A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815 to 1895Ross, J. (John)
History
A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815 to 1895
Ross, J. (John)
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901; Great Britain. Army. Coldstream Guards
We left the Guards Brigade, on the 26th of September, near Balaklava, at
the end of the flank march. For the first few days there was little
done. “Troops passive and grape-gorging, with the exception of strong
fatigue parties engaged in the slow and laborious office of landing the
siege guns from the transports, which now cram the harbour of
Balaklava.”[246] On the 2nd of October, the First Division marched to
the front, and about this time the British army was thus bivouacked
before Sevastopol. The Second Division on the right, with the First in
support, nearly a mile in rear; next came the Light Division, separated
from them by the Careenage Ravine. These three divisions manned the
British Right Attack. The Fourth and Third Divisions were posted
south-west of Cathcart’s Hill, and continued the line to the west, in
rear of the Left Attack, to the ravine, on the other side of which lay
the French siege corps, near Mount Rodolph. The work of bringing up the
battering train continued without interruption, and some heavy guns from
the ships were drawn to the batteries by sailors, who, forming a brigade
under command of Captains Lushington and Peel, took part in the
operations which were soon to commence.
-----
Footnote 246:
September 29th (_Our Veterans, etc._, p. 177).
-----
It was fortunate that tents were at last issued, on the 5th of October;
for the men, having been constantly bivouacked since the disembarkation
at Old Fort, nearly three weeks before, were again attacked by sickness.
Cholera reappeared on the day after the troops stood on the upland plain
before Sevastopol, and an Officer of the Coldstream, Captain Jolliffe,
died of it on the 4th. It seems that the delay in providing shelter,
even of an indifferent nature, was due to the want of transport, which
still failed us; nothing apparently could induce our Government to give
the army this indispensable requirement. The boon of again having a tent
to cover them in the chilly autumn nights of the Crimea, was keenly
appreciated by Officers and men; but comfort is a relative term, and,
judged from the ordinary standpoint, the slight shelter which was
supplied, was inadequate and insufficient.
On the 4th, Captain MacKinnon and a small detachment of convalescents,
who had been left behind at Varna, reached the Battalion.
The constant labour which the Russians devoted to the improvement of
their fortifications became apparent to regimental Officers, as they
anxiously scanned the enemy’s works during their leisure time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account