Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/467

APPENDIX. 425 and pitiless. What makes his scrutiny so forinidahle is, that — without the least merit on his part — he has chanced to become possessed — nay, is every day becoming more and more possessed — of the knowledge, the constantly accruing knowledge, which enables him to find fault with effect. This persistent, implacable critic is no other than the author himself. Of the way in which I break in and find fault with the hook wherever truth bids me do so, I can best speak by giving a single example. Guided by Sir Colin Campbell's narrative of the operations of his brigade at the Alma, I narrated the advance of the 79th Highlanders against the flank of a Russian column then marching across its front, and — catching animation from that strangely kindling power with which Lord Clyde used to speak of these scenes — I said that the 79th 'sprang at the flank' of the Russian column. I never knew of anybody except myself Avho ever found fault with the accuracy of the sentence. But it happened that, long after the publication of the book, and for a purpose having nothing to do with the movement in question, Lord Clyde, one day, brought me a paper, written by an officer of the 79th, and containing more minute details of the advance of the regiment than had previously come to my knowledge. From these details I gathered that, although the 79th had advanced exactly in the direction I described, and against the flank of the Russian battalions then marching across its front, it had advanced more deliberately than I had supposed. I no sooner read this than I felt that my expression, ' sprang at the flank,' indicated a greater swiftness of attack than was consistent with the bare truth, and therefore needed to be qualified. Lord Clyde did not agree with me ; he thought the expression sufficiently accurate, and depre- cated the notion of my qualifying the words ; but I was steadfast in my determination to show what I myself