Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/107

THE BATTLE OB' BALACLAVA. 85 and there so obstructed l>y orchards or vineyards, chap. that although an observer well placed would be able to descry the advance of any enemy's force long, long before it could be close at hand, yet the near approach of even great bodies of troops might be hidden from the mind of a general who contented himself with the knowledge that was to be got from low ground. It may be easily imagined that, in the existing condition of things, our cavalry generals could not venture to separate themselves from their troops by even those slight distances which divided the low ground from neighbouring heights ; but then also they failed Want of . arrange- to charge others with the duty of maintaining a ments for ° ^ .an effective watchful look-out from any of the commanding lookout, knolls and ridges which featured the landscape around them ; and from this single omission there well might come two broods of error — the first brood consisting of ' surprises,' like the one which gave rise to this comment — the other brood com- prising those ugly misconstructions which must always be likely to occur where he who sends orders can survey the whole field, and he who would try to obey them has only a circumscribed view. The main body of the Kussian cavalry, under Advance of • t i the main the orders of General Kyioff, moved briskly up body of the . i . o r> Russian the North Valley, having with it some 61 pieces cavalry. of field-artillery ; and as yet, the force did not bend southward (as the few detached squadrons had done), but pushed on so far up towards the &