(1857) The Illustrated History of the War Against Russia

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IN

EUROPE:

WITH

TRANSCAUCASIA,

Chap.

XLV.]

HISTOET OF

THE

WAR

AGAINST

EUSSIA.

601

division, but

whether

friends or foes it

was

impossibleto discern.

A

tremendous fire

was

poured into our scattered division, and Sir

Georgeled

them up

thehill, cheering

them

at

the

same

time,

when

he fell from his horse, a

shot having passed through his head.

Our

poor fellows

were

surrounded,and great

num-bers

were

killed and bayoneted on all sides;

but they gained the hiU.withthe loss of 600

or 600

men.

Brigadier-general Goldie here

met

with his

wound,

which

the dayfollowing

provedfatal. Lieutenant-colonelSwiney,63rd

regiment,

Major

Wynne,

of the 68th, and Lieutenant Dowling, of the 20th,

were

also

killed, with

numbers

of

men

and oflScers;

Brigadier-general Torrens

was

also severely

wounded."

The

foregoing description

by

the subaltern of the 20th differs so little from that of the Times' correspondent, that it

would seem

as if

eitherthe subaltern

was

not in thefight

him-self, or could see nothing

where

hewas, and

preferred to take his account off-hand from

the Times.

Both

accounts are,

we

believe,

inaccurate as to the cause and

way

of Sir

George's death.

Fighting against desperate odds, and

fall-ing fast at every step, these fragmentsof Sir

George's division extricated themselves from

the ravine, and

drew

np, shattered and

dis-pirited, iipon thecrestofthe hiU.

The

ill-sueoess of.this manoeuvre paralysed

the actionoftheGuards,

who

formed

upon

the

slope,whilethe Russians, securing the

two-gun

battery, ascended to the hill above it,

where

portions of the 20thregiment, under Colonel Crofton,

who

had

endeavoured in vain to

support the 41st at the battery,

had

retired

with that regiment; thither also the Guards

fell back, and portions of the 47th and 68th regiments

had

alsoformedup.

Here

thebattle

was

renewed

with the old obstinacy.

The

British were nearlywithout

ammunition

—

the

Russians

were

well supplied; the Britishwere

athin,broken,andscatteredline

—

theRussians

came

in

numbers

likethelocusts,andasif, like

them, havoc

was

certain in their 'track.

Re-sistance seemed in vain; yet there thebrave

English remained, struggling in the

brush-wood

with the bayonet against innumerable

foes

—

realising Scott's description of another

conflict:

—

"Thestubborn spearmenstillmadegood Theirdark,impenetrablewood

;

Eachstepping wherehiscomradestood

Theinstantthathefell."

At

thisjuncturetheheroismof the

Duke

of

Cambridge sustained the fortunes of the hour.

According to Colonel

Hamley,

he

ran the gauntlet of the Russian fire as he galloped before the despairing British, callingon

them

tostand to theirarms andfire.

Such

of

them

as

had ammunition

promptly respondedto the

call, and the whole line, as if

by

an electric

shock, caught the spirit of theprince.

What

a contrasttothe scionsofthe imperialhouseof

Russia!

whUe

thelatter, shelteredevenout of

cannon range the greater part of the day, the

grandsonof a

Eing

ofEngland, andthe cousin of his queen, rode along the front of danger, inspiringthedroopingspiritsofthe

men

by

his

own

chivalry. His royal highness narrowly

escaped a warrior'sdeath

—

theRussiansturned

their muskets

upon

him

with deliberate aim,

one shot entered his sleeve, another slew his

charger,and he

was

bruised

by

thefall. His

staff fell fast around

him

; Captain Clifton's

horse

was

killed

by

a round-shot, and he

was

himself

wounded

intheface

by

a splinter of a

shell; Major Macdonald, also on the duke's

staff,lost hishorse

—

ashedidat

Alma

; a third

oflcer inpersonalattendanceonhisroyal

high-ness

was

killed. This

was

Captain

H.

F.

Butler, brother of the hero of Silistria.

He

was

a noble officer, and while imitating his

chief in cheering the droopingcourage of the

men, received a bullet in his brain,and fell

down

dead at the feet of his leader. Truly,

the fatherofthese gallantButlers deservesthe

sympathy

of his country, and long will the

memory

of these intrepidoflScers remain green

in the hearts of the brave. Brigadier-general

Bentinck

was

about this time wounded. Bri-gadiers-general

Adams

of the second

divi-sion, and Goldie, of the fourth, weremortally

wounded, and Brigadier-general Torrens

dan-gerously.

In

another direction Sir George

Brown

fell: he had behavedinthemostheroic

manner, surpassing in glory even his conduct

at the

Alma,

when

he received abulletinthe

arm

and side. Mr. Russell thus refers to the incident:

—

"Sir George

Brown

was

hit

by

a

shot,

which went

through his

arm

and struck

his side. I

saw

with regret his pale

and

sternlycomposedface,hiswhitehairflickering

in the breeze, for I

knew we

had

lost the

servicesof agood soldierthatday."

The

loss

of so

many

officers is partly to be accounted

for

by

thedirections

which

theRussiansoldiers

receivedtodirect theiraimas

much

aspossible at the officers, and partly to the chivalrous

manner

in

which

they exposed themselves

fortheencouragementofthemen.

Our

troops

now

gradually retired from the hills at the

right, fighting with their usual tenacity as

theyfeU back.

The

Russians pushed forward

their forces,andfindingcover in the

brushwood

(about fourfeethigh) on each sideof theroad

leadingtothe postof thesecond division,they kept

up

anunintermittentfire.

As

our

men

fell

back underthe gallingfireofthis fusillade,the Russians, rushing from the coppice, chai'ged

them

repeatedlywiththebayonet, butwerein

everyinstance repulsed with heavy slaughter.

602

HISTORY OF

THE

"WAR AGAINST

EUSSIA.

[Chap.

XLV.

Still our

men

necessarily fell back

—

it

was

impossiblefortheirremaining

numbers

to

make

headagainstthe swellingfloodofbayonet and

flame

which

rose againstthem. All order

was

gradually lost

—

men' and ofiScers fought in

crowdsorgroups, according to their numbers,

andirrespective toa greatextent of particular

corps.

Every clump

of scrub and

brushwood

was

the scene of close and bloody conflict.

Separate combats

were

waging

in this

way

along the whole line of defence.

The

great

danger which

now

existed

was

theattainment

by

the

enemy

ofthe

summit

oftheridge, so as

to give

them room

todeploy

upon

theplateau,

and

thereby bring the

remnant

of our stricken

bands underawider range of fire. This

was

at last about to be accomplished, for the

English

were

slowlyandsullenlyretiring

upon

the

camp

; the

enemy

had gained theheadof

theroad,and begantodisplaytheir

numbers

in

an effective position. All seemed lost; some

of the

men

cried out for ammunition,

some

exclaimed

"It

is all over

—

it is no use!

"

stilltheyfought intheir despair,andfellwith

their faces to thefoe. It

was

at this terrible

moment

that Bosquet and his light division

arrived. That officer, having detected the

feint of Liprandi, and prepared his guns to

give the cavalry of the Russians a

warm

re-ception, shouldthey

come

within rangeof the

cragson

which

his force

was

posted,

moved

his

lighttroops rapidlyforward to the right flank

of the English line of battle.

The

sun had

now

triumphedover therainandmist,andthe

whole

field

was

bathed in that rich and

mellow

light

which

immediatelyensues

when

the sky is cleared after showers; the con-tendingarmies could see one another at last.

The

Russians

had

reachedtheplateau,and were

on

the point of deploying there; the English, wearied and reelingbefore the

mighty

masses hurled

upon

them, were still bearing a front

withthemostdesperatevalour,

when

theblast oftheFrench lightinfantry bugles resounded

along the height, and abattalion of Chasseurs

moved

between the English and their

assail-ants.

They

were received with a storm of

shot, shell, canister, and musketry

which

utterlyastounded them, and theyfellback

upon

the British,still

more

disheartening thelatter.

Before any fatal effects could followthis

new

disaster, Oeneral Bosquet launched

two

regi-ments, each

numbering

about 1500 men,ui)on

the Russian flank.

The

Zouaves formed the

firstline, the Chasseurs Indigenes thesecond;

they charged ontothetwo-gunbattery,

sweep-ing thedarkbattalions ofthe

enemy

before

them

withflre and bayonet; their vivats rang over

the

now

illuminated heights, gleamingin the displayof hostilesteel, echoingwiththe shouts

and tread of the rallying hosts, and rever-beratingwiththesound of innumerable arms.

Through

all the danger of the conflict, the

battle-cry of the gallant

French

rose

up

distinct

andclear

—

and gladly did theEnglishcatch the

sound,andasthey caughtit,with simultaneous

feeling theirshattered line rallied,responding

withBritish cheers.

The

French regimentin the road mingled

with

the rallying English,

and becameinextricably

mixed up

with

them

asall chargedon together against the daunted andsurprised enemy.

The

Russiansran

from

the-battery, pursued

by

thenimble Chasseurs

and Zouaves, and the dense columns

which

were deploying onthe

summit were

strickenas

if

by

a single stroke, and

went

reeling

down

before therallied and inspirited soldiers they had with suchdifficultyforced back. It

now

became

a massacre; the

enemy

was

still far

superior in numbers, but seemed to have no

longer heart

—

they turned from the line of bayonets pointedso fiercelyagainst them,

and

fledin every directionthroughthebrushwood. Their retreat

was

ably covered

by

troops

arranged for that purpose, but these also fell

back, bravely preserving as

much

order as

averted for the

moment

a complete rout.

They

were hotly pursued

by

fresh regiments

ofFrenchuntil panic seized

them

universally,

and theyfled,flinging

away

theirarmsintheir

flight.

Nothing

could be

more

ignoble and

dastardlythanthe

mannerin which

thefugitives

sought safbty at the expense of oneanother,

and cringed before conquerors to

whom

be-fore they

showed

no mercy. Forty thousand

Russians were chased from thefield of battle

by

scarcely 12,000 British

and

French. ~

_On

the left of the English line the resistance of

the

enemy was

stouter.

Two

French

regiments

charged

them

in the ravineunderShell Hill.

The

fireof theRussians

was

fora

few

moments

soterriblethat these regiments

showed

symp-tomsofhesitation, buttheEnglish forming

up

in their support, the

whole

dashed

upon

the

enemy

with the bayonet, clearing both ridges

ofthe ravine,and strewingits sideswithdead.

The

Russian guns on the heights

—

about

ninetypieces,most of

them

pieces of position

—

now

opened

upon

the conquerors with

renewed

fury, and

many

fell under this deadly

can-nonade.

The camps

of the second and light

divisionwere covered with shotand fragments

ofshell, andthe tents

were

tornandshattered

by

thefire. This cannonade

was

preparatory

to another attack; but, fortunately, Bosquet had brought

up

guns as well as infantry, and

sent three fieldbatteries to assist those of the English.

A

new

"duel

of artillery"

now

commenced,

in

which

the Russians, fromsheer

weightof metal,

would

have had the

advan-tage,haditnotbeenforthetwo gunsofposition

brought

up by Gambler

andDickson. Captain P'Aigular

now

greatly distinguished himself

Chap.

XLV.]

HISTOET

OF

THE

WAR

AGAINST

EUSSIA,

603 with slow but deadly precision against Shell

Hill,untilthe

enemy withdrew

his batteries,

leaving, as

was

afterwards discovered,100dead,

two

broken carriages, five broken tumbrils,

and seven tumbrils in an unbroken state and

full of ammunition.

How

many

wounded

theyhad borne away, and

what

worksof

mate-riel, could not bs ascertained.

During

this

cannonade, the Eussian infantry were rallied

hy

their officerswith mostcreditablezealand

courage,butdidnotadvancefar

—

thefireofour

fieldpiecesbreaking

up

theircolumns.

Once

more

they

were

rallied, and the

enemy

threw

forwardhis lastreserves; butthemusketry of thealliesgave

them

aterriblereception—they

didnotwaitforthe bayonet,but soughtsafety

inshamefuland confusedflight.

"When

they reached the Tchernaya Yalley their disorder

andterror

were

pitiable.

A

marsh

extended

fromtheheadoftheharbourforsomedistance,

which was made

passable

by

a narrow stone

causeway.

As

theycrossedthisintheirflight,

the

French

artillery

made

havoc

among them

—

everyshottold, and brought

down

numbers

as

itcrashedintothedensemassesofthefugitive's.

GeneralBosquet

had

brought

up

his

Chas-seurs d'Afrique,

who

watched for an oppor-tunity to charge, forcing their agile

Arab

chargers

among

the brushwood.

They

were

followed

by

other detachments of the cavalry ofourally; but the ground

was

unsuited for

thatarm, andlittle

was

efifected

by

them.

The

remnant

of the British light brigade wasalso

advancedto aposition

where

it

was

supposed

they

might

beofservice,buttheirsabreswere

not

employed

; several officers and

men

were,

however, put hors de conibat

by

the enemy's cannon.

During

thelatterpart of the action,

aportion ofGeneral England's division

was

of

greatservice.

The

position necessarily occupied

by

that general did not give

him

the same chanceof distinction as others; butnotroops

onthefieldwere

more

eagertobeforwardinthe

van

of

war

than-the gallant third division

;

and their leader. Sir Eichard England,

was

worthy

of them.

He

had,however, a postto

keep, which,

untU

theproper juncture arrived,

could not be left unguarded.

At

the right time. Sir Eichard, with the portion of his

division available, vigorously charged the

enemy, and contributedtothe fortunes of the day.

The

gallantry of the regiments of the third division

was

conspicuousoijthisoccasion,

and by

the impetuosityof their charge

pre-ventedthe

enemy

fromrallying.

The

following report of General

England

will disclose the nature of the service

ren-dered

by

him

andhis division:

—

Camp,ThirdDivision, before Sebastopol,

Nov.7,1854.

SiK,—In conformity-withyourdirectionsof yesterday,

I have nowthe honourto acquaintyon, forthe

infor-mationof hisexcellency the commander ofthe forces,

thaton hearing musketry onthemorningof the 5th

in-stant, Iordered the third divisiontogetunder armsj and,

findingsoon afterwards that the fourth divisionhadmoved

off tothe sceuu of action, Ioccupiedtheirpositionbyhalf

ofthe 28thregiment,under Lieutenant-colonelAdams,

directingalsothe royal regimentof footand the 50th,

with two guns underthecommandofBrigadier-general SirJohn Campbell,to proceedtothe support of thefirst

andlightdivisions. TheseIandthestaffaccompanied. Meantime, Brigadier-general Eyre, somewhat rein-forced,held thecommand ofthe troops in the trenches

in ourfront,andthe ground usually belonging to the

thirddivision,whowasin likemannerplacedunder the chargeofdetachmentsofdifferent corps,"which were in

part employed on other duties, under Colonel the

Honourable A.Spencer,44:thregiment. The demeanour

oftheenemywasatfirstof that character,andhisnumber

sogreat,thatitwasdifficulttodecidewhetheritwashis intentiontoconfine hiseffortstoanattackmerelyonthe right ofourline,orto assailgenerallyand equallythe

left andcentre ofit

—

sothatitVasnecessarytoobserve thewholespacefromthedeepravineon

my

lefttothe

ground, upwards oftwo miles off,on which the light division was engaged; but I was gladto find myself

soonenabledtogivesome veryseasonable aidtothe ope-rationsofMajor-general Codrington in that quarter, as well as to'supply the demand made for assistance by H.R.H.theDukeofCambridge.

' Individually, I placedmyselfonthegroundtotheleft

of theenemy's main attack, and opposite to his right, findingthat I couldatthat point best directany

move-mentsinwhichthe third division could be called upon

topartake; andIremainedtherethewholeday,with the

exception of making one rapid visit to the positions

belonging to us on the left, forthe security ofwhich

Iconsidered myselfequally responsible. The vigilance

oftheoflScers,however,whoIhadleftinchargeofthat

groundrelievedmeas to allapprehensions foritssafety.

Thelossofthe third division in thesemattersonthe5th

instantamountedtoeleven'killed and twenty wounded, buttothe present period of the siegetheyhave lost (ex-clusive ofthe casualties justmentioned) seventeenkilled,

and eight officersand103 sergeants and rank and file

wounded.''* Thereferencetothesenumberswillperhaps

plead

my

excusefortakingthisoccasion of

recommend-ingtothe favourable notice of his excellency the com-manderoftheforces,thecommandingofficersof the

bri-gades and regiments; andIbeg to assure his lordship thatonall occasions theirconducthasentitledthemto

my

highestcommendation.

Itwould be presumptioninme toattemptto describe the action of the5thinstant,butIcansafely assert that

theofficersandmenofthe third division did their best to

bringittoa successful conclusion,andthat,as atAlma,

allexertedthemselvestogivethose proofs of loyaltyand

devotion,whichindeed thewholearmyseemssodesirous

toevince; andthusItrusttobepardonedformentioning

the names of Brigadier-general Sir John Campbell,t

Brigadier-general Eyre,C.B., Colonel Bell of the royal

regimentoffoot.Lieutenant-colonelWaddyofthe50th regiment (wounded), and Lieutenant-colonelLowthfof

the !j8thregiment; also of Colonel Cobbet of the 4th

foot (wounded at Alma), Colonel the Honourable A. Spencerofthe44thfoot,andLieutenant-colonelAdama

of the28th regiment. FurtherIbegalso tomentionin

high termsofcommendationMajorJ.S.WoodandMajor

theHonourable H. Colborneof the adjutantand quarter-master-general's departmentsrespectively, and Captain Stewart Wortleyof thelatter; alsoCaptainNeville,and

the otherofficersof

my

personalstaff,togetherwithMajor

theHonourableC.Hopeand CaptainDaniells of the38th

regiment, the brigademajorsservingwiththisdivision.

Ibegtoadd thatDoctorC. Forrest,deputy inspector-general of hospitals,hasatalltimes earned

my

warmest

approbationbythestrictattention paidtothe sick,and

that Mr. Assistant Commissary-general de Fonblanque has discharged with great success the dutiesof his

de-partment. Ihavethehonourto be,Sii^,

Tourobedient servant,

K.England,Lieutenant-general.

* There was some smallincrease to thesenumbers

604

HISTOET

OE

THE

"WAE

AGAINST

EUSSIA.

[Chap.

XLY,

SirEiohard England, bothat

Inkerman

and

Alma,

^SLsplaced inapositionof greatutility

and importance, for -which, he received but

littlepublic credit.

AH

military

men

ofrank

andtalent have been

prompt

to do honourto

the services of Sir Eichard, but the popular

mind

is necessarily

swayed by

the

more

ob-vious aspect of matters; and, as at

Alma

and Inkerman,SirEichard'sdivision sufferedvery

little, the general publicsupposedthathe

was

lessforwardthanotheroflHcers.

At Inkerman

the post occupied

by

General

England

pre-vented the left of our position from being

turned.

At

Alma

hisdivision

was

insupport (not inreserve, as

was

generally represented) of Sir

De

Lacy

EVans' division, to

which

he rendered the greatest services in the hourof

need.

During

the mostcriticalportion of the struggle at Alma, General

Evans

sent to

Ge-neral

England

forthe aid ofhisguns; thelatter not only afforded the guns, but accompanied

them

himself, crossed the river,

and

exposed

himself in the thickest of thefire. Let anyof

the detractors of this brave

man

askGeneral

Evans

how

he behaved on that occasion.

Sir

De

Lacy

is too noble-hearted and gallant himself, and too justly desirous of the good

opinion of his country, not to do justice to

everysoldier, whetherfortune smilesorfrowns

upon

him.

The

authorhas heard the friends

of eachof these ofScers speak in the highest

eulogy of the other, as to their conduct at

Inkerman

and Alma. General

Evans

not only

felt grateful for the promptitude with

which

SirEichard sent forward the guns,but inva-riably testifies to the unostentatious gallantry of General

England

in offering hispersonalaid.

The

following letterwill establish this fact:

—

Sryansion Sqtmre,Feb.14,1855.

Inreferencetoyourletter,Ibeg, in reply,tosay that, asisusualinsuckcases,the generals commandingthe

three divisions principally engagedatthe battle of the

Alma (namely, the second, light, and third divisions)

wererequired totransmitreports to thecommander of

theforces,relativetothe operations respectivelyexecuted

underthen-directions.

In

my

report,onlyasmallpart ofwhich waspublished, therewas a passage, I believe, nearlyin the following

words:

—

_{That towards the} latterpart of the battle, Sir

Eichard England,who commandedthe third division, in reservetothe second,senttome, byastaff officer,toask

ifIrequired anyassistancefrom him. Irequested that

he would sendmetothe front thewholeof hisartillery.

Itwas

my

faultthatthisrequesthadnot beenpreviously

made. SirEichardEngland, without amoment'sdelay, rapidlycame up himself, with twelve piecesofcannon, and thuscontributedtoenable ustoopen, afew minutes

subsequently, a battery ofaboutthirtyguns,which

pro-duced destructive effects in the masses of the enemy.

Thisfact,honourable,asIthink,tohis zealand

prompti-tude,andofconsiderableimportance, wasotacially re-ported by

me

at the time

—

andit would illbecomeme

toforgetit. Tours verytruly,

De

LacyEvans.

TotheSon. ,M.P.

The

following lettersfromColonel Bell and

Colonel Stuart confirm also our views of the gallantgeneral'sconduct:

—

3, CrescentSow,Exeter, Sowtliernlmy, Feb. 28, 1856.

Dbae

Sir,

—

^Tour letter, with its inclosure,followed

me

from Liverpoolhere,andI have muchpleasure in bearing

my

humbletestimonytothesoldier-likeconduct

of SirRichardEngland,at the battles of theAlma and

Inkerman. SirRichard was conspicuous inleadinghis divisionwithin the range of the Russian guns atthe Alma.

He

was haltedbycommand,asa reserve tothe seconddivision,being himself under.fire;andsofarfrom

keepinghis menback, thatheseemedmost anxious to

pushontothe aid ofsomegallantregimentsinourfront,

whowere suffering muchfrom the enemy'srapid fire.

I received Sir Richard's orders through an

aide-de-camptomove ray corps (theRoyals)to the leftand to

the front, to be readyforanything. Seeingthe 23rd

regimentfalling fast,1 dashed

my

corps acrossthe river

totheirsupport;butjustasIformedupontheleftbank,

theRussians here gave way.

I am, dearSir,faithfullyyours,

GeobgeBell, Colonel.

Aldershot,April9,1856.

My

deau Sir,

—

I have just received your letterof yesterday,anditsinclosures (thelatterIbegtoreturn). I loseno time inacquaintingyouthatwiththe

excep-tion of the third division having beenrepresented at theAlma, in ColonelBell's letter, as being in reserve instead of in support, Imostcordiallyconcur in every

wordhe hasstated relativetotheforward conductof Sir

RichardEngland, andthe disposition of the troopsunder

hiscommand,bothattheAlmaandInkerman.

I have always considered that,inthe formerbattle,

the thirddivisionwas insupport, and not in reserve.

Itsfirstbrigade,and one regimentofthesecondbrigade,

werein support of the second division; the othertwo regimentsofthe second brigadein the samepositionto

theGuards'division. Idonot think

my

memorymisleads

me

whenI say, thatwhenmoving offfrom our bivouac onthe morningthe actionwasfought, SirRichard

Eng-landwasinformed that the thirdwas to support the

seconddivision,andthat, on ourcomingin sight ofthe

heights of theAlma,SirEichardEnglandreceived orders

through a staff-officer to assist the Guards' division

(whichwastotheleftofthethird,andinsupportofthe

light division), should our left be toohardly pressed. I willhere remark that Sii-Richard England, and the

staffcrossed the riverimmediately inrear of the 30th

regiment,and wereforsome time ouitsright,when it

was drawn upin lineon ahillock topour its fireupon

threeRussian regimentsthatwere incolumn in rear of the batterywhich caused so much destruction to our Guards and light division. Hoping that I have made

my

description of the position of the third division at the

Almaintelligible toyou,believe

me

toremain,

Tourstruly,

Stuaut.

The

following is a faithful account of the

services of General

England

and his division

during their services in the East,

up

to the

battleof Inkerman,furnished

by

agentleman

perfectlyconversantwiththefacts:

—

"

The

third division of thearmy,to

which

SirE.

England was

appointed, beingstationed

at Gallipoli, he relieved Sir George

Brown

at

that postintheendofApril,1854.

The

troops

were

employed

in fortifying aline of defence

selected

by

the allied engineers, from the

Seaof

Marmora,

on the right, to the Gulf of

Xeros, on the left. These duties pressed a good deal on the brigades, but the division

was

healthy andinhighorder. It

was

reviewed

by

MarshalSt.Arnaud, Canrobert, andothers,

who

here borrowed for the adoption of the

French our

method

offormingsquares

and

other

Chap.

XLY.]

HISTOET OF

THE

WAE

AGAINST

ETJSSIA.

605

our gallant allies preserved with, us tliemost

cordial '_fraternity' tothe last.

"

_In

_{July, the third division}

_embarked

_for Yarna, and like the rest of the

army was

employed

in hard labourto

make

gabions and

fascines preparatory to the descent on the

Crimea.

The

cholera thinned the ranks of the

army

severely at thisjuncture.

When

the troops effected their landing at Old Port,

they

moved up

by. divisions toa positionfrom

which

that landing

might

have been easily

opposed

by

the Kussians.

The

night

which

followed

was

a very fatal one to

many who

had a tendency tocholera.

We

had

nothing

on

shore, anditrained intorrents.

In

moving

to the

Alma,

the third division supported

and

marched

behind the second, whilst the

first division supported the light; the fourth division

was

considerably in therear. Inthis

manner

the attack

was

made

; but as the fire

became

warmer.SirE.

England

gallopedtoask

General

Evans

how

hecould best assist him.

They

then brought their united batteries to

bearontheretiringcolumnsoftheenemy, and

the third division

was

in theactof deploying

between the Guards and the French,

when

intimationreached

them

that thelatterdid not intend to advance further that day.

The

vexation of our troops at this

announcement

was

extreme. This division especially had

only, as itwere, just

come

into action.

They

had

losttwenty-twomen,and

saw

that theday

was

ours,andthattheywerenottobe allowed

to takeadvantageof thevictory.

"

_On

_the 23rd, the

march was

resumed to

the Eatscha through an endless jungle, each

division

moving

independently, withorders to

steer south-east; and they all debouched at

M'Kenzie's

Farm,

at

which

point the rear of aEussian

column

moving

out of Sebastopol

was

caught

by

our troops,

some

ammunition

blown

up, and the third division placed so

as to

watch

its progress, and cover the rest

of the British

army

in their descent to the

Tchernaya.

"

_On

the 27th,the thirddivision

moved

from

the plains of Balaklava towards Sebastopol,

and havingassisted at thefirst reconnaissance of that place, took

up

various positions until

that ground

was

allotted to it opposite the

Dockyard,

which

it held to the end of the operation; having the fourth division under

GeneralCathcarton its right,and the

French

division,

commanded by

Prince Napoleon, on

its left.

The

siegeoperations

now

began, and

daily sicknessanddailycasualtiesinkiUedand

wounded

soon told

upon

oureffective strength

untU

thebattleof

Inkerman:" where

General

England's services were important, although

thelossofhis division

was

butslight.

It

was

three o'clock in the afternoon before the battle terminated;

by

five the Eussiana

had entirely disappeared, and their guns were

withdrawn

from the heights.

The

chill, dull

winter evening set over the victors and the

vanquished; andover the blood-stainedslopes ofInkerman,the deadand dying werethickly strewn.

The

plan of Menschikoff

was

com-pletelyfrustrated

—

his sortie

was

repulsed

by

the

French

with signal defeat.

The

feint of

LiprandiagainstBalaklava,andthe position of

Bosquet

was

discovered intime

by

theFrench

general, and succour

was

sent in the crisis of

thebattle.

The

contemplated attack

upon

the

trenches ofthe thirddivision(theextremeleft

of the British attack)

was

never

made

—

the

Eussian general missing hisway,and coming

where

he

was

neitherexpectednordesired, he

increased the confusion of the assailants at

Inkerman, and added to the fearful

numbers

of the Eussian slain.

The

grand attack

was

itselfrepulsed

by

theenduringcourageof the

British,andtheimpetuouschargesoftheallies,

united,attheclose ofthehard-fought day. It

was

agreat struggleof blood,thelike ofwhich, considering the

numbers

engaged,

had

never been witnessed in the hardest foughtbattle.

SixtythousandEussians

had

beenhurledback

tothefeetof the imperial princes from before

whom

they

had

advanced inthe confidence of

numbers, of the Divineblessing, and withthe

inspiration ofexuberantloyalty,religious zeal,

national enthusiasm, andmilitarypride.

The

Eussian soldiers

had

been

aU

taught that no

army

couldstand before thatof their emperor,

and that he had a right to subjugate the

power

andappropriatethespoilsofallnations.

The

events of

Inkerman

did a great deal to dispeltheillusionsoftheEussiansoldiery; and had a true account found its

way

into

Eus-sia, it

would

have probably openedthe eyesof

theEussian people, orsuch of

them

as could

read, as tothefutility of theirczarcontending

withthealliance ofnations againsthim.

The

night of the 5th of

November was

one

of sadness to the victors

—

they

had

gained a great battle,butat terriblecost. Still,

when

thelosseswere computed,theFrenchlost

more

in proportion than theEnglishas to

numbers

and

thetimein

which

theywereengaged. So

badly directed

was

the

aim

of the Eussian musketry, and so unequal were they to the British in close combat, that the loss of the

English in slain

was

not one tenth that of

their opponents,and ofthese

many

were

mur-dered aftertheyfellwounded.

Even

Eussian

oflBoers joined in this

work

of assassination

:

one major

was

seen, limping about the field,

thrustinghis swordintothe

wounded

English.

One

ofthe

Duke

ofCambridge'sstafftook

him

prisoner, and the

Duke

intimated the

proba-bility ofhisbeinghangedas an example.

He

afterwards attempted to

make

his escape,but

606

HISTOET OP

THE

"WAE AGAINST

EUSSIA.

[Chap.

XLV.

foundforbringing

him

totrial,hedied

—

it

was

believed of

shame

and remorse.

The

loss of

the British

was

inkilled462, vronnded 1952 ;

and

198, including officers,

were

reported

as missing

—

some of

whom

were

afterwards discoveredtohave been

made

prisoners, others

were

proved to have fallen, and

some

were never heard of.

The

officers killed

amounted

to 43, the

wounded

to 102 ; the

ser-geants killed were 32,

wounded

123.

Tour

generals were killed

—

Lieutenant-general Sir

George Cathcart, and Brigadiers Strangways,

Goldie, and Torrens.

Four

generals were

wounded

—

Lieutenant-general Sir George

Brown,

and Brigadiers Bentinck, BuUer, and

Adams.

The

French loss

was

1726 killed,

wounded,

or missing.

The

estimates of the

Eussianlosswerevarious. PrinceMenschikoff

reported thathe

was

unable to ascertain, but

that the

wounded

were

more

than 3000. It

is probable that thekilled, wounded, and

pri-soners

amounted

to nearly20,000

—

athirdof thewhole army.

The

carnage

was

frightful,

andjustifiesthishigh computationofthehavoc

intheEussianbattalions.

During

the battle therewere

many

acts of

the most chivalrous and romantic courage. Colonel

Hamley

noticed a

guardsman

thrust

down

a

number

of his adversaries with

pro-digious strength, and the most persistent

courage, until at lasthefeU. After thebattle,

ihecolonel had the curiosity to look for him,

and

found

him

slain,withfiftybayonet

wounds

inhisbody.

He

turnedbackhiscollar, and

saw

stamped onthe blue blouse shirt hewore, the Tin-English

name

Mastow.

A

private soldier

named

Maclaghan, an Irishman, performed

prodigies of valour.

The

gallant conduct of

Sir E.

Newman

and Lieutenant Greville will

long leavetheir

names

dear tothe admirersof

patriotism and courage. Sir

Thomas

Trou-bridge,

when

desperatelywounded, losingboth

feet, still fought,laying holdof such support

ashecouldfind, and encouraging the

men

to

persevere. His

name

isstilloftenpronounced

by

officersand

men who

fought at Inkerman.

A

Frenchofficer,anensign,leaped

upon

theparapet

ofthe

two-gun

battery, and continuedto

wave

the tricolour amidst showers of shotuntilthe

enemy was

driven out.

A

British sergeant

was

attacked

by

fiveEussians, he slewthree,

and fellexhausted and

wounded

; accordingto

his

own

account his eyes failed, and he had

nearlyswooned,

when

aFrenchofficergalloped up, sabred the

two

Eussians, and with

power-ful

hand

lifted

up

the prostrate

Englishman

upon

his horse, and riding with

him

to the

rear,placed

him

undersurgicalattendance,and

kissinghishand, returnedtothefight. It

was

supposed that this noble

Frenchman

himself subsequentlyfell,astheperformerof the gene-rousdeed couldnever betraced.

Many

of the

wounds

inflicted

upon

the

Britishwerehorrible

—

they

were

sofrequently struck

by

bullet and bayonet.

The most

ex-,

traordinary case is that of private Thomas-Walker, 95th regiment,

who

was

in hospital nearly twelve months, during

which

time

he

had

thirteen pieces of his skull

removed

by

Dr. Parry.

He

was wounded

at

Inkerman

by

the bursting of ashell,

which

carried

away

a

portion of his skull, laying open the brain,

and he

was

discovered

some

hours afterwards^

wandering about in a state of total

uncon-sciousness. His recovery is considered very

extraordinary. This bravefellowonhis arrival at

home

was

seen

by

her majesty,

who made

him

a present of£10.

Several prisonerswere taken

by

theEussians

in the

commencement

of theengagement,

some

of

whom

were

well treated, others

were

used

most barbarously. It mainly depended

upon

the dispositionand rankof the captors

how

the

poor prisoners fared. .

The

following is from

the United Service Gazette, and

may

be taken

asaspecimenofthe treatmentof ourofficers.

It accounts also for both the hardships

and

amenitiesofEussian imprisonment:

—

" Captain

James

DuiF,of the 23rd regiment^

was

takenprisonerthedayofthebattleof In-kerman, while on picket in the"White

House

Eavine, leading to Careening Bay.

He

attri-butes thefaultofhiscapturetoaparty of

men

of the

—

division on his right,

who

fell back

without passing on the alarm. Captain Duflf

andhispicket were fighting infront, and

had

nearly expended their ammunition,

when,

to

their surprise, they suddenly found

some

of

the

enemy

ontheir flank.

The

men

peirceived

they

were

beingsurrounded, and attemptedto

fallback.

As

theydid so,one

man who

kept

close toCaptain Duff

was

knocked over.

He

thentried to

make

forapathleading

up

to the

hill, and

had

proceeded a

few

yards

when

he

met some

Eussians in front directlyopposing

his further progress.

They had

got

round

them. Eight or nine

men

then closed

upon

CaptainDuff,and,ashestillstruggledtoescape, one

man

gave

him

a taponthe head

with

the but-end of hismusket,

which

slightlystunned him.

The

Eussians then carried

him

off in triumph; they

would

not let

him

walk.

He-soonrecovered fromthe

blow

onhishead,

and

whilegoing along

was

fullyaroused

by

a volley

of Minie rifle baUs,

which

came

whistling

among

his escort.

Two

orthree of

them were

wounded, andtheremainder then allowed

him-to

walk

with

them

to the rear.

Some

of th&

men

spat

upon

him,and he thought they

would

haveshotorbayoneted him,

had

itnotbeenfor

the protection of the soldier

who

particularly

regarded

him

as his

own

especial property.

It appears that every Eussian soldier

who

Chap.

XLY.]

HiSTOEY OE

THE

WAR

AGAINST

RUSSIA.

607

gets the order ofSt. George.

In

caseof the

officer being dead, the private

would

not be

believedwere hetostate that

he

had

made

a prisonerof

him

while alive. Unless, therefore,

under extremeexcitement, the Russiansoldier

will do

what

he can tokeep his prisonersafe,

thatis, provided he can hopetoremove

him

to

a place of security; ifthe prisoner be badly

wounded,

andthereisachanceofhisnotbeing

able from anycause to reach the place

where

the soldier could establish his claim, thereis

no doubt

he

will receive little

mercy

at his

hands.

But

it israther asatisfactorythingto

inow,

incaseofaccident, that,iftaken,itwill

be

anobjectofinterestwith the captor totry

andpresenthisprizeto his superiorsinastate

of living entity and personal completeness.

Captain Duff remained onthefield duringthe

whole

of thebattle ofInkerman, and

saw

the

fight from theRussian position.

He

appears

tohave beengreatlysurprisedatthe

number

of

guns

which

the

enemy had

contrived to get

into position onthe heights during the night.

During

the first partofCaptainDuff's

impri-sonment

he

was

treated badly enough. His

uniform

was

taken from him, and he

was

sup-plied withclothesof averycoarse description.

He

was marched

through the countrywitha

gang

of convicts

—

felonsof theworst

descrip-tion

—

who

were being

removed

for transporta-tiontothepenalsettlements ofSiberia.

With

thesemen, and with

two

soldiersoftheguard,

oneon eachsideof him,

he

slept atnightand

had

hismeals, and they were taughttoregard

him

and call

him

their 'camarade.'

As

they

passedthrough

some

villagesthe bigoted

pea-santry pelted

them

with stones. There

was

no

opportunity offered for ablution, and the

state of dirt and neglect into

which

theyfell

became

most repulsive.

The

condition of the

prisoners, however, could hardly be expected

to attractattention, forit

would

seem thatthe

officer

who

commanded

the guard over the prisoners of

war

and the convicts, though

unfettered

by

restrictions, exhibited as little

anxiety aboutthe surface ofhis

own

personas

he

didaboutthoseofthe

men

he

was

guarding.

When

the insect visitors

who

honoured

him

withtheir presence

became

too

numerous

and

too importunate, his servant

was

desired to

remove

a portion ofthem, and the occasions

for this interference

were

rather frequent.

Once

during the long

march

the officer

was

fieen to applysoapand watertohisperson,but

only once duringtherout of700milesto

Mos-cow.

At

last

Moscow

was

reached,andherenot

onlythe scene

was

changed, butthe condition of the British prisoners.

A

house

was

given

up

to them, and they received frequent civi-lities and attention fromthe better classes of

society inthe city.

They

wereinvitedto/^<«s

and

parties,andin certain circles,

more

espe-cially

among

the ladies,

were

made

especial

objectsof compassion, and became thelionsof

the day.

No

difficulty

was

experienced in

getting bills oncertain

London

houses cashed,

and a

premium was

given on the exchange.

They

foundalsoat

Moscow

aclergymanof the

Church

of England.

At

Odessa they

expe-rienced thesame kindof civility as at

Moscow,

butthesocial partiesand entertainments

were

wanting.

The news

ofthebattleofthe

Tcher--nayaanditsterminationhad reachedthis latter

place beforeCaptainDuffleft,and theattempt

against thealliedposition

was

admitted onall

sides tohave been defeated.

The

failure

pro-ducedgeneraland

marked

depressionofspirits.

Strange to say, the Russians pretend not to

regard

Alma

and

Inkerman

as defeats; they

say that their general ordered the troops to

retire from motives of policy, but were not

driven back.

The

battle of the Tobernaya,

accordingtothem,

was

ourfirstrealvictory."

The

aspect ofthe field

was

awful,

when

on

themorningofthe 6thitcould beseen.

The

correspondent of the 3forning Herald relates

that " some 400 or 500 Russians,killed and wounded, were lying

among

our tents; and

here also were

many,

too

many,

corpses of

Zouaves and French infantry of the line."

The

ableauthorof thatletterdoes not explain

how

all these corpses of friends and enemies

came

there. It is to be presumed that they

were

wounded

men who

diedunder treatment

ofour medical officers, as the Russians never

penetrated to the tents of the camp, but the

tents of the second division were almost all

swept

away by

thefirefromShellHill.

The wounded

English were taken fromthe

fieldontheevening and night of the 5th, so

that before

dawn

ofthe 6th a great

many

were removed.

The

soldiers generally refused to

takeinthe

wounded

Russians until our

own

men

wereprovidedfor; afterthatthey

showed

a kindness to their enemies nobly

contrast-ing with the infamous conduct of the

Rus-sians to the

wounded

English. Immediately

after the battle, the English might be seen

givingwaterto the fallen Muscovites, placing

knapsacks under their heads, and wrapping

them

in blankets to protect

them

from the bitingair ofthe Crimeawinternight. It

was

horrible to witness the contortions,

convul-sions, and writhing agonies of those

who

died

of bayonetstabs; those

who

fell

by

thebullet seemedtodieincomparativepeace. Puncture

wounds

caused tetanus, and other

symptoms

ofagony,

which

ourtired soldiersoftenstopped

to soothe, buttheireffortsweretoo frequently

in vain.

The

writer lastquoted

was

an

eye-witness to the shocking spectacles presented,

and he thus writes:

—

"A

littleabove theline

of tents

was

the

brow

of the hill overlooking

608

HISTOEY or

THE

WAR

AGAINST

RUSSIA.

[Chap.

XLY.

theallied artillery engaged that of the

enemy

after theretreat,and here the sight

was

sick-ening indeed. There is nothing so awful as

the spectacle of the hodies of those

who

have

heenstruck

down

by

round-shotorshell.

One

poor fellow of the 95th

had

been struck

by

two

round-shot in the head and body.

A

shellafterwards burston

him

and tore

him

to

pieces, and it

was

only

by

the fragments of

cloth, with the regimental buttons adhering,

that

you

couldtell thattherough bloodymass

which

layintheroad

had

ever beena

human

being."

The

aspectofthefieldafter the battle

was

perhaps

more

terrible than thatof any other,

not excepting Waterloo.

Many

of the British

had

perished ofbayonet wounds, and it

was

remarkablethatveryfewseemedtohavefallen

by

asingle thrust.

The number

ofEnglishor

French

who

had

died

by

musket orrifle-balls

was

verysmall, andthe Erenohfellvictimsto

thebayonet in asmaller proportionthantheir

allies.

The

artillery, however,

made

sadhavoc

ofboth

—

takingoffheads, cuttingbodiesnearly

in

two

; some

had

a leg carried completely

away,othershad an arm, and some both legs orbotharms,or legs and arms together.

The

most heart-chiUing sights of mutilation

were

presented

where

theRussianshellsfell, orthe

roundandcase-shuttorethroughthe thinline of the English or advancing columns of the

Prench.

Where

theGuardshad beencompelled

to retire from the defence ofthe wall above

the

Inkerman

Valley,the British had suffered

terribly:

—

"Acrossthe path, side

by

side,lay

five guardsmen, all killed

by

one round-shot.

They

layon their faces in the sameattitude,

with their muskets tightly grasped in both

hands, and all had the same grim, painful

frown

upon

their faces, like

men who

were

struck

down

in the act of closingwith their

foes.

Beyond

this, the Russians, guardsmen, and lineregiments, lay thick as leaves,

inter-mixed

with dead and

wounded

horses.

The

latter, with fractured limbs,

were

now

and

then rising, and after staggering a few steps,

rolling over

among

the corpses, snorting and

plunging fearfully."

Erom

the wall just

named

to the

two-gun

battery through the

brushwood, the trampled track

was

slippery

with blood.

Erom

the battery the sight

was

suchasnopen,

however

graphic,coulddescribe,

and no mind,

however

familiarwith fields of

carnage, couldconceive.

More

than

2000

dead

bodieswere stretchedin their gore,and

stiffen-inginthecold night air, around the parapets of that contested earthwork.

The wounded

were

also numerous, and their groans

were

pitiful in the ears of those

who

offered their

assistance,

which

for

many

came, alas! toolate,

The

cries of the

wounded

horses

were

pain-fully expressive of suffering; and for hours

during that dreadful night of

woe

and

vic-tory,above allsounds, the wailingof a

faith-ful dog

—

which

had

followed its master's

fortunes in march,

by

bivouac, and through

the tide of battle

—

arose; crouching

by

the

prostrate form ofits master, or standing

up-right overhim, theanimalraiseditshead,

and

pierced the nightwithitslamentations. It

was

horribletowitness the contortions

and

writh-ings of those,who, dyingofpunctured wounds,

were frightfully convulsed. All these sights

couldbewitnessed, forthe

moon

rose resplen-dently over the valley ofInkerman, and fromthe

English heights the opposite heights could be

distinctly seen,

and

the slopes far

down

into

the vale, and the Tchernaya, reflecting the

silver moonlight, gliding peacefully

between

the over-frowning hiUs.

The

slopes of

Inker-man

.sparkled with the scattered weapons,

which

flung around,

by

reflection, the strong

moonlight.

Every

sound, as well as every

sight, appealedwith distinctness toits

appro-priate sense. So serene and still

was

the

evening, that the gurgling in the throat of the dying, and the faint

moans

of those ex-hausted

by

loss of blood, smote the ear with

painful perspicacity.

Some

of the dying seemed to forget their

own

condition, and to

think onlyof theloved ones far

away

; their

last words were the dear

names

of those

who

fostered their childhood,

whose

parting tokens,

blood-stained,

were

now

claspedtotheir breast.

'

A

poor Irish youth, a

mere

boy, called, in

the rich and sorrowful tone so peculiarto his nativeland,

upon

hismother; and

up

through

thelisteningnight thepitifulwords

cams

from

his lips, faintly and still

more

faintly, "

My

mother

—

oh,

my

mother!"

until his spirit

passed from the scene of strife and anguish.

Another soldier, also an Irishman, articulated

witha singular distinctness, asifhisverysoul spoke,whileacomrade bentoverhim, "

Mary

—

shall I see

you

no more,

Mary!"

Whether

this

was

towife, orsister,or love,hisdying heart

was

true to her, anduttering the fond name,

his lips ceased to speak for ever.

A

tall

guardsman

calledaloud

upon

his father, until

the bearers of the wounded, attracted

by

his

cries,carried

him

off thefield.

Some

of the prostratelostreason, and seemedasifthey

had

apreternatural strength, althoughtheinjuries

they

had

receivedprevented theirrising; they

called out tocharge the Russians, challenged

comradesto

come

on,

vowed

dreadful vengeance,

shoutedwild hurrahs, and recounted,

incohe-rently,the events thathadbefallenthemselves

or othersduring the hour of carnage.

One

sergeant swore

by

St. Patrick he

had

only

killed four, and seemed in his frenzied or

bewildered state bitterly to accuse himself of

such remissness.

Many

of the

wounded

lay

Chap.

XLY.]

HISTOEY OE

THE

WAR

AGAINST

EUSSIA.

609

to the will of heaven, and

some

less

severely-strickenthantheirfellows, soothed

them

with

words

ofhope, placingtheirheadsorpersonsin

lesspainfulattitudes.

"Keep

up

agoodheart,

Peter," said one poor fellow as he adjusted the head of another

upon

a shako that

was

near, " keep

up

agoodheart, Peter; we'll see

the old people at

home

yet, and

Peggy

willbe waitin'foryou,

you know." The

accounts given

by

gentlemen, both officers andcivilians,

pub-lishedandunpublished, of

what

they

saw

and heard while the

wounded were

being assisted

that night, and while they sought for friends

who

were

missingand supposedtohavefallen,

would

constitute a large and painfully

inter-estingvolume.

It

was

a trying task for those who, with

lanterns, turned

up

the faces ofthe slain to

look for officersorcomrades.

The

conduct of the soldiery to the

wounded was

exceedingly tenderand

humane

—

removing

them

withthe greatest careandsoftness of manner, although

,they

had

been themselves engaged all dayin

the exhausting strife. These

men

were kind

also to their

wounded

enemies,

who

requited

them

withlooks offierceresentment, muttered

curses, or efforts of impotent rage.

Our

men

couldbeeasilydistinguished

by

theambulance

parties,althoughgenerally in theirgrey

great-coats; for their superior stature and better

figures, and their

more

open and

manly

coun-tenances, as they often lay with their faces

upturned to the moonlight, did not easily

admitofmistake.

One

ofthemostdistressing

scenesofthat sorrowful night,

was

the efforts

of the English

women,

the wives of soldiers, to find the bodies of their husbands

who

had

not returned

when

the fight

was

over. "With a sudden jerk they

would

drop the head of

some

dead soldier,

whose

figure and uniform

led

them

atfirstto apprehend that it

was

the loved one theysought. Sometimes their

sus-picions

would

beconfirmed, and thenthe

hill-siderangvnththeshrill lamentations of their

grief.

Oh

!

what

cries ofdespair burstfromthe

heartsof these poor Englishsoldiers' wivesas

they found, thousands of miles from home,

their only friends and protectors on earth

—

perhaps the father of their children

—

stark,

cold,andbloody,

by

thehill-sideof

Inkerman!

Some

found their

wounded

and still living

husbands,

and

brought

them

timelysolace and

succour; others laid

them

down

amidst the dripping brushwood, andclaspedtheirdeadin

alast

and

wild embrace, until

some

generous hands separated it, andbore

them

wailing or

swooning

away

tothecamp.

The

appearance of the dead

was

asvarious

as the causes of their fall:

—

'"Some

layasif

asleep; others

were

horribly contorted, and withdistended eyes and swollen features

ap-pearedtohave died in agony, but defying to

thelast.

Some

layas if prepared for burial,

and as though the hands of relatives

had

arranged their

mangled

limbs; while others again were in almost startling positions, half standing or kneeling, clutchingtheir

weapons

or drawing acartridge.

Many

laywith both

theirhands extended towards thesky, asifto

avert a

blow

or utter a prayer; while others

had

a malignant scowl of mingled fear

and

hatred, asifindeedtheydied despairing.

The

moonlight imparted an aspect of unnatural

palenessto their features,andasthecold

damp

wind

swept round the hills and

waved

the

boughs abovetheirupturnedfaces,theshadows gave ahorrible appearance of vitality; and it

seemed as if the dead were laughing, and

moving

torise.

The

Eussiansoldierswere

in-feriorin appearance to thoseatAlma. In all

thatrelates to discipline and courage ourlate

antagonistswere far superior.

They

were all

clean,but ragged in the extreme.

None had

knapsacks, but merely a little canvas bag of

that disgusting, nauseous-looking stuff they

call their bread.

No

other provisions were

found on any.

The

knapsacks, I presume, were left behind, in order that they

might

scale the heights on our right with greater

facility.

Every

man

wore

strong, well-made

"Wellingtonboots, ofa stout but rough-looking

brown

leather.

On

nonethatIhave heardof

were foundeither

money

or books.

On many

were miniaturesof

women

and looks of hair.

They

appear to have beenveterantroops, asa large

number

bore thescars ofpreviouswounds.

The

dead officers, as atAlma, were with

diffi-culty tobedistinguishedfromthemen.

They

behaved verywellindeed.' Trencheswere

dug

onthesideofthehillforthe Russians,as they

lay. Into them, till theywere full quite to

the surface, the enemy's deadwere

thrown

in

ghastly heaps, sixty or seventy in each pit.

As

fastastheyfilled, shovelsful of earthwere

loosely scattered over them, and that

was

all.

Before thewinter

was

over,theheavyrains

had

washed

the scanty coveringfrom the dead, and

disclosed

them

fully to our view, with their

features undistinguishablefromcorruption,hut

withtheirhandsstillclenched

upon

the tattered

flesh, and theirarmsstill pointingtothe sky.

The

English and French lay side

by

side in

deep graves

by

themselves.

In

the ravine in

theside ofShell Hill

was

a large limekiln,this

was

used as a vault, and filled to its

summit

withRussians."

The

whole of the night of the 5th and morning ofthe 6th

was

expended in

convey-ing the

wounded

to the hospital tents;

by

noon thissad

work was

accomplished, but the

whole day

was consumed

incarrying

them

in

Erench

ambulances, Turkish arabas, Tartar

waggons, and English stretchers toBalaklava.

The work

of burial

now

engaged the British