Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/503

APPENDIX. 473 which he bore calumny, wlien an attempt to dtfL-nd himself miglit have jeopardised the French alliance — these are all qualities of a great man : and when added to the military skill which a long experience in a good school of anny must have engendered, would have obtained for him, under happier auspices, the reputation of a great commander. But Mr Kinglake may rest assured that the effort to make Lord Raglan's military views chime in with those popular fallacies respecting the war which were rife during its prosecution will not increase Lord Piaglan's fimie in future years ; while the attempt to do so must necessarily lead to the infliction of injustice upon other persons. 28. Much of llie soreness of feeling which the English people felt diuing the Crimean war, arose from the failure of our assaults upon the Russian works ; but in a joint expedition we must be prepared to accept the fortune of war, which will sometimes favour the part taken by our Allies, and sometimes our own. It was not luitil the result of the battle of Inkermun had given us possession of all the ground south of the great harbour that an attack against the Mala- koff front became possible. This battle was a heavy blow and discouragement to the Russians, and the circumstances connected with it have been much misunderstood in this country. It was a great and decisive victory, and in its consequences, even more im- portant to us than the battle of the Alma. It cleared our way to an attack against the ilalakoff Tower, which was decidedly tlie l)roper point of attack, where success was both more easy of accom- plishment, and more decisive when accomplished. It M'as these considerations which led me, in the memoranda of the 25th of November and the 20th of December 1854, published in the official account of the siege, to recommend to Lord Raglan that the French should relieve us of the charge of our left attack, so as to enable us to take ground further to the right, and prosecute the attack against the Malakoff front. Lord Raglan pressed these views strongly upon the French Commander, but without effect, until after the visit of General Niel to the country. It was then decided that the main impression should be made by the Malakofif Tower ; but as soon as that point was decided, our Allies, who now possessed a large pre- ponderance of force, preferred to take the attack against the Malakoff into their own hands, instead of relieving us of our left attack ; and no one, under the circumstances, has a right to blame them. The English must console themselves with the reflection, that if the fortune of war was unfavourable to them on this occasion, it was not always so. The battles of the Alma and Inkeruian have raised the