f provisions,
ammunition, etc. (for from the explosions they did not appear to
be short of it), and shall destroy the dockyard, forts, quays,
barracks, storehouses, etc. For guns, Woolwich is a joke to it.
The town is strewn with our shell and shot, etc. We have traced
voltaic wires to nearly every powder magazine in the place. What
plucky troops they were! When you hear the details of the siege
you will be astonished. The length of the siege is nothing in
comparison with our gain in having destroyed the place.

"We are not certain what the Russians are doing on the north
side, and as yet do not know whether we shall follow them up or
not. We ought to, I think. It is glorious going over their horrid
batteries which used to bully us so much. Their dodges were
infinite. Most of their artillerymen, being sailors, were
necessarily handy men, and had devised several ingenious modes of
riveting, which they found very necessary. There was a vineyard
under our attack, a sort of neutral ground where no one dared to
venture, either Russian or English. We found lots of ripe grapes
there. The Russians used to fire another description of grape
into it. One night I was working with a party at this very spot,
and out of 200 men we lost 30 killed and wounded. We are engaged
in clearing the roads, burning the rubbish, and deodorizing the
town, taking account of the guns, etc. Nothing is stirring; the
Russians fire a little into the town. We hear they are
retreating, but do not believe it. The French, it seems, took the
Malakoff by surprise. They had learnt from a deserter that the
Russians used to march one relief of men out of the place before
the other came in on account of the heavy fire; whilst this was
being done the French rushed in and found the Malakoff empty. The
Russians made three attempts to retake it, the last led by a
large body of officers alone. Whenever the Russians commenced a
battery they laid down first a line of wires to the magazine with
which they could blow it up at any time."

With this final tribute to the courage of the Russian garrison,
Charles Gordon's account of the siege and fall of Sebastopol closes.
He took part in the expedition to Kimburn, when General Spencer
commanded a joint force of 9000 men intended to dislodge the Russians
from a fort th