English: Destruction of Russian stores at Gheisk, in the sea of Azoff.

Sketches of Crimea. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 22 December 1855.

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DESTRUCTION OF RUSSIAN STORES AT GHEISK., in our last week's Supplement we gave the official despatches relating to this brilliant affair, from which it appeared that Captain Osborn had succeeded in burning a large quantity of valuable Russian stores in the Sea of Azoff, in spite of the resistance of a large body of Russian troops. The above Engraving of the transaction is from a sketch by an officer who was present, and who accompanied it with the following letter :- To the Editor of the ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS.) " Sea of Azoff, Nov. 17th, 1855. " On the 5th Nov. the attack was made on the town of Gheisk and adjoining country by the boats of HMS Vesuvius, Ardent, Weser, Curlew, Recruit, and other small gun-boats. Of the three divisions of boats represented in the engraving, the left landed four miles from the town on the extreme left, and worked to the right, burning as they went the immense stores of corn and forage which were collected for the use of the army. They at length formed a junction with the centre division, which also worked along to the right, driving back the Russian troops opposed to them. From the rapidity with which they shifted their ground the main body of the enemy were unable to save any of their stores, the whole of which were destroyed. " the right attack was made on the right of the storeyard. On being attacked by a large body of cavalry and infantry, which advanced upon them from the road above, they immediately gained possession of the storeyard, which they kept for three hours and a half, under the fire of the enemy, by which time they had destroyed the large collection of stores there--consisting of boats, planks, spars, timber, tar, &c.-and embarked in the boats at the same time as the other parties. The casualties of the landing parties amounted to seven wounded. There were altogether nearly 200 men landed. The force of the enemy is estimated at 3000 men." Captain Osborn, in his despatch, says, " I despair of being able to convey to you any idea of the extraordinary quantity of corn, rye, hay, wool, and other supplies, so necessary for the existence of Russian armies, both in the Caucasus and the Crimea, which it has been our good fortune to destroy. That these vast stores should have been collected here, so close to the sea, whilst we were still in the neighbourhood, is only to be accounted for by their supposing that they could not be reached by us." Here we see the great advantage of our having a flotilla of gunboats for important services of that kind. As regards the number of men engaged on both sides, Captain Osborn gives a higher estimate of the Russian forces than that of our Correspondent. The latter rates them at 3000, whereas Captain Osborn says " During these proceedings we never had more thin 200 men engaged; the enemy had, from the concurrent testimony of Lieutenants Ross and Strode, and my own observation, from 3000 to 4000 men in Gheisk alone."