and
French steam-frigates under Captain Jones, of the _Sampson_, stood in
and delivered their broadsides. Having done so, one after another in
succession steamed rapidly round out of gunshot, to return again and
fire as before. The Russian guns returned the compliment with red-hot
shot, which set the _Vauban_ on fire. Captain Mends, of the "gallant
_Arethusa_," remembering the fame of her name, though he had only his
sails to depend on, ran in as close as the depth of water would allow,
and opened a heavy fire from his 9-inch shell guns, and repeated his
manoeuvres till recalled by a signal from the flag-ship. Ultimately
some gunboats with rockets were directed to try their powers; at last
flames burst forth from several parts of the works, and at one o'clock
the magazine in the principal fort exploding cast destruction around.
The batteries having been now silenced, the squadron stood closer in and
destroyed moat of the vessels which had taken shelter behind the mole.
Soon after the fleet retired from before Odessa, the _Tiger_, which had
been stationed off the coast, ran on shore. While attempts were being
made to get her off the Russians brought down a field battery, from
which they opened so brisk a fire that Captain Gifford, being mortally
wounded, and several of his men hit, he was compelled, in order to save
their lives, to haul down his flag.
Another visit to ascertain the strength of Sebastopol was paid by
Captain Tatham, of the _Fury_. Disguising her like an Austrian packet,
which he knew was expected in the harbour, he boldly stood in on the
10th of May, running past two brigs of war, and having sufficiently
looked about him steamed as calmly out again, hoisting the British
colours as soon as he had got out of shot. While still in sight of the
batteries he captured a Russian schooner, and was carrying her off, when
some frigates getting under way, chased him and compelled him to abandon
his prize. The fleets now proceeded off Sebastopol, sending away some
of their ships in order to induce the Russians to come out and fight
them. All their efforts proved vain, and Sir Edmund Lyons scoured the
Black Sea till not a Russian vessel of any size remained on its bosom.
Some months thus passed, when the army having been collected at Varna,
Sir Edmund Lyons, to whom the task was intrusted by the
commander-in-chief, embarked them on board the transports destined for
their reception. Admirably were the arrangements made, both for their
embarkation and landing on the shores of the Crimea. Indeed, difficult
as were both operations, they were carried out without the loss of a
man, and with that only of one or two horses drowned. While the army
marched towards the Alma, the fleet proceeded along the shore. Some of
the steamers standing in, put to flight the few Russian troops their
guns could reach. For some time it was hoped that the Russian ships
would come out of Sebastopol and give battle to the allied fleets; but
all hopes of their doing so were lost when the Russians, having arranged
some of their finest line-of-battle ships across the harbour, scuttled
them, and their masts were seen slowly descending beneath the surface.
No hopes remaining of a naval engagement, each ship supplied a
contingent of men, who were formed into a naval brigade, under Captain
Stephen Lushington, a body of the French seamen being employed in the
same manner. None of the brave fellows employed in the siege performed
a greater variety of duties, or behaved with more gallantry, than did
the British blue-jackets on shore. They fought in the batteries, armed
with some of their own heavy ship's guns dragged up by themselves from
the shore, carried the scaling-ladders in many an assault, assisted to
land the stores, and were for some time the principal labourers in
forming a road between Balaclava and Sebastopol. Led by the gallant
Captain Peel, they took an active part in the assault on the Redan, on
which occasion they lost 14 killed and 47 wounded. They were
ever-active in succouring those who had been left on the field of
battle, whether blue-jackets or red-coats, and many who might have
perished owed their lives to their courage and activity. During the
engagement known as the Little Inkerman, on the 26th of October Mr
Hewett, mate of the _Beagle_, while in command of a Lancaster gun, was
greatly instrumental in the defeat of the Russians. Having received a
message by a sergeant from an officer, who thought the battery would be
taken in reverse, to spike his gun and retreat, he replying that he only
received orders from his own captain, got his gun round to bear on the
Russians, and blowing away the parapet, poured his fire down on them in
a way which compelled them to abandon their object.
As soon as the troops on shore were ready to open with their batteries,
the combined fleets prepared to perform their parts in attacking the sea
faces of Sebastopol. By this time Admiral Dundas had given up the
command of the fleet to Sir Edmund Lyons, who, as before, directed all
the operations. The _Agamemnon_ and _Sanspareil_ were the only
line-of-battle ships fitted with screws, but there were steamers
sufficient to tow all into action, or to assist them out again if
necessary. The final arrangements were made on the 16th between the
English and French admirals, when it was settled that the French and
Turks should attack the forts on the south side of the harbour, and the
English those on the north. Early on the morning of the 17th the order
to weigh was given--the fleets having been collected in Kazatch Bay,
some distance to the north of the city. The French and Turks, who
formed one line, naturally led; the _Britannia_ followed, close to the
_Charlemagne_, the rearmost of the French line. An inshore squadron had
been formed, consisting of the _Agamemnon, Sanspareil_, and _London_,
which was afterwards joined by the _Albion_ and other ships. The
_Britannia_, the most southern of the British ships, took up her
position opposite Fort Constantine; next to her in succession were the
_Trafalgar, Vengeance, Rodney_, and _Queen_. The _Agamemnon_, piloted
by Mr Ball in the little steam-tender _Circassia_, glided on till she
was about 750 yards from Fort Constantine, close to a shoal, which
prevented her nearer approach. The _London, Sanspareil_, and _Albion_
followed her, but were unable to get quite as near the fort as she was.
The admiral had warned Mr Ball that his little vessel would probably be
sunk, and promised to keep a boat ready to save him and his crew should
she go down; but undaunted by the danger, he stood on amid a perfect
shower of shot and shell, sounding as he went, till the line was cut
from the leadsman's hand by a shot from the batteries; but another
leadsman immediately took his place, and the _Circassia_, without a man
killed, though frequently hulled, steamed out of harm's way.
Immediately the _Agamemnon's_ anchor was dropped, she opened her fire,
as did the other ships in succession. Fortunately, from being so close
in, the Russian shot mostly passed over her, as the guns had been
trained for a longer range; but the ships to the north of her suffered
considerably. Happily, one of the first shells she fired reached the
powder-magazine in the fort, which, blowing up with a tremendous
explosion, drove the Russians from their guns, and though they again
returned, it was to find that a large number of them had been
dismounted, while the upper part of their works were crumbling to pieces
from the effects of the fire from the British ships. From their lower
batteries, however, and from various forts on the heights, so hot was
the Russian fire, that the _Albion_ and _London_, terribly shattered,
were compelled to haul off. The _Sanspareil_ also brought up so close
to the _Agamemnon_ as to be unable to use her foremost guns, and had to
get under way to take up a better berth, and for a time the _Agamemnon_
stood the brunt of the battle in her part of the line. The
_Sanspareil_, however, again quickly came to her support, and the
_Albion_, having repaired some of her damages, returned; but as the
_London_ was unable to do so, the admiral signalled to the _Rodney_, the
_Queen, Bellerophon_, and _Arethusa_, to come to his assistance. A
short time afterwards the _Queen_, set on fire by a shell, was compelled
to retreat, and the _Rodney_ got on shore at the end of the bank; but a
large portion of her crew having joined the naval brigade, she had but
few men on board, and therefore fought only her main-deck guns, and
though in so exposed a position, escaped with comparatively little loss.
For five hours the whole fleet kept up perhaps the most tremendous
cannonade that has ever been fired from British or any other ships, when
night coming on, the _Agamemnon_ made the signal for the fleet to
retire, she herself being the last to leave her station. Though during
that time the upper portions of some of the Russian batteries had been
knocked away, and a large number of people killed and wounded in them,
the furious cannonade which had been so long kept up produced no result
to compensate the British for a loss sustained of 44 killed and 266
wounded, besides the damages received by many of the ships, two of
which, the _Albion_ and _Arethusa_, had to go to Malta to be repaired.
Though the French ships suffered more than ours, they lost under 200 men
killed and wounded. The steamers had gallantly performed their part in
towing the ships in and out of action, notwithstanding the showers of
shot and shell directed at them. Altogether, the admirals came to the
conclusion that it was useless attempting to batter down the stone walls
of the fortifications, or to again expose their ships to such a fire as
they had that day endured.
A portion of the allied fleets still remained before Sebastopol, and
harassed the garrison by sending into the harbour two fast,
strongly-armed steamers night after night, which, always keeping in
motion, fired their shot into the city, and rapidly steamed out again
before the enemy could get their guns to bear on them. On one of these
occasions the admiral's son, while directing the course of his vessel,
was so severely wounded that he died shortly afterwards.
During the winter months of 1855 no operations were undertaken by the
fleet, but as soon as the finer weather allowed the ships to navigate
the Black Sea, an expedition sailed for Kertch, a town of importance at
the extreme eastern point of the Crimea, containing immense magazines of
corn, with which from thence the beleaguered garrison was supplied.
Just as the expedition was sailing, however, Canrobert, who had supreme
authority over the French naval forces, forbade Admiral Brueys from
proceeding, and Sir Edmund magnanimously gave up the enterprise for a
time at the earnest request of his colleague. A fortnight afterwards,
however, General Pelissier succeeding Canrobert, authorised the French
admiral to proceed in support of the English. An overpowering fleet
accordingly sailed towards the entrance of the Sea of Azov. As soon as
the ships appeared off Kertch, the Russians blew up their fortifications
without firing a shot, and evacuated the place. The only officer who
had an opportunity of distinguishing himself was Lieutenant McKillop,
commanding the _Snake_, of 4 guns. Perceiving a Russian steamer in the
offing, he obtained leave to chase her, which he did till she got under
the forts of Yenikale, when both fort and steamer opened their guns on
him. Undaunted, he returned the salute, throwing his shells upon both
his opponents, and in three-quarters of an hour set the steamer on fire.
He was still blazing away at the fort, when three other steamers were
seen approaching, and they also, as he refused to run, began to attack
him, the guns of each one of them being of heavier calibre than his. He
continued engaging them till assistance sent by the admiral arrived,
when the whole of the Russian vessels were captured.
While the larger ships proceeded in various directions along the coast,
a squadron consisting of the smaller vessels and gunboats were sent into
the Sea of Azov, under Captain Lyons, of the _Miranda_, to attack the
numerous stores of corn and other provisions accumulated at different
spots along the shores. On the return of the _Miranda_ to Sebastopol,
Captain Lyons was succeeded by Commander Sherard Osborn in the
_Vesuvius_. Although the duties imposed on the squadron were not
apparently of a very heroic character, they were attended with a
considerable amount of risk, and were carried out in a most spirited and
gallant manner. In several places the magazines and stores were
protected by large bodies of the enemy, who fought courageously in their
defence, but were invariably defeated by the determination and activity
of the British seamen. Taganrog and other places were protected by
heavy batteries, which, however, did not prevent the little squadron
from attacking them and coming off victorious. For many months the
steam-vessels were thus employed moving about from one place to another.
Wherever they were least expected, the officers landed with parties of
men, and did not hesitate to proceed either up the rivers or some way
inland wherever they gained intelligence that storehouses existed, and
in no instance failed to set them on fire. Many hazardous and gallant
acts were performed. In this way the squadron were of the most
essential service to the allies, and by almost depriving the garrison of
Sebastopol of their means of support, were mainly instrumental in the
reduction of the great fortress. In a short time scarcely a Russian
trading-vessel on those waters had escaped destruction or capture. The
vessels of the squadron were everywhere, and often, when espied by
troops of Cossack cavalry from the shore, there would be a race between
them and the vessels who should first arrive at the store-houses, which
the latter had destined to destruction, while the steamers' long guns
played on the Cossacks, and generally sent them galloping away inland
out of range of fire, so that when they reached the store-houses they
found them burnt to the ground. One of the last places attacked was
Gheisk, in the neighbourhood of which, extending for fully four miles
along the shore, were collected in huge stacks quantities of corn and
hay; while close to the town, under the protection of its batteries,
were large piles of timber, cured fish, numerous boats, and naval stores
of all descriptions. The place was protected by a strong force of
infantry and cavalry. Notwithstanding, Captain Osborn proceeded to
attack it with the gunboats _Grinder, Boxer, Cracker_, and _Clinker_;
but the shallowness of the water would allow them to get only just
within range of the batteries. The squadron was, however, supplied with
a number of large boats which could carry heavy guns, and these he
brought close in to the shore in order to cover the landing-parties,
distributing them in four divisions, under Commander Kennedy and
Lieutenants Ross, Day, and Strode, with directions to land at intervals
of a mile from each other, and then driving the Russians before them to
set fire to the stores. To protect the stores, the Russians had thrown
up light breast-works along the whole of their front, but they were not
such as to arrest British blue-jackets for a moment. Fortunately, the
wind blew directly on shore, and thus as soon as the boats opened fire
the smoke was driven in the faces of the enemy. The seamen quickly
landing, notwithstanding the warm fire with which they were received,
drove the Russians before them, and the stacks being at once ignited,
the dense volumes of smoke which arose from them completely concealed
the movements of the British, whose only object being to destroy the
corn and hay, did not follow the enemy. Success attended every one of
the operations; in a little more than six hours every stack was blazing,
as were the piles of timber, the boats, naval stores, and dried fish,
under the protection of the batteries at Gheisk--the whole work being
accomplished with the loss only of five men wounded.
To prevent the escape of any of the Russian ships on the fall of
Sebastopol, the allied squadron brought up across the harbour, when the
enemy having already sunk the remainder of their line-of-battle ships,
set fire to all their steamers, thus with their own hands destroying the
whole of their fleet. The English and French fleet then sailed for
Kinburn, standing on the shore of a shallow bay full of shoals. On
their way they appeared off Odessa, in order to mislead the Russians,
and then proceeded direct for their destination. The troops, consisting
of 5000 British, and a large number of French, were landed on the 15th,
and some of the gunboats stood in, and began firing to distract the
garrison. The roughness of the sea, however, prevented the ships from
commencing the grand attack till the 17th. The smaller steamers and
gunboats then advanced, circling round and delivering their fire in
rapid succession, silencing the Russian guns, killing the men, and
forcing them to take refuge under ground. About noon the line-of-battle
ships, English and French, entered into action in magnificent order
close to the batteries, while a squadron of steamers, led by Sir Houston
Stuart and the French rear-admiral, approached the forts on the northern
side, and began pouring in their broadsides. Not for a moment was there
a cessation of the thundering roar of the guns, while the whole fleet
and doomed fortress became shrouded in dense wreaths of smoke, the
gunboats on the other side keeping up their fire with fearful effect.
The fire from the French floating batteries, which had lately been sent
out at the suggestion of Napoleon, was most effective, while their power
of resistance was fully as great as had been expected, the heavy shot by
which they were frequently struck falling harmless from their iron
sides, while the shells shivered against them like glass. The
bombardment from the larger ships had continued scarcely a
quarter-of-an-hour when a white flag was seen flying from the ramparts
as a token of submission, and as if by magic the firing ceased. In a
short time afterwards the old Russian general appeared to deliver up his
sword, and he and a large staff of officers, who were permitted to
retain their swords, became prisoners.
The Russians themselves blew up Oczakov, which was to have been
attacked, while Sir Houston Stuart led a squadron up the Boug, and
destroyed a battery on its shore. Had not the Russians soon afterwards
come to terms, not a place of importance on their southern coasts would
have been left in their possession.