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PRIVATE IITTHE 17th tATTCEB
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IN
EUROPE:
WITH
TRANSCAUCASIA,
Chap.
XLV.]
HISTOET OF
THE
WAR
AGAINST
EUSSIA.
601division, but
whether
friends or foes itwas
impossibleto discern.
A
tremendous firewas
poured into our scattered division, and Sir
Georgeled
them up
thehill, cheeringthem
atthe
same
time,when
he fell from his horse, ashot having passed through his head.
Our
poor fellows
were
surrounded,and greatnum-bers
were
killed and bayoneted on all sides;but they gained the hiU.withthe loss of 600
or 600
men.
Brigadier-general Goldie heremet
with hiswound,
which
the dayfollowingprovedfatal. Lieutenant-colonelSwiney,63rd
regiment,
Major
Wynne,
of the 68th, and Lieutenant Dowling, of the 20th,were
alsokilled, with
numbers
ofmen
and oflScers;Brigadier-general Torrens
was
also severelywounded."
The
foregoing descriptionby
the subaltern of the 20th differs so little from that of the Times' correspondent, that itwould seem
as ifeitherthe subaltern
was
not in thefighthim-self, or could see nothing
where
hewas, andpreferred to take his account off-hand from
the Times.
Both
accounts are,we
believe,inaccurate as to the cause and
way
of SirGeorge'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 anddis-pirited, iipon thecrestofthe hiU.
The
ill-sueoess of.this manoeuvre paralysedthe actionoftheGuards,
who
formedupon
theslope,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 tosupport the 41st at the battery,
had
retiredwith that regiment; thither also the Guards
fell back, and portions of the 47th and 68th regiments
had
alsoformedup.Here
thebattlewas
renewed
with the old obstinacy.The
British were nearlywithout
ammunition
—
theRussians
were
well supplied; the Britishwereathin,broken,andscatteredline
—
theRussianscame
innumbers
likethelocusts,andasif, likethem, 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 innumerablefoes
—
realising Scott's description of anotherconflict:
—
"Thestubborn spearmenstillmadegood Theirdark,impenetrablewood
;
Eachstepping wherehiscomradestood
Theinstantthathefell."
At
thisjuncturetheheroismof theDuke
ofCambridge 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, callingonthem
tostand to theirarms andfire.Such
ofthem
as
had ammunition
promptly respondedto thecall, and the whole line, as if
by
an electricshock, caught the spirit of theprince.
What
a contrasttothe scionsofthe imperialhouseof
Russia!
whUe
thelatter, shelteredevenout ofcannon range the greater part of the day, the
grandsonof a
Eing
ofEngland, andthe cousin of his queen, rode along the front of danger, inspiringthedroopingspiritsofthemen
by
hisown
chivalry. His royal highness narrowlyescaped a warrior'sdeath
—
theRussiansturnedtheir muskets
upon
him
with deliberate aim,one shot entered his sleeve, another slew his
charger,and he
was
bruisedby
thefall. Hisstaff fell fast around
him
; Captain Clifton'shorse
was
killedby
a round-shot, and hewas
himself
wounded
inthefaceby
a splinter of ashell; Major Macdonald, also on the duke's
staff,lost hishorse
—
ashedidatAlma
; a thirdoflcer inpersonalattendanceonhisroyal
high-ness
was
killed. Thiswas
CaptainH.
F.Butler, brother of the hero of Silistria.
He
was
a noble officer, and while imitating hischief 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 thememory
of these intrepidoflScers remain greenin the hearts of the brave. Brigadier-general
Bentinck
was
about this time wounded. Bri-gadiers-generalAdams
of the seconddivi-sion, and Goldie, of the fourth, weremortally
wounded, and Brigadier-general Torrens
dan-gerously.
In
another direction Sir GeorgeBrown
fell: he had behavedinthemostheroicmanner, surpassing in glory even his conduct
at the
Alma,
when
he received abulletinthearm
and side. Mr. Russell thus refers to the incident:—
"Sir GeorgeBrown
was
hitby
ashot,
which went
through hisarm
and struckhis side. I
saw
with regret his paleand
sternlycomposedface,hiswhitehairflickering
in the breeze, for I
knew we
had
lost theservicesof agood soldierthatday."
The
lossof so
many
officers is partly to be accountedfor
by
thedirectionswhich
theRussiansoldiersreceivedtodirect theiraimas
much
aspossible at the officers, and partly to the chivalrousmanner
inwhich
they exposed themselvesfortheencouragementofthemen.
Our
troopsnow
gradually retired from the hills at theright, fighting with their usual tenacity as
theyfeU back.
The
Russians pushed forwardtheir forces,andfindingcover in the
brushwood
(about fourfeethigh) on each sideof theroad
leadingtothe postof thesecond division,they kept
up
anunintermittentfire.As
ourmen
fellback underthe gallingfireofthis fusillade,the Russians, rushing from the coppice, chai'ged
them
repeatedlywiththebayonet, butwereineveryinstance repulsed with heavy slaughter.
602
HISTORY OF
THE
"WAR AGAINST
EUSSIA.
[Chap.XLV.
Still our
men
necessarily fell back—
itwas
impossiblefortheirremaining
numbers
tomake
headagainstthe swellingfloodofbayonet and
flame
which
rose againstthem. All orderwas
gradually lost
—
men' and ofiScers fought incrowdsorgroups, according to their numbers,
andirrespective toa greatextent of particular
corps.
Every clump
of scrub andbrushwood
was
the scene of close and bloody conflict.Separate combats
were
waging
in thisway
along the whole line of defence.
The
greatdanger which
now
existedwas
theattainmentby
theenemy
ofthesummit
oftheridge, so asto give
them room
todeployupon
theplateau,and
thereby bring theremnant
of our strickenbands underawider range of fire. This
was
at last about to be accomplished, for the
English
were
slowlyandsullenlyretiringupon
the
camp
; theenemy
had gained theheadoftheroad,and begantodisplaytheir
numbers
inan 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 terriblemoment
that Bosquet and his light divisionarrived. 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 thecragson
which
his forcewas
posted,moved
hislighttroops rapidlyforward to the right flank
of the English line of battle.
The
sun hadnow
triumphedover therainandmist,andthewhole
fieldwas
bathed in that rich andmellow
lightwhich
immediatelyensueswhen
the sky is cleared after showers; the con-tendingarmies could see one another at last.
The
Russianshad
reachedtheplateau,and wereon
the point of deploying there; the English, wearied and reelingbefore themighty
masses hurledupon
them, were still bearing a frontwiththemostdesperatevalour,
when
theblast oftheFrench lightinfantry bugles resoundedalong the height, and abattalion of Chasseurs
moved
between the English and theirassail-ants.
They
were received with a storm ofshot, 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)onthe Russian flank.
The
Zouaves formed thefirstline, the Chasseurs Indigenes thesecond;
they charged ontothetwo-gunbattery,
sweep-ing thedarkbattalions ofthe
enemy
beforethem
withflre and bayonet; their vivats rang over
the
now
illuminated heights, gleamingin the displayof hostilesteel, echoingwiththe shoutsand tread of the rallying hosts, and rever-beratingwiththesound of innumerable arms.
Through
all the danger of the conflict, thebattle-cry of the gallant
French
roseup
distinctandclear
—
and gladly did theEnglishcatch thesound,andasthey caughtit,with simultaneous
feeling theirshattered line rallied,responding
withBritish cheers.
The
French regimentin the road mingledwith
the rallying English,and becameinextricably
mixed up
withthem
asall chargedon together against the daunted andsurprised enemy.The
Russiansranfrom
the-battery, pursued
by
thenimble Chasseursand Zouaves, and the dense columns
which
were deploying onthe
summit were
strickenasif
by
a single stroke, andwent
reelingdown
before therallied and inspirited soldiers they had with suchdifficultyforced back. It
now
became
a massacre; theenemy
was
still farsuperior in numbers, but seemed to have no
longer heart
—
they turned from the line of bayonets pointedso fiercelyagainst them,and
fledin every directionthroughthebrushwood. Their retreatwas
ably coveredby
troopsarranged for that purpose, but these also fell
back, bravely preserving as
much
order asaverted for the
moment
a complete rout.They
were hotly pursuedby
fresh regimentsofFrenchuntil panic seized
them
universally,and theyfled,flinging
away
theirarmsintheirflight.
Nothing
could bemore
ignoble anddastardlythanthe
mannerin which
thefugitivessought safbty at the expense of oneanother,
and cringed before conquerors to
whom
be-fore they
showed
no mercy. Forty thousandRussians were chased from thefield of battle
by
scarcely 12,000 Britishand
French. ~On
the left of the English line the resistance ofthe
enemy was
stouter.Two
French
regimentscharged
them
in the ravineunderShell Hill.The
fireof theRussianswas
forafew
moments
soterriblethat these regiments
showed
symp-tomsofhesitation, buttheEnglish forming
up
in their support, the
whole
dashedupon
theenemy
with the bayonet, clearing both ridgesofthe ravine,and strewingits sideswithdead.
The
Russian guns on the heights—
aboutninetypieces,most of
them
pieces of position—
now
openedupon
the conquerors withrenewed
fury, and
many
fell under this deadlycan-nonade.
The camps
of the second and lightdivisionwere covered with shotand fragments
ofshell, andthe tents
were
tornandshatteredby
thefire. This cannonadewas
preparatoryto another attack; but, fortunately, Bosquet had brought
up
guns as well as infantry, andsent three fieldbatteries to assist those of the English.
A
new
"duel
of artillery"now
commenced,
inwhich
the Russians, fromsheerweightof metal,
would
have had theadvan-tage,haditnotbeenforthetwo gunsofposition
brought
up by Gambler
andDickson. Captain P'Aigularnow
greatly distinguished himselfChap.
XLV.]
HISTOET
OF
THE
WAR
AGAINST
EUSSIA,
603 with slow but deadly precision against ShellHill,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
worksofmate-riel, could not bs ascertained.
During
thiscannonade, the Eussian infantry were rallied
hy
their officerswith mostcreditablezealandcourage,butdidnotadvancefar
—
thefireofourfieldpiecesbreaking
up
theircolumns.Once
more
theywere
rallied, and theenemy
threwforwardhis lastreserves; butthemusketry of thealliesgave
them
aterriblereception—theydidnotwaitforthe bayonet,but soughtsafety
inshamefuland confusedflight.
"When
they reached the Tchernaya Yalley their disorderandterror
were
pitiable.A
marsh
extendedfromtheheadoftheharbourforsomedistance,
which was made
passableby
a narrow stonecauseway.
As
theycrossedthisintheirflight,the
French
artillerymade
havocamong them
—
everyshottold, and brought
down
numbers
asitcrashedintothedensemassesofthefugitive's.
GeneralBosquet
had
broughtup
hisChas-seurs d'Afrique,
who
watched for an oppor-tunity to charge, forcing their agileArab
chargers
among
the brushwood.They
werefollowed
by
other detachments of the cavalry ofourally; but the groundwas
unsuited forthatarm, andlittle
was
efifectedby
them.The
remnant
of the British light brigade wasalsoadvancedto aposition
where
itwas
supposedthey
might
beofservice,buttheirsabreswerenot
employed
; several officers andmen
were,however, put hors de conibat
by
the enemy's cannon.During
thelatterpart of the action,aportion ofGeneral England's division
was
ofgreatservice.
The
position necessarily occupiedby
that general did not givehim
the same chanceof distinction as others; butnotroopsonthefieldwere
more
eagertobeforwardinthevan
ofwar
than-the gallant third division;
and their leader. Sir Eichard England,
was
worthy
of them.He
had,however, a posttokeep, which,
untU
theproper juncture arrived,could not be left unguarded.
At
the right time. Sir Eichard, with the portion of hisdivision available, vigorously charged the
enemy, and contributedtothe fortunes of the day.
The
gallantry of the regiments of the third divisionwas
conspicuousoijthisoccasion,and by
the impetuosityof their chargepre-ventedthe
enemy
fromrallying.The
following report of GeneralEngland
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 thewholespacefromthedeepravineonmy
lefttotheground, 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 ofrecommend-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,togetherwithMajortheHonourableC.Hopeand CaptainDaniells of the38th
regiment, the brigademajorsservingwiththisdivision.
Ibegtoadd thatDoctorC. Forrest,deputy inspector-general of hospitals,hasatalltimes earned
my
warmestapprobationbythestrictattention 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
andAlma,
^SLsplaced inapositionof greatutilityand importance, for -which, he received but
littlepublic credit.
AH
militarymen
ofrankandtalent have been
prompt
to do honourtothe services of Sir Eichard, but the popular
mind
is necessarilyswayed by
themore
ob-vious aspect of matters; and, as atAlma
and Inkerman,SirEichard'sdivision sufferedverylittle, the general publicsupposedthathe
was
lessforwardthanotheroflHcers.At Inkerman
the post occupied
by
GeneralEngland
pre-vented the left of our position from being
turned.
At
Alma
hisdivisionwas
insupport (not inreserve, aswas
generally represented) of SirDe
Lacy
EVans' division, towhich
he rendered the greatest services in the hourofneed.
During
the mostcriticalportion of the struggle at Alma, GeneralEvans
sent toGe-neral
England
forthe aid ofhisguns; thelatter not only afforded the guns, but accompaniedthem
himself, crossed the river,and
exposedhimself in the thickest of thefire. Let anyof
the detractors of this brave
man
askGeneralEvans
how
he behaved on that occasion.Sir
De
Lacy
is too noble-hearted and gallant himself, and too justly desirous of the goodopinion of his country, not to do justice to
everysoldier, whetherfortune smilesorfrowns
upon
him.The
authorhas heard the friendsof eachof these ofScers speak in the highest
eulogy of the other, as to their conduct at
Inkerman
and Alma. GeneralEvans
not onlyfelt grateful for the promptitude with
which
SirEichard sent forward the guns,but inva-riably testifies to the unostentatious gallantry of GeneralEngland
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 followingwords:
—
That towards the latterpart of the battle, SirEichard 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 beenpreviouslymade. 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 illbecomemetoforgetit. Tours verytruly,
De
LacyEvans.TotheSon. ,M.P.
The
following lettersfromColonel Bell andColonel Stuart confirm also our views of the gallantgeneral'sconduct:
—
3, CrescentSow,Exeter, Sowtliernlmy, Feb. 28, 1856.
Dbae
Sir,—
^Tour letter, with its inclosure,followedme
from Liverpoolhere,andI have muchpleasure in bearingmy
humbletestimonytothesoldier-likeconductof 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;andsofarfromkeepinghis 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 rivertotheirsupport;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 inacquaintingyouthatwiththeexcep-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
memorymisleadsme
whenI say, thatwhenmoving offfrom our bivouac onthe morningthe actionwasfought, SirRichardEng-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 theAlmaintelligible toyou,believe
me
toremain,Tourstruly,
Stuaut.
The
following is a faithful account of theservices of General
England
and his divisionduring their services in the East,
up
to thebattleof Inkerman,furnished
by
agentlemanperfectlyconversantwiththefacts:
—
"
The
third division of thearmy,towhich
SirE.
England was
appointed, beingstationedat Gallipoli, he relieved Sir George
Brown
atthat postintheendofApril,1854.
The
troopswere
employed
in fortifying aline of defenceselected
by
the allied engineers, from theSeaof
Marmora,
on the right, to the Gulf ofXeros, on the left. These duties pressed a good deal on the brigades, but the division
was
healthy andinhighorder. Itwas
reviewedby
MarshalSt.Arnaud, Canrobert, andothers,who
here borrowed for the adoption of theFrench our
method
offormingsquaresand
otherChap.
XLY.]
HISTOET OF
THE
WAE
AGAINST
ETJSSIA.
605our gallant allies preserved with, us tliemost
cordial 'fraternity' tothe last.
"
In
July, the third divisionembarked
for Yarna, and like the rest of thearmy was
employed
in hard labourtomake
gabions andfascines preparatory to the descent on the
Crimea.
The
cholera thinned the ranks of thearmy
severely at thisjuncture.When
the troops effected their landing at Old Port,they
moved up
by. divisions toa positionfromwhich
that landingmight
have been easilyopposed
by
the Kussians.The
nightwhich
followed
was
a very fatal one tomany who
had a tendency tocholera.
We
had
nothingon
shore, anditrained intorrents.In
moving
to the
Alma,
the third division supportedand
marched
behind the second, whilst thefirst division supported the light; the fourth division
was
considerably in therear. Inthismanner
the attackwas
made
; but as the firebecame
warmer.SirE.England
gallopedtoaskGeneral
Evans
how
hecould best assist him.They
then brought their united batteries tobearontheretiringcolumnsoftheenemy, and
the third division
was
in theactof deployingbetween 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 hadonly, as itwere, just
come
into action.They
had
losttwenty-twomen,andsaw
that thedaywas
ours,andthattheywerenottobe allowedto takeadvantageof thevictory.
"
On
the 23rd, themarch was
resumed tothe Eatscha through an endless jungle, each
division
moving
independently, withorders tosteer south-east; and they all debouched at
M'Kenzie's
Farm,
atwhich
point the rear of aEussiancolumn
moving
out of Sebastopolwas
caughtby
our troops,some
ammunition
blown
up, and the third division placed soas to
watch
its progress, and cover the restof the British
army
in their descent to theTchernaya.
"
On
the 27th,the thirddivisionmoved
fromthe plains of Balaklava towards Sebastopol,
and havingassisted at thefirst reconnaissance of that place, took
up
various positions untilthat ground
was
allotted to it opposite theDockyard,
which
it held to the end of the operation; having the fourth division underGeneralCathcarton its right,and the
French
division,
commanded by
Prince Napoleon, onits left.
The
siegeoperationsnow
began, anddaily sicknessanddailycasualtiesinkiUedand
wounded
soon toldupon
oureffective strengthuntU
thebattleofInkerman:" where
GeneralEngland's services were important, although
thelossofhis division
was
butslight.It
was
three o'clock in the afternoon before the battle terminated;by
five the Eussianahad entirely disappeared, and their guns were
withdrawn
from the heights.The
chill, dullwinter evening set over the victors and the
vanquished; andover the blood-stainedslopes ofInkerman,the deadand dying werethickly strewn.
The
plan of Menschikoffwas
com-pletelyfrustrated
—
his sortiewas
repulsedby
the
French
with signal defeat.The
feint ofLiprandiagainstBalaklava,andthe position of
Bosquet
was
discovered intimeby
theFrenchgeneral, and succour
was
sent in the crisis ofthebattle.
The
contemplated attackupon
thetrenches ofthe thirddivision(theextremeleft
of the British attack)
was
nevermade
—
theEussian general missing hisway,and coming
where
hewas
neitherexpectednordesired, heincreased the confusion of the assailants at
Inkerman, and added to the fearful
numbers
of the Eussian slain.The
grand attackwas
itselfrepulsed
by
theenduringcourageof theBritish,andtheimpetuouschargesoftheallies,
united,attheclose ofthehard-fought day. It
was
agreat struggleof blood,thelike ofwhich, considering thenumbers
engaged,had
never been witnessed in the hardest foughtbattle.SixtythousandEussians
had
beenhurledbacktothefeetof the imperial princes from before
whom
theyhad
advanced inthe confidence ofnumbers, of the Divineblessing, and withthe
inspiration ofexuberantloyalty,religious zeal,
national enthusiasm, andmilitarypride.
The
Eussian soldiers
had
beenaU
taught that noarmy
couldstand before thatof their emperor,and that he had a right to subjugate the
power
andappropriatethespoilsofallnations.The
events ofInkerman
did a great deal to dispeltheillusionsoftheEussiansoldiery; and had a true account found itsway
intoEus-sia, it
would
have probably openedthe eyesoftheEussian people, orsuch of
them
as couldread, as tothefutility of theirczarcontending
withthealliance ofnations againsthim.
The
night of the 5th ofNovember was
oneof sadness to the victors
—
theyhad
gained a great battle,butat terriblecost. Still,when
thelosseswere computed,theFrenchlost
more
in proportion than theEnglishas to
numbers
and
thetimeinwhich
theywereengaged. Sobadly directed
was
theaim
of the Eussian musketry, and so unequal were they to the British in close combat, that the loss of theEnglish in slain
was
not one tenth that oftheir opponents,and ofthese
many
weremur-dered aftertheyfellwounded.
Even
EussianoflBoers joined in this
work
of assassination:
one major
was
seen, limping about the field,thrustinghis swordintothe
wounded
English.One
oftheDuke
ofCambridge'sstafftookhim
prisoner, and the
Duke
intimated theproba-bility ofhisbeinghangedas an example.
He
afterwards attempted to
make
his escape,but606
HISTOET OP
THE
"WAE AGAINST
EUSSIA.
[Chap.XLV.
foundforbringinghim
totrial,hedied—
itwas
believed of
shame
and remorse.The
loss ofthe British
was
inkilled462, vronnded 1952 ;and
198, including officers,were
reportedas missing
—
some ofwhom
were
afterwards discoveredtohave beenmade
prisoners, otherswere
proved to have fallen, andsome
were never heard of.The
officers killedamounted
to 43, the
wounded
to 102 ; theser-geants killed were 32,
wounded
123.Tour
generals were killed
—
Lieutenant-general SirGeorge Cathcart, and Brigadiers Strangways,
Goldie, and Torrens.
Four
generals werewounded
—
Lieutenant-general Sir GeorgeBrown,
and Brigadiers Bentinck, BuUer, andAdams.
The
French losswas
1726 killed,wounded,
or missing.The
estimates of theEussianlosswerevarious. PrinceMenschikoff
reported thathe
was
unable to ascertain, butthat the
wounded
weremore
than 3000. Itis probable that thekilled, wounded, and
pri-soners
amounted
to nearly20,000—
athirdof thewhole army.The
carnagewas
frightful,andjustifiesthishigh computationofthehavoc
intheEussianbattalions.
During
the battle thereweremany
acts ofthe most chivalrous and romantic courage. Colonel
Hamley
noticed aguardsman
thrustdown
anumber
of his adversaries withpro-digious strength, and the most persistent
courage, until at lasthefeU. After thebattle,
ihecolonel had the curiosity to look for him,
and
foundhim
slain,withfiftybayonetwounds
inhisbody.
He
turnedbackhiscollar, andsaw
stamped onthe blue blouse shirt hewore, the Tin-English
name
Mastow.
A
private soldiernamed
Maclaghan, an Irishman, performedprodigies of valour.
The
gallant conduct ofSir E.
Newman
and Lieutenant Greville willlong leavetheir
names
dear tothe admirersofpatriotism and courage. Sir
Thomas
Trou-bridge,
when
desperatelywounded, losingbothfeet, still fought,laying holdof such support
ashecouldfind, and encouraging the
men
topersevere. His
name
isstilloftenpronouncedby
officersand
men who
fought at Inkerman.A
Frenchofficer,anensign,leapedupon
theparapetofthe
two-gun
battery, and continuedtowave
the tricolour amidst showers of shotuntilthe
enemy was
driven out.A
British sergeantwas
attackedby
fiveEussians, he slewthree,and fellexhausted and
wounded
; accordingtohis
own
account his eyes failed, and he hadnearlyswooned,
when
aFrenchofficergalloped up, sabred thetwo
Eussians, and withpower-ful
hand
liftedup
the prostrateEnglishman
upon
his horse, and riding withhim
to therear,placed
him
undersurgicalattendance,andkissinghishand, returnedtothefight. It
was
supposed that this noble
Frenchman
himself subsequentlyfell,astheperformerof the gene-rousdeed couldnever betraced.Many
of thewounds
inflictedupon
theBritishwerehorrible
—
theywere
sofrequently struckby
bullet and bayonet.The most
ex-,traordinary case is that of private Thomas-Walker, 95th regiment,
who
was
in hospital nearly twelve months, duringwhich
timehe
had
thirteen pieces of his skullremoved
by
Dr. Parry.
He
was wounded
atInkerman
by
the bursting of ashell,
which
carriedaway
aportion of his skull, laying open the brain,
and he
was
discoveredsome
hours afterwards^wandering about in a state of total
uncon-sciousness. His recovery is considered very
extraordinary. This bravefellowonhis arrival at
home
was
seenby
her majesty,who made
him
a present of£10.Several prisonerswere taken
by
theEussiansin the
commencement
of theengagement,some
of
whom
were
well treated, otherswere
usedmost barbarously. It mainly depended
upon
the dispositionand rankof the captors
how
thepoor prisoners fared. .
The
following is fromthe United Service Gazette, and
may
be takenasaspecimenofthe 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"WhiteHouse
Eavine, leading to Careening Bay.
He
attri-butes thefaultofhiscapturetoaparty of
men
of the
—
division on his right,who
fell backwithout passing on the alarm. Captain Duflf
andhispicket were fighting infront, and
had
nearly expended their ammunition,
when,
totheir surprise, they suddenly found
some
ofthe
enemy
ontheir flank.The
men
peirceivedthey
were
beingsurrounded, and attemptedtofallback.
As
theydid so,oneman who
keptclose toCaptain Duff
was
knocked over.He
thentried to
make
forapathleadingup
to thehill, and
had
proceeded afew
yardswhen
he
met some
Eussians in front directlyopposinghis further progress.
They had
gotround
them. Eight or nine
men
then closedupon
CaptainDuff,and,ashestillstruggledtoescape, one
man
gavehim
a taponthe headwith
the but-end of hismusket,which
slightlystunned him.The
Eussians then carriedhim
off in triumph; theywould
not lethim
walk.He-soonrecovered fromthe
blow
onhishead,and
whilegoing along
was
fullyarousedby
a volleyof Minie rifle baUs,
which
came
whistlingamong
his escort.Two
orthree ofthem were
wounded, andtheremainder then allowed
him-to
walk
withthem
to the rear.Some
of th&men
spatupon
him,and he thought theywould
haveshotorbayoneted him,
had
itnotbeenforthe protection of the soldier
who
particularlyregarded
him
as hisown
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 theofficer being dead, the private
would
not bebelievedwere hetostate that
he
had
made
a prisonerofhim
while alive. Unless, therefore,under extremeexcitement, the Russiansoldier
will do
what
he can tokeep his prisonersafe,thatis, provided he can hopetoremove
him
toa place of security; ifthe prisoner be badly
wounded,
andthereisachanceofhisnotbeingable from anycause to reach the place
where
the soldier could establish his claim, thereis
no doubt
he
will receive littlemercy
at hishands.
But
it israther asatisfactorythingtoinow,
incaseofaccident, that,iftaken,itwillbe
anobjectofinterestwith the captor totryandpresenthisprizeto his superiorsinastate
of living entity and personal completeness.
Captain Duff remained onthefield duringthe
whole
of thebattle ofInkerman, andsaw
thefight from theRussian position.
He
appearstohave beengreatlysurprisedatthe
number
ofguns
which
theenemy had
contrived to getinto position onthe heights during the night.
During
the first partofCaptainDuff'simpri-sonment
hewas
treated badly enough. Hisuniform
was
taken from him, and hewas
sup-plied withclothesof averycoarse description.He
was marched
through the countrywithagang
of convicts—
felonsof theworstdescrip-tion
—
who
were beingremoved
for transporta-tiontothepenalsettlements ofSiberia.With
thesemen, and with
two
soldiersoftheguard,oneon eachsideof him,
he
slept atnightandhad
hismeals, and they were taughttoregardhim
and callhim
their 'camarade.'As
theypassedthrough
some
villagesthe bigotedpea-santry pelted
them
with stones. Therewas
no
opportunity offered for ablution, and thestate of dirt and neglect into
which
theyfellbecame
most repulsive.The
condition of theprisoners, however, could hardly be expected
to attractattention, forit
would
seem thattheofficer
who
commanded
the guard over the prisoners ofwar
and the convicts, thoughunfettered
by
restrictions, exhibited as littleanxiety aboutthe surface ofhis
own
personashe
didaboutthoseofthemen
hewas
guarding.When
the insect visitorswho
honouredhim
withtheir presence
became
toonumerous
andtoo importunate, his servant
was
desired toremove
a portion ofthem, and the occasionsfor this interference
were
rather frequent.Once
during the longmarch
the officerwas
fieen to applysoapand watertohisperson,but
only once duringtherout of700milesto
Mos-cow.
At
lastMoscow
was
reached,andherenotonlythe scene
was
changed, butthe condition of the British prisoners.A
housewas
givenup
to them, and they received frequent civi-lities and attention fromthe better classes ofsociety inthe city.
They
wereinvitedto/^<«sand
parties,andin certain circles,more
espe-cially
among
the ladies,were
made
especialobjectsof compassion, and became thelionsof
the day.
No
difficultywas
experienced ingetting bills oncertain
London
houses cashed,and a
premium was
given on the exchange.They
foundalsoatMoscow
aclergymanof theChurch
of England.At
Odessa theyexpe-rienced thesame kindof civility as at
Moscow,
butthesocial partiesand entertainments
were
wanting.
The news
ofthebattleoftheTcher--nayaanditsterminationhad reachedthis latter
place beforeCaptainDuffleft,and theattempt
against thealliedposition
was
admitted onallsides tohave been defeated.
The
failurepro-ducedgeneraland
marked
depressionofspirits.Strange to say, the Russians pretend not to
regard
Alma
andInkerman
as defeats; theysay 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 fieldwas
awful,when
onthemorningofthe 6thitcould beseen.
The
correspondent of the 3forning Herald relates
that " some 400 or 500 Russians,killed and wounded, were lying
among
our tents; andhere also were
many,
toomany,
corpses ofZouaves and French infantry of the line."
The
ableauthorof thatletterdoes not explainhow
all these corpses of friends and enemiescame
there. It is to be presumed that theywere
wounded
men who
diedunder treatmentofour 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 fromthefieldontheevening and night of the 5th, so
that before
dawn
ofthe 6th a greatmany
were removed.The
soldiers generally refused totakeinthe
wounded
Russians until ourown
men
wereprovidedfor; afterthattheyshowed
a kindness to their enemies noblycontrast-ing with the infamous conduct of the
Rus-sians to the
wounded
English. Immediatelyafter the battle, the English might be seen
givingwaterto the fallen Muscovites, placing
knapsacks under their heads, and wrapping
them
in blankets to protectthem
from the bitingair ofthe Crimeawinternight. Itwas
horrible to witness the contortions,
convul-sions, and writhing agonies of those
who
diedof bayonetstabs; those
who
fellby
thebullet seemedtodieincomparativepeace. Puncturewounds
caused tetanus, and othersymptoms
ofagony,
which
ourtired soldiersoftenstoppedto soothe, buttheireffortsweretoo frequently
in vain.
The
writer lastquotedwas
aneye-witness to the shocking spectacles presented,
and he thus writes:
—
"A
littleabove thelineof tents
was
thebrow
of the hill overlooking608
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
haveheenstruck
down
by
round-shotorshell.One
poor fellow of the 95th
had
been struckby
two
round-shot in the head and body.A
shellafterwards burston
him
and torehim
topieces, and it
was
onlyby
the fragments ofcloth, with the regimental buttons adhering,
that
you
couldtell thattherough bloodymasswhich
layintheroadhad
ever beenahuman
being."
The
aspectofthefieldafter the battlewas
perhaps
more
terrible than thatof any other,not excepting Waterloo.
Many
of the Britishhad
perished ofbayonet wounds, and itwas
remarkablethatveryfewseemedtohavefallen
by
asingle thrust.The number
ofEnglishorFrench
who
had
diedby
musket orrifle-ballswas
verysmall, andthe Erenohfellvictimstothebayonet in asmaller proportionthantheir
allies.
The
artillery, however,made
sadhavocofboth
—
takingoffheads, cuttingbodiesnearlyin
two
; somehad
a leg carried completelyaway,othershad an arm, and some both legs orbotharms,or legs and arms together.
The
most heart-chiUing sights of mutilation
were
presented
where
theRussianshellsfell, ortheroundandcase-shuttorethroughthe thinline of the English or advancing columns of the
Prench.
Where
theGuardshad beencompelledto retire from the defence ofthe wall above
the
Inkerman
Valley,the British had sufferedterribly:
—
"Acrossthe path, sideby
side,layfive 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, likemen who
werestruck
down
in the act of closingwith theirfoes.
Beyond
this, the Russians, guardsmen, and lineregiments, lay thick as leaves,inter-mixed
with dead andwounded
horses.The
latter, with fractured limbs,
were
now
andthen rising, and after staggering a few steps,
rolling over
among
the corpses, snorting andplunging fearfully."
Erom
the wall justnamed
to thetwo-gun
battery through thebrushwood, the trampled track
was
slipperywith blood.
Erom
the battery the sightwas
suchasnopen,
however
graphic,coulddescribe,and no mind,
however
familiarwith fields ofcarnage, couldconceive.
More
than2000
deadbodieswere stretchedin their gore,and
stiffen-inginthecold night air, around the parapets of that contested earthwork.
The wounded
were
also numerous, and their groanswere
pitiful in the ears of those
who
offered theirassistance,
which
formany
came, alas! toolate,The
cries of thewounded
horseswere
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'sfortunes in march,
by
bivouac, and throughthe tide of battle
—
arose; crouchingby
theprostrate 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 fromtheEnglish heights the opposite heights could be
distinctly seen,
and
the slopes fardown
intothe vale, and the Tchernaya, reflecting the
silver moonlight, gliding peacefully
between
the over-frowning hiUs.
The
slopes ofInker-man
.sparkled with the scattered weapons,which
flung around,by
reflection, the strongmoonlight.
Every
sound, as well as everysight, appealedwith distinctness toits
appro-priate sense. So serene and still
was
theevening, that the gurgling in the throat of the dying, and the faint
moans
of those ex-haustedby
loss of blood, smote the ear withpainful perspicacity.
Some
of the dying seemed to forget theirown
condition, and tothink onlyof theloved ones far
away
; theirlast words were the dear
names
of thosewho
fostered their childhood,
whose
parting tokens,blood-stained,
were
now
claspedtotheir breast.'
A
poor Irish youth, a
mere
boy, called, inthe rich and sorrowful tone so peculiarto his nativeland,
upon
hismother; andup
throughthelisteningnight thepitifulwords
cams
fromhis lips, faintly and still
more
faintly, "My
mother
—
oh,my
mother!"
until his spiritpassed 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 heartwas
true to her, anduttering the fond name,his lips ceased to speak for ever.
A
tallguardsman
calledaloudupon
his father, untilthe bearers of the wounded, attracted
by
hiscries,carried
him
off thefield.Some
of the prostratelostreason, and seemedasiftheyhad
apreternatural strength, althoughtheinjuriesthey
had
receivedprevented theirrising; theycalled 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 hehad
onlykilled four, and seemed in his frenzied or
bewildered state bitterly to accuse himself of
such remissness.
Many
of thewounded
layChap.
XLY.]
HISTOEY OE
THE
WAR
AGAINST
EUSSIA.
609to the will of heaven, and
some
lessseverely-strickenthantheirfellows, soothed
them
withwords
ofhope, placingtheirheadsorpersonsinlesspainfulattitudes.
"Keep
up
agoodheart,Peter," said one poor fellow as he adjusted the head of another
upon
a shako thatwas
near, " keepup
agoodheart, Peter; we'll seethe old people at
home
yet, andPeggy
willbe waitin'foryou,you know." The
accounts givenby
gentlemen, both officers andcivilians,pub-lishedandunpublished, of
what
theysaw
and heard while thewounded were
being assistedthat night, and while they sought for friends
who
were
missingand supposedtohavefallen,would
constitute a large and painfullyinter-estingvolume.
It
was
a trying task for those who, withlanterns, turned
up
the faces ofthe slain tolook for officersorcomrades.
The
conduct of the soldiery to thewounded was
exceedingly tenderandhumane
—
removingthem
withthe greatest careandsoftness of manner, although,they
had
been themselves engaged all dayinthe exhausting strife. These
men
were kindalso to their
wounded
enemies,who
requitedthem
withlooks offierceresentment, mutteredcurses, or efforts of impotent rage.
Our
men
couldbeeasilydistinguished
by
theambulanceparties,althoughgenerally in theirgrey
great-coats; for their superior stature and better
figures, and their
more
open andmanly
coun-tenances, as they often lay with their faces
upturned to the moonlight, did not easily
admitofmistake.
One
ofthemostdistressingscenesofthat sorrowful night,
was
the effortsof the English
women,
the wives of soldiers, to find the bodies of their husbandswho
had
not returned
when
the fightwas
over. "With a sudden jerk theywould
drop the head ofsome
dead soldier,whose
figure and uniformled
them
atfirstto apprehend that itwas
the loved one theysought. Sometimes theirsus-picions
would
beconfirmed, and thenthehill-siderangvnththeshrill lamentations of their
grief.
Oh
!what
cries ofdespair burstfromtheheartsof 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-sideofInkerman!
Some
found theirwounded
and still livinghusbands,
and
broughtthem
timelysolace andsuccour; others laid
them
down
amidst the dripping brushwood, andclaspedtheirdeadinalast
and
wild embrace, untilsome
generous hands separated it, andborethem
wailing orswooning
away
tothecamp.The
appearance of the deadwas
asvariousas the causes of their fall:
—
'"Some
layasifasleep; others
were
horribly contorted, and withdistended eyes and swollen featuresap-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, clutchingtheirweapons
or drawing acartridge.Many
laywith boththeirhands extended towards thesky, asifto
avert a
blow
or utter a prayer; while othershad
a malignant scowl of mingled fearand
hatred, asifindeedtheydied despairing.
The
moonlight imparted an aspect of unnatural
palenessto their features,andasthecold
damp
wind
swept round the hills andwaved
theboughs abovetheirupturnedfaces,theshadows gave ahorrible appearance of vitality; and it
seemed as if the dead were laughing, and
moving
torise.The
Eussiansoldierswerein-feriorin appearance to thoseatAlma. In all
thatrelates to discipline and courage ourlate
antagonistswere far superior.
They
were allclean,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 werefound on any.
The
knapsacks, I presume, were left behind, in order that theymight
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 heardofwere foundeither
money
or books.On many
were miniaturesof
women
and looks of hair.They
appear to have beenveterantroops, asa largenumber
bore thescars ofpreviouswounds.The
dead officers, as atAlma, were withdiffi-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
inghastly heaps, sixty or seventy in each pit.
As
fastastheyfilled, shovelsful of earthwereloosely scattered over them, and that
was
all.Before thewinter
was
over,theheavyrainshad
washed
the scanty coveringfrom the dead, anddisclosed
them
fully to our view, with theirfeatures undistinguishablefromcorruption,hut
withtheirhandsstillclenched
upon
the tatteredflesh, and theirarmsstill pointingtothe sky.
The
English and French lay sideby
side indeep graves
by
themselves.In
the ravine intheside ofShell Hill
was
a large limekiln,thiswas
used as a vault, and filled to itssummit
withRussians."
The
whole of the night of the 5th and morning ofthe 6thwas
expended inconvey-ing the
wounded
to the hospital tents;by
noon thissad
work was
accomplished, but thewhole day
was consumed
incarryingthem
inErench
ambulances, Turkish arabas, Tartarwaggons, and English stretchers toBalaklava.