The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
The men in camp had just began to struggle with the rain in endeavouring
to light their fires, when the alarm was sounded. Pennefather, to whom
Sir De Lacy Evans had given up for the time the command of the Second
Division, got the troops under arms. Adams's brigade, consisting of the
41st, 47th, and 49th Regiments, was pushed on to the brow of the hill to
check the advance of the enemy by the road from the valley.
Pennefather's brigade, consisting of the 30th, 55th, and 95th Regiments,
was posted on their flank. The regiments met a tremendous fire from guns
posted on the high grounds. Sir George Cathcart led such portions of the
20th, 21st, 46th, 57th, 63rd, and 68th Regiments as were not employed in
the trenches, to the right of the ground occupied by the Second
Division.
It was intended that Torrens's brigade should move in support of
Goldie's, but the enemy were in such strength that the whole force of
the division, which consisted of only 2,200 men, was needed to repel
them. Codrington, with part of the 7th, 23rd, and 33rd, sought to cover
the extreme of our right attack, and the sloping ground towards
Sebastopol; Buller's brigade was brought up to support the Second
Division on the left; Jeffrey's with the 88th, being pushed forward in
the bushwood on the ridge of one of the principal ravines. As soon as
Brown brought up his division, they were under fire from an unseen
enemy. The Third Division, under Sir R. England, was in reserve. Part of
the 50th, under Wilton, and 1st Battalion Royals, under Bell, were
slightly engaged ere the day was over. The Duke of Cambridge turned out
the Guards under Bentinck, and advanced on the right of the Second
Division to the summit of the hill overlooking the valley of the
Tchernaya. Between the left and the right of the Second Division there
was a ravine, which lost itself on the plateau, close to the road to
Sebastopol. This road was not protected; only a few scarps were made in
it, and the pickets at night were only a short distance in advance. A
low breastwork crossed this road at the plateau by the tents of the
Second Division. On arriving at the edge of the plateau on the right
ravine, the Duke of Cambridge saw two columns coming up the steep ground
covered with brushwood. The enemy were already in the Sandbag Redoubt,
but His Royal Highness at once led the Guards to the charge.
It has been doubted whether any enemy ever stood in conflicts with the
bayonet, but here the bayonet was employed in a fight of the most
obstinate character. We had been prone to believe that no foe could
withstand the British soldier; but at Inkerman, not only were desperate
encounters maintained with the bayonet, but we were obliged to resist
the Russian infantry again and again, as they charged us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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