Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/98

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64 THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN. III. CHAP. From the Kavabel Faubourg the Russians ' raaintaiued a strong fire against the English siege ukerbjtiie ^'orks, but attempted no sortie with the object of thTKarabei detaining the reinforcements in march for Mount Faubourg, inkermau. It would seem that the powerful garrison of Sebastopol may have been paralysed by the hampering words of the general orders which, being conceived in a too rigid spirit, undertook to assign beforehand the exact contin- gency in which an attack was to be attempted. The garrison troops had been ordered to move out and seize the batteries of the Allies if confusion should be there setting in ; * and, that contin- gency not occurring, it happily resulted that the tens of thousands of men who were so placed as to be able to make sorties which might grievously detain the English reinforcements, were suffered to remain standing idle. English re- Thus the Gcncrals in rear of our trenches were marcifed^ left SO Unchecked by demonstrations in their Mount front, that they could move freely towards Inker- Inkerniau . , . , i> j^t • c j- man with some portions at least of their lorces.T Sir Eichard England, who commanded the 3d Division, had at his disposal for field operations a body of about 1400 men. With these (after leaving General Eyre in command of the trenches) he began to inarch towards the scene of the con- flict, but when he gained the next ridge and

  • ' Defense ile Sebastoj.ol,' p. 448.

t The rest being for the most part on duty in the trendies.