The Invasion of the Crimea; Its Origin, and an Account of Its Progress Down to the Death of Lord Raglan Volume 5

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. CHAP. At the time of the combat on Mount Inkerman. IV !-- Balaclava, as we saw, lay in danger; for Liprandi, October. though cowed by the results of the yesterday's pJowita|lan cavalry fight, remained holding as yet to his puroccnrrence pose, and was not only still close impending with at bf'a.aster some 24,000 men and 78 guns, but established on 1' 1 the rib of high ground which supports the Woronzoff road, and thence looking straight down the smooth gorge which enters the place from the north. To avert, if he could, the disaster of having -Balaclava forcibly wrested from his hold, Lord Eaglan had ridden down from headquarters, and was met in front of the place by Sir Colin Campbell, its able commander. The two Lord Eaglan could choose, as he thought, beseemed open tween two courses of action. One of these was to endeavour to provide for the defence of Balaclava by the painful and dangerous expedient of withdrawing troops from the Chersonese. The other plan, on the contrary, seemed to offer important advantages, for, if able to adopt it, Lord Eaglan might at once effect a wholesome concentration of his scanty forces, and increase by no Chap. less than one-fourth the strength of the English IV' infantry disposable for the next day of battle. As a measure of prudence, which need not of His direcnecessity await his final decision, he requested captain Captain Tatham (the able naval officer then com- E.n. manding in the port of Balaclava) to embark at once any of the landed ship's guns or stores which were not then in use, to remove from the harbour all the vessels that could well be dispensed with, and to bring down the rest to a lower part of the bay. This step taken, he addressed himself to the question awaiting his judgment....