Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1859 — Capture of Schamyl's Stronghold. [ARTICLE]

Capture of Schamyl's Stronghold.

.In the greater noise of the war of Italy, the Circassian war, so long maintained, makes but little impression. Yet some interesting events have o< curred in that wild, region. The war appears to be drawing to an end after so many years. The Russians are pressing the life out of the weak but I stubborn Circassians. The following is a ! description of the capture of the stronghold of Schamyl, Vedeno: “Before them was Vedeno. surrounded by strong intrenchments, and defended »y six redoubts, whose ramparts were decorated by a I thousand banners of lively colors while the great black banner, with the silver crescent | of Scha yl, fl outed above all, lit up by a I magnificent winter sun, sparkling in a thou-' sand reflections over the icy snow. A mag-) nificent scene. In an hour a Russian bat-■ talion was in possession of the higbt from . which the battery had been playing on the! camp. But n >thiiig could «be done for a month,except to secure th"ir communication, to make a practicable ro.id to the open country, and to bring up siege guns. Even then it took four batjtalio s three days to bring up three 12-pounders and to repel the attacks which were iriade on the working parties. The Russians could see the munitions which were brought into Vedeno. but they could not get at them; they could not attack the place from 'he upper side. “On the 26th of March they got up some! anortars and several batteries of 12-pounders; ' on the 30th the trenches were opened on three sides, and on the 13th of April the first! ■ and largest of the redoubts, Andi, was bombarded. After a bombardment of twelve hours the assault w s given, and it was ta’ken in less than half an hour. Schamyl hid held out‘bravely all day, and in spite of the; crushing superiority of the Russian fire, his 1 artillery and riflemen had responded. There was one strange incident in the assault; at! the time, abovp all its roar, the national j .hymn of Russia was heard in the redoubt, and half a mile away toward Vedeno, the ! deeble and dying sound of the Nebus, the ’ evening prayer, sung by the warriors in the midst ot grape and ball. Toward eight o’clock all became calm, and the Russian troops bivouack ‘d in the redoubt they had taken; but at midnight they were startled at fleeing the great house of Schamyl in flames,! ikindied by the faithful, who would not have! it profaned by the hands of unbelievers. At I dawn there was no sign of the enemy at ! Vedeno; tftby had fled The Russians were | astonished at the misery, poverty and filth ■ revealed by the condition of the houses. ’ They must Jiave lived very filthy. “Corpses were lying everywhere. Pools of blood, human limbs, earth recently' moved sinking beneath the tread, and exposing human feet and arms, broken weapons, bloody and torn garments, houses in ruins, made up a picture of misery and desolation. The works of defense were immense; what was | lacking in art was made up in mass. To | judge by the bodies lying all about, and the' fact that the Circassians rarely’ abandon their dead, they must have suffered very severely. The system of jdetense of the place was so bad that no portion of it was tenable after this redoubt, Andi, had been taken. Several battalions were occupied for three days in •raising the fortress and destroying the town, and a fortress was built which is to be the | of the infantry regiment of; Kourinsk. All Chechnia was taken with: Vedeno; thousands of inhabitants have given in their adhesion to the Russian Government, ■and they are stijll coining in. The religious superstition which was Schamyl’s chief strength with the people appears to have been broken by jthe capture of his stronghold, which was, indeed, the Mecca of the prophet chieftain. His power is broken with his people.: Henceforward be and his Murids must lurk in the mountains.”