The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
Meantime General Sir De Lacy Evans had, in the most skilful and gallant
manner, executed his instructions, and, with Pennefather's Brigade, had
forced the Russian centre and the right centre. The Second Division
advanced on the same alignement with Prince Napoleon's Division to the
burning village of Bourliouk. Sir De Lacy Evans detached the 41st and
the 49th Regiments, of Adams's Brigade and Turner's battery, by the
right of the village, which the flames rendered impenetrable, and
ordered them to force the passage. The ford in front was very deep, and
the banks were bad and high, defended by a heavy fire; the regiments
lost upwards of 40 men in the stream and on its banks. The General
placed himself at the head of the remaining regiments, and led them by
the left of the village towards the river; but, experienced in war, Sir
De Lacy Evans availed himself of all means to carry the enemy's position
with the smallest loss to his own men; he covered the advance of his
troops by the fire of 18 pieces. Pennefather's Brigade, the 30th, 55th,
and 95th Regiments, was accompanied by Fitzmayer's battery; but the
General, finding Dacre's battery and Wodehouse's battery, which belonged
to the First and Light Divisions, stationed near, availed himself of the
services volunteered by the officers in command of them to cover the
advance of his men. The 95th Regiment, being on the extreme left of the
Brigade, came upon the bridge of Bourliouk; the 55th Regiment, in the
centre, had in front of them a deep ford and high banks; and the 30th
Regiment were inconvenienced in their advance by the walls of the
village, and by the cooking places cut in the high banks on the opposite
side of the stream. On the right of the 30th Regiment came the 47th
Regiment, and in the interval between these two regiments rode Sir De
Lacy Evans. As soon as the Division emerged from the smoke and the
houses of the village, the enemy directed on them an extremely severe
fire--"such," says Sir De Lacy Evans, "as few, perhaps, of the most
experienced soldiers have ever witnessed," till they came to the stream,
which they passed under a storm of missiles which lashed the waters into
bloody foam. The 95th, led very gallantly by Colonel Webber Smith,
debouched from the bridge and narrow ford just as the 7th, under Colonel
Yea, formed on the other side. They were exposed to the same tremendous
fire; they advanced, with colours flying, towards the left of the
Russian epaulement, which Codrington was assailing, and claim the credit
of having been the temporary captors of a gun on the left of the works.
The 55th and 30th, led by Colonel Warren and Colonel Hoey, exposed to
the full fire of two batteries and of six battalions disposed on the
sides of the ravines and of the slopes above them, behaved with
conspicuous gallantry, but could make no impression on the solid masses
of the enemy. In a short time the 95th lost 6 officers killed, the
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