The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
About 240 sick men were sent in from the front to Balaklava on French
ambulance mules, and were received and refreshed at the Caradoc
restaurant. The preparations for the renewal of our fire were pressed
on; and arrangements were made to send up 2000 rounds a day to the
front. About 200 mules were pressed into this service in addition to the
railway, and the Highlanders and the artillery horses were employed in
the carriage of heavy shell to the front, a duty which greatly
distressed them. The men of the Fourth Division, the 17th and 18th
Regiments, were armed with the Minié rifle.
The silence and calm were but the omens of the struggle which was about
to be renewed for the possession of Sebastopol. The Russians were silent
because the allies did not impede their works. The allies were silent
because they were preparing for the contest, and were using every energy
to bring up from Kamiesch and Balaklava the enormous mounds of
projectiles and mountains of ammunition which were required for the
service of the new batteries and to extend, complete, and strengthen
their offensive and defensive lines and trenches.
The railway had begun to render us some service in saving the hard
labour attendant on the transport of shot and shell, and enabled us to
form a sort of small terminal depôt at the distance of two miles and
three quarters from Balaklava, which was, however, not large enough for
the demands upon it, and it was emptied as soon as it was formed by
parties of the Highland Brigade, who carried the ammunition to the camp
depôt, three miles and a half further on. The railway was not
sufficiently long to induce Mr. Filder to avail himself of it largely
for the transport of provisions to the front, as he conceived a partial
use of it would impede the formation of the rail, derange his own
commissariat transport, and produce endless confusion at the temporary
terminus. The commissariat officers of the Second Division were,
however, allowed to use the rail between six and eight o'clock every
morning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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