Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 April 1893 — THE MAIDENS’ REDOUBT. [ARTICLE]

THE MAIDENS’ REDOUBT.

A most interesting ceremony has just taken place at Sebastopol, the historic, Russian fortress on the Black Sea. This was neither more nor has thau the unveiling of an obelisk on the very spot where, thirty-seven years before, during the crisis of the Crimean War, the women of Sebastopol, answering the appeal of the gallant old sailor, Admiral Korniloff, assembled en masse to join iu the defense of their native city. It was an assemblage that knew no distinction of rank or social station, comprising the daughter of the boyard and the child of the hiitnble9t citizen, who cheerfully joined in the sacred task of preserving their hearths and homes from the grasp of an alien foe. These heroic women erected with their own hands what was known as the Maidens’ Redoubt, a fortification which performed most effective work in resisting the besieging armies and sucin inflicting serious damage upon them. The picturesque and touching ceremony was under the chief direction of Rear Admiral Narbutt, commander of the Fleet at Sebastopol, and of the Governor of the city. Admiral Narbutt, who is also a member of the board of the celebrated Military and Naval Museum, first suggested the idea of erecting the memorial, and when the matter was favorably decided, the necessary preparations were entrusted to him to be carried on under the auspices of the Museum. The monument itself is of dark Crimean granite. In design it is a fine obelisk. Upon one side of the base is the following inscription: “Here was situated Sebastopol’s Maidens’ Redoubt.” Below this arc the words: “This earthwork was thrown up by the women of the city in 1851.” The obelisk faces the school built by General Meukoff, in memory of the siege, and devoted to the education of the children of Sebastopol’s defenders. Attached to the school is a Home for Aged Soldiers. The great hall of the Menkoff School •was prepared for the reception of the children, mostly grandchildren of the women who built the redoubt. A great concourse filled the immense chamber to hear the Metropolitan, who, with a number of assistant churchmen, was present to deliver an oration and pronounce the benediction. By the time the service was well under way the scene became impressively interesting, the large number of young persons dressed in holiday garb listening reverently to the words of the distinguished cleric who stood upon a dais robed in the rich and picturesque vestments of the Greek Church, while near Mm were grouped the more prominent lay members of the Committee of Arrangements.

Following the Metropolitan’s oration came the singing of the memorial hymn in which several hundred juvenile voices joined and many persons were moved to tears as the children sang what was really a ptean of praise to the heroines of the siege. Many of the latter were actually present; others—not a few—had succumbed to the hand of time. The general proceedings which marked the unveiling of the memorial were in the nature of a gala celebration. The children of the town marched in procession, dressed in white and bearing branches of laurel. The entire garrison turned out with bands and banners; there was a church parade, the priests chanting a memorial hymn, and the proudest and highest of the citizens marched in line on foot. Sebastopol, in Bhort, was en fete and for several days gave herself up to feasting and rejoicing. No one present remembered anything equalling the celebration in spontaneous enthusiasm and unanimity of sentiment. But it is only fair to add that the object itself was one well calculated to arouse the deepest patriotic feeling. It was a tribute to Russian womanhood and incidentally a tribute to the womanhood of the world. The tale of the long siege of Sebastopol by the allied armies of France and England, and which furnished the occasion for this display of female heroism is a wonderful chapter of history. In September. 1854, the allies were marching on Sebastopol from the European ride, flushed with the victory they had gained on the heights of Alma. On the other hand, the defeated Russian army, “ill-armed, ill-commanded and ill-maneu-vered,” was in full retreat, also having Bebastopol for its objective point, intending to there rally and decide the issue of the Crimean war. The great fortress was in a precarious condition seeing that Frince Mensehikoff in massing his troops prior to the Alma fight had left it very poorly garrisoned. General Todleben, then a lieutenant - colonel of engineers, was in charge of the fortifications, and when the news came of the reverse the Russians had sustained at Alma, he at once suspended the more elaborate work then in progress and beut

all his energies on the task of covering the forts with field work in order to sweep the ravines with musketry and shot. The northern side of Sebastopol most needed Todelben’s attention, as the allies were advancing from that quarter, but it was also of the first importance that the south side be guarded against attack. Vice-Admiral Korniloff was in general command at Sebastopol, and had under him fourteen line of battle ships and seven frigates lying in the Roads. These vessels were manned with a large naval force, which, in case of necessity, could be landed to co-operate with the garrison. The retreating Russian army under Mensehikoff had now reached the left bank of the Bel beck, close to the city, but the ground presented physical obstacles rendering the position untenable, so the Prince thought of occupying the east of the post road between the Belbeck and the Tchernaya, but here he failed again for the same cause. It was therefore finally decided to move to the south of the city and to this end the army crossed the Inkermann Causeway, while the Tarouteuo regiment was detached to increase the garrison in the north fort.

Assembling his officers, Admiral Korniloff told them that the victorious allies would probably advance on the northeast and force the Russian fleet to retire. He suggested the desperate alternative of sailing from Sebastopol harbor to attack the allied fleet at Cape Loukoul, and if the attack proved unsuccessful, they were to grapple with the enemy and blow up their own vessels alongside those of the former. The allied armies would then, bereft of their naval support, easily perish before the Russian troops on land and the Russian fleet be extinguished in a blaze of glory, delivering the country. But his officers did not take to Korniloff’s plan and when the Admiral solicited the aid of Mensehikoff, thelattter replied with an order to sink seven ships at the entrance to the Roads to bar any hostile fleet. Koruiloff sadly complied with this order, issuing instructions accordingly. The five oldest line of battle ship, and the two oldest frigates were those selected for the work of premature destruction and ten others were moored on the south side of the Roads to cover the north side with their guns when the enemy should appear in that direction. All the other vessels except the steamers were placed in the South Bay then to be sunk should the fortune of war decree that the city and harbor must be yielded to the enftny. Late lu the afternoon of the 21st of September the orders were carried out. The sad procession of the doomed vessels moved to the passage of the channel at the mouth of the Roads between the Alexander and Constantine batteries; and the other craft took up position along the shore. The array of ships at the entrance to the channel impressed tho enemy with the notion that the Russians were abtmt to give battle, and in view of a possible attack Korniloff deferred tho landing of the artillery from the ships about to be sunk, but at Op. m., the signal to carry out the order to sink the vessels was given by the raisiug of the national colors above the city. All night work was necessary to effect the removal of the material from the ships and wondeiful activity was displayed so that by daybreak on September 3, five ships slowly disappeared under the waves.

A pathetic oecu r renee marked the destruction of the Tri-Sviatitelia, a line-of-battle ship, which refused to sink although the water poured through the breaches purposely made in her timbers. At last the “Gromonossetz” was directed to fire into her; the gallant sailors obeyed and watched the operation with full hearts. When the water finally closed over the grand old ship, tho rugged tars actually wept. Meanwhile Todleben had energetically pushed the fortifioations on the south side of Sebastopol, covering it with field works near the Bistion du Mat. This battery was armed with seventeen guns. All that the brave defenders accomplished was done at the cost of the greatest self-sacrifice and most unceasing toil. There wa3 no time to construct anything but the earthworks,and the convicts from the jails were pressed into service. The allies had arrived on September 27, and the besieged garrison were in hourly dread of an attack, knowing the weak defenses would succumb in any determined assault. They were, besides, now deprived of the presence of Mcnschikoff’s army, which vacated the position south of the city and proceeded eastward to Baktchiserai. The allies, following in the wake of the Russians, crossed the point where the latter turned to the east, thus menacing the southern side. They also threw up batteries there, forcing the Russian war vessels to leave. The position of the besieged was not a reassuring one, with their comparatively small garrison and weak defenses beyond which at a distance of some throe miles lay intrenched an invading army of 00,000 men, rendered confident through recent cesses in the field. The voice ot the brave Korniloff had been heard making a cheery call on the citizens of the leaguered town to aid in the manual labor on the defences. The response, immediate and enthusiastic, was mainly notable for the noble manner in which the women of Sebastopol joined in it. Casting aside all other considerations, remembering only the peril of their city, deaf to all save the calls of duty, these undaunted emulators of the heroine of Saragosa stood forth to defend the sacred soil of Fatherland. Seizing pick and shovel, they threw themselves into the work with an energy that knew no fatigue, laboring night and day with superhuman effort. Repose was sought only when exhausted nature demanded tribute, and when sleep fell upon the tired eyelids the brave women rehearsed iu dreams their waking struggles. What a sight it was—one which might have glowed from the canvas of a de Neuville to inspire a world. What mattered it if, beyond the breastworks of Sebastopol, there gleamedflifar the lurid watchfires of the invader’s bivouac, and around those toilers of the night stray bullets and death-dealing fragments of shell ploughed up the earth they were hastily forming into resisting ramparts! On, on to the completion of their mission ere the foe should have time to hurl his forces against the bulwarks of Muscovy! Owing to the unanimity of action among these brave women, the supply of labor upon the Maidens’ Redoubt 'was inexhaustible and relays were constantly available, so that in an incredibly short space of time the earthwork was brought to completion. The part it played in the siege was a most important one, constantly harassing and obstructing the operations of the besiegers and acting as a formidable obstacle to their plans. It was a worthy companion to the ‘■Cremailliere battery of StanislaffSky,’ to the Krassoffky, and to the heavy careening batteries. But not without a heavy less of life was the nreat work com pie -ed, for the

casualties among the heroines vtere numerous. As I have said, the toilers were of all classes and the victims included several ladies of rank and distinction. Maria Ivanovna Papovna, a daughter of Major General Ivan Popoff, was killed by a splinter of a shell; the Princess Schahovskaya was crippled for life, a stray bullet having struck her in the ankle, and Angelie Leprandi, the young and beautiful daughter of a leading Russian General, the victor of Balaclava, while acting as leader of a gang of sappers, received a shell wound from which she died about six months later. There was a laurel crown for each and everyone, bnt in the case of too many it was laid upon an untimely grave.— [Valerian Gribayedoff, in Philadelphia Press.