" While the direct attack upon the Redan was proceeding," says Lord Raglan, " Lieutenant-General Sir E. England was directed to send one of the brigades of the Third Division, under the command of Major-General Barnard, down the Woronzoff Ravine, with a view to give support to the attacking columns on his right, and the other brigade, under Major-General Eyre, still further to the left, to threaten the head of the works at the Dockyard Creek."
Before daylight General Eyre's brigade, numbering about 2,000 men of the
9th, 18th, 28th, 38th, and 44th regiments, proceeded down the ravine, which, running into the inner harbour, separated the EngUsh and French attacks at this point. Here they found the enemy strongly posted, with their right resting on a mamelon and their left on a cemetery. These points were occupied by marksmen, and the ground in front intersected, and the road barricaded, by stone walls, which the men were obliged to pull down, under fire, before they could advance. In the rear the enemy held some houses on both sides of the ravine, and further back bodies of men were held in reserve, while the advancing troops were exposed to a severe fire from the Garden and Barrack Batteries on either side of the creek, and from a low battery on the beach at its head, many of the guns of which however were fortunately not mounted. In the teeth of these dif3ficulties, the gallant brigade pushed resolutely on, and, after driving the enemy from the houses on either side, established themselves in them. The shelter thus obtained was far indeed from rendering their position an enviable one: shot after shot came hotly from the enemy's batteries, tumbling down the houses, and burying their occupants in the ruins. Colonel Boston, of the 9th, after gallantly leading his regiment through the cemetery, brought them up to reinforce the parties in the houses. In the advance, he says, "grape, canister, and round shot swept I'ound me like hail; and for encouragement, just as I reached the cover of one of the buildings, surprised to find myself in a whole skin, one of the latter crashed through the building, as though it had been made of paper. Here," he adds, " we spent fourteen dreary hours, the enemy at one moment bringing down our houses with round shot, burying the wretched wounded beneath the ruins; then throwing shell amongst us, which, owing to the softness of the ground, fortunately penetrated deep, and, in bursting, only formed craters big enough for one's grave."