Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/143

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THE MAIN FIGHT. 99 vent him from at ouce moving forward in strength cii aiv to push home the advantage he had gained. The fire opened accordingly, and was destined, as we 1'"-p«"<«^- shall see, to work good effect by deflecting the Russian attack. The main weight of the cannonade from Shell Direction o» TT • 1 1 1 1 1 T f ^® Russian Hili was made to swoop past over the heads oi cannonade. our troops on Home Ridge ; * the aim, it seems, being to send destruction amongst those English resei-ves which the enemy thought must be gath- ered about the camp of the 2d Division and along the ground in its rear. Round-shot tearing their Havoc in way through the lines, and shells bursting in the of the 2d midst of them, soon turned the camp into a scene of havoc ; for tents were thrown, or up-whirled as though by a hurricane, and draught-horses that had been picketed in rows were turned into slaughter-heaps, or cut loose and sent wandering piteously with mangled limbs. But the plan of destroying, by this persistent fire, a great portion of Pennefather's reserves, was baffled by the cir- cumstance of his having no reserves to destroy. Except sentries pacing the lines and men busied in striking the tents, hardly any one had been left in camp.-f- Thus far, then, the enterprise of the Russians

  • It is tnie that Lieutenant Arthur Armstrong (a young

officer of great promise) was killed at this time w'ith his regi- ment, but then being the adjutant, and therefore on hor.seback, he was exposed to a fire which spared men on foot. t Captain Allix, a valued officer and an aide-de-camp of Evans's, chanced, it seems, to be passing through the camp at this time and was killed.