The storming party, consisting of two bodies of two hundred men each, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell of the 90th, was to turn the extremities of the work, and, after driving out its occupants, to advance towards the Kedan, and, lying down there, keep up a fire to cover the operations of a working-party of 800 men to be engaged in throwing up a parapet. At the appointed signal the men rushed out of the advanced trench, and dashed into the Quarries, of which they gained ijossession almost without a struggle, although Colonel Campbell was unfortunately twice wounded in leading them in. The covering party proceeding, in pursuance of the plan marked out, in the direction of the Eedan, were unmolested, in consequence, as it is conjectured, of the garrison of that work having left it to reinforce the Russians when the tide of the French attack rolled on the Malakoff; and our troops were permitted to establish themselves in the Quarries without interruption. This first advantage, so easily gained, was, however, only maintained by the unflinching gallantry of our officers and men, and at the price of a severe loss of life. During the whole of that night, and even after daylight on the 8th, the enemy made several desperate efforts to retake the work, and on three occasions overpowering numbers succeeded in re-entering it, but were each time driven back at the point of the bayonet. Each of these attempts was supported by large bodies of troops and by a heavy musketry and artillery fire; but the captors, reinforced by the 62nd Eegiment, and a strong detachment of the 55th, obstinately held their ground in spite of every effort to dislodge them; and next day, when Colonel Campbell, who with his party had remained in charge of the work throughout the night, was relieved, the Quarries were in our undisputed possession.
The English loss in this attack, including that of the Naval Brigade, who from the commencement of the bombardment had distinguished themselves by the accuracy of their aim and their ardour in serving the guns, amounted to 11 officers and 112 men killed, and BO officers and 552 men wounded. The total loss of the French was 1,700 men killed and wounded, and that of the Russians considerably exceeded 2,000 men, exclusive of prisoners.
The ground gained by this combined attack, which had achieved every purpose for which it was undertaken (since the time had not yet arrived for assaulting the Malakoff and the Redan), was most important. By the seizure of the Outrages Blaiics the French obtained the command of the head of the harbour and of Careening Bay, and their new batteries erected there soon compelled the Russian shi^DS, which had inflicted so much damage on the besiegers, to shift their berth to a position which much diminished their powers of mischief. The Mamelon was scarcely 500 yards from the Malakoff, which Sir John Burgoyne had from the first declared to be the key of the
THE EAST.
position, and which, though the French long persisted in assigning that character to the Bastion du Mat, was now admitted to be so by Generals Pelissier and Niel. The capture of the Quarries brought our advanced trench to within 300 yards of the Eedan; and, though it was clear that this work would cease to be tenable if the French were once firmly established in the Malakoff, it was still as imperative as ever to persevere in attacking it, in order to render that event possible, by drawing off a large portion of the garrison from the defence of the point really threatened. The final assault therefore became now only a question of time, and to shorten as far as possible the delay became the task of the Allies; to effect this they strained every nerve during the ten or twelve days following in arming their recent acquisitions, and bringing up a fresh supply of ammunition to enable them to re-open fire.