Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/182

138 THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN. CHAP. VI. 1st Period. General Soimonoff mortally wounded. Egerton's retention of the ground he had won. Retreat of the 3d and 4th Cather- iiiburg battalions. could sot! with the Jlnssians, was observed all at once to come down from his saddle — either fall- ing or dismounting abruptly ; and it has been surmised that this horseman was no other than General Soimonolf, then struck by the shot which caused his death. What we know with certainty is, that at a time not less early, and in a part of the field not far distant from the one thus as- signed, the brave and resolute commander, who had been the soul of enterprise, received his mortal wound. Until a later part of the morning, when an order withdrew him to another part of the field, ('olonel Egerton held fast to the ground he had won. His men lying down in the brushwood were in great measure sheltered from fire ; but it was otherwise, of course, with the mounted otficers who kept their saddles. General Buller at this time had two horses killed under him, and was himself disabled by the round-shot which destroyed his second charger. Colonel Egerton's victory carried with it much more than the overthrow of all troops directly opposing him. Although taught less by sight than by sound, the 3d and 4th Catherinburg battalions could scarce fail to learn that the 1500 Tomsk troops on their left had been beaten, pursued, driven, hunted over no small part of the field, wdiilst still — l)ecause of the mist — their commander could not know the dimensions of the small English force which had thus pushed its fortune unswervingly from south to north,