The naval attack was not, however, executed as had been arranged. At the urgent instance of the French, a change was made in the morning. It was decided that the French Fleet should approach to within 1600 to 1800 yards of the coast line, from Cape Cherson to the middle of the mouth of the roadstead, and anchor there, firing on the Quarantine Fort and Alexander ; and that the British should prolong the line so as to include in their fire Fort Constantine and the Telegraph and Wasp Batteries, on the coast of the north side. Several hours were occupied in thus anchoring the ships, and the land attack began without them.
The Cannonade begins. 103
Both sides had received reinforcements during the period of preparation. Menschikoff had by the transfer of troops from his army increased the number of soldiers in the garrison by 25,000. On the other hand, the Allied Fleets had sent men, guns, and ammunition to help the armies. More than 3000 seamen and marines were landed by Dundas, and the sailors became, as the Naval Brigade, a well-known feature of the siege. Of the guns already enumerated as arming the English batteries, twenty-nine were manned by the sailors. The French received from their admiral aid of the same kind.
One other circumstance of this period remains to be noticed. The Russians had pushed their outposts considerably in advance of their line of works on the side of the MalakofT, and Sir John Burgoyne had therefore desired, for the better security of his siege batteries (which had indeed been established at such a distance from the enemy's works partly because of the forward positions of these outposts) that the investing armies should be, in the main, pushed nearer to the enemy's lines. Our generals of division did not concur in this desire. They considered that a more advanced position could only be maintained at a perilous risk. But the French took advantage of the shelter afforded by Mount Rodolph to establish close behind it a brigade of infantry, and thus their batteries there were strongly supported, and the troops which would form the head of their column of assault were as near as possible to the Flagstaff Bastion.
At the earliest dawn on the i/th the Russians, as
104 French Fire silenced.
they descried the embrasures in the hitherto blank faces of the batteries, began a desultory fire upom them. At the concerted hour, half-past six, three French shells from Mount Rodolph gave the signal, and the Allied batteries opened throughout their extent, the Russian works replied, and spectators gathering from the camps in rear looked down upon the most tremendous conflict of artillery which, up to that time, the earth had ever witnessed. For four hours it continued almost unabated, while the onlookers could draw no conclusion from the incessant streams of fire which crossed between the opposing works. For although the English batteries had ruined the MalakofT Tower, dismounting the guns on its roof, and disabling the batteries below by the fall of its fragments, and though considerable damage had been done to all the Russian works, yet all except the Malakoff maintained their fire, and on the side of the French attack no superiority had become evident. It was about ten o'clock that an explosion took place on Mount Rodolph. A shell had blown up the principal magazine, killing about fifty men, and silencing the fire of the nearest battery. On the remaining French guns the Russians concentrated their fire, and at half-past ten the batteries of our allies were reduced to silence. Henceforth the hope of delivering a general assault had vanished, and the fire of the English batteries was maintained only to cover the discomfiture of their allies.
On our side things had gone, and continued to go very well. Great havoc was wrought on the parapets and gorges of the opposing works, on their guns and
English Fire successful. 105