The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
On the 18th, early in the morning, a vedette was seen "circling left"
most energetically;--and here, in a parenthesis, I must explain that
when a vedette "circles left," the proceeding signifies that the enemy's
infantry are approaching, while to "circle right" is indicative of the
approach of cavalry. On this signal was immediately heard the roll-call
to "boot and saddle;" the Scots Greys and a troop of Horse Artillery
assembled with the remaining cavalry on the plain; the 93rd got under
arms, and the batteries on the heights were immediately manned. The
distant pickets were seen to advance, and a dragoon dashed over the
plain with the intelligence that the enemy was advancing quickly. Then
cavalry and infantry moved upon the plain, remaining in rear of the
eminences from which the movements of the vedettes had been observed.
This state of things continued for an hour, when, from the hills, about
3000 yards in front, the Turks opened fire from their advanced
entrenchments. The Moskows then halted in their onward course, and in
the evening lighted their watch-fires about 2000 yards in front of our
vedettes, the blaze showing bright and high in the darkness. Of course
we were on the alert all night, and before the day broke were
particularly attentive to our front. If the Russians had intended to
attack us at that time, they could not have had a more favourable
morning, a low dense white fog covering the whole of the plain. The sun
rose, and the mist disappeared, when it was found the Russians had
vanished also. The next day, the 19th, we naturally expected would be a
quiet one, and that we should not be annoyed by having to remain at our
arms for our final work. Not a bit of it; we had just laden ourselves
with haversacks to forage among the merchant shipping in the harbour,
when a vedette was seen to "circle right" most industriously. "Boot and
saddle" again resounded through the cavalry camps, and another day was
passed like its predecessor, the enemy finally once more retiring, this
time without advancing near enough for a shot from the Turks.
The enemy scarcely fired during the night of the 18th. Our batteries
were equally silent. The French on their side opened a few guns on their
right attack, at which they worked all night to get them into position;
but they did not succeed in firing many rounds before the great
preponderance of the enemy's metal made itself felt, and their works
were damaged seriously; in fact, their lines, though nearer to the
enemy's batteries than our own in some instances, were not sufficiently
close for the light brass guns with which they were armed.
[Sidenote: FEATS OF HEROISM.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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