The Eussians attacked at the prescribed hour, and with a perfect knowledge of the ground: and, on General Eead's death, Prince Gortschakoff in person assumed the command of the right wing, and defeat under these conditions tells its own story, in language which does not admit of a double construction.
The consequences of this victory were immense. The last effort to raise the siege was hopelessly frustrated; and the army of relief so completely paralysed by this crushing discomfiture, that the Allies were now enabled to carry on the last operations of the siege, so fast approaching its termination, with a feeling of security hitherto unknown.
The Eussians added disgrace to the sting of defeat by firing on the French parties employed in burying the enemy's dead: and a lively correspondence ensued on the subject between General Pelissier and Prince Gortschakoff, in which the latter, while endeavouring to palliate the conduct of his own soldiers, renders the fullest justice to the humanity with which the French constantly strove to alleviate the needless sufferings entailed by war.
Before dismissing this portion of our task, we must be permitted to refer once more to the distinguished behaviour of the Sardinian troops, who, engaged for the first time on this occasion, secured at once by the gallantry and steadiness they displayed the entire confidence and warm admiration of the old campaigners by whose side they fought. Their infantry displayed a courage bordering on obstinacy, and their artillery, which was most admirably served, claimed with justice a large share of the success of the day, to which they contributed partly by subduing the fire of the enemy's guns on the Mackenzie plateau, and partly by crushing the columns of attack by a murderous flank fire. Italy may well be proud of her sons, who by casting in their lot, at a time of difiiculty and danger, with the more powerful champions of civilisation, were enabled to partake of their triumph, and to vindicate for their country a voice in the settlement of a question which is to decide the future of Europe.
The French, who had now pushed their approaches to within eighty yards of the ditch of the Malakoff, but found it impossible to proceed further without first silencing some guns which generally destroyed in the day the
X H
I O H
UJ w t- a.
THE SEAT OB' WAR 109
work of the preceding night, having completed their advanced batteries in this direction, arranged with General Simpson that a steady fire should be opened on the 17th August, from the Allied batteries, on the MalakoiT with its adjacent works and the Kedan. This was accordingly carried into effect, and the fifth bombardment, though less heavy than the previous ones, in consequence of the restricted nature of the object to be attained and of its not being in contemplation to follow it up by an assault, fully achieved, in the three days of its duration, the purpose for which it was undertaken. In the afternoon of the first day a shell from one of the English mortar batteries ignited and caused the explosion of a great number of shells in one of the enemy's batteries, and caused considerable mischief. For the first forty-eight hours the French left attack scarcely took any share in the bombardment, and the fire of the Eussians, being thus free to be concentrated on the right, caused some heavy casualties in our trenches. Captain Oldfield, of the Royal Artillery, and Captain Hammet, of the Naval Brigade, were killed: and Major C. S. Henry of the Artillery, received a severe wound which rendered necessary the amputation of his right arm. On the night of the 18th, a sharp fire of mortars was directed on some of the enemy's works in which large masses of men were known to be placed, and the shells exploded amongst these with very destructive effect.
On the evening of the 20th, the batteries of the French left attack atoned for their previous slackness by opening with great violence on the bastions covering the town; the Eussians replied vigorously, and the fire was sustained on both sides until dark. From this time the cannonade again gradually died away, to be renewed generally only once more.
On the night of the 27th, a French magazine in the Mamelon was blown up by a shell; it contained 15,000 pounds of powder, and the explosion killed and wounded nearly a hundred of the men who were in the work at the time; but this disaster was not attended by any ulterior consequences of importance.