180 GENERAL CAMPBELL'S ATTACK.
CHAP.
VII.
His direc-
tion to
Gerald
Graham.
State and
strength of
the 'ladder*
' party.'
The ladder-
party under
Gtraham.
pet, and strive to push home an attack on the
flank of the Great Redan.
Lord West accordingly saving that he meant
to throw forward a fresh line of skirmishers re-
quested Gerald Graham to take out his ladders
once more. For this task such of the sailors as
had not been killed or disabled stood, all of them,
ready and eager; but the soldiers who had con-
stituted one-half of the 'ladder-party' were no
longer to be seen in their places. Lord West
strove to make good this void by assigning for
the task other soldiers ; and his efforts were not
all in vain. Still, Graham found on the whole
that lie could only muster four bearers for each
of his ladders instead of the right number — six.
The promised covering party had not been
thrown forward when Graham nevertheless
brought his ladders out over the parapet, and at
once met the fire reopened on him and his people
from the batteries of the Great Redan. With
their ladders beside them, our men lay down on
the grass, and there — although still sought and
found by too many of the enemy's missiles —
awaited the promised advance of the men charged
to cover their front.
When after a while it was seen that the ' cover-
' ing party ' of skirmishers had not begun to ad-
vance, the sailors eagerly wished — making only
an exception for Graham — to dispense with the aid
of all soldiers. They had lost their naval com-
manders (Lieutenant Kidd killed, and Lieutenant
Cave gravely wounded), but Mr Kennedy, mate,
