382 THE BATTLK OK INKERMAN. CHAP. Thus, in time for prompt action, Bosquet would ' have at his disposal (with artillery and some horse ith Period. i-Q support it) a body of more than 3000 foot;* whilst, if choosing to play at fence with the enemy and give time for D'Autemarre to come up, he would be able to deliver his attack with a united force of all arms, comprising between five and six thousand infantry with a powerful field-artillery and several squadrons of cavalry.-f- Conditions Siuce the Eussiaus, after numberless discom- Dannenberg fiturcs, and whilst Suffering the destruction of have to act. their artillery power on Shell Hill, were now to have Bosquet upon them with all these French troops at his back, it might seem that, unless General Dannenberg could at once undertake another assault, he might fitly abandon the am- bitious pait of his enterprise, and content him- self with the measure of entrenching his baffled forces on the ground they had long ago won. Yet for Dannenberg (as for any other com- mander in battle who has not already succumbed) it was possible to entertain one last hope. His adversary might commit some huge fault. It was now about 10 o'clock.
- Subject to deduction for the losses which had been m
curred by the two battalions — those of the 7th L6ger and the 6th of the Line — which had been for some time in action, the number would be 3575. t Subject to the deduction indicated in the last footnote, the atrenf^th of the bodies of infantry here referred to would b« 5879.
