The partial success already described induced the enemy to make a sortie
on the following day; and about noon, on the 26th. of October, an
assault was made on the right flank of the British position at
Inkermann, where the second division was posted under Lieutenant-General
Sir De Lacy Evans, who was attacked by several columns of infantry,
supported by artillery. The division immediately formed line in advance
of the camp,—the left under Major-General Pennefather, the right under
Brigadier-General Adams, whilst Lieutenant-Colonel Fitzmayer, and the
captains of batteries (Turner and Yates) promptly posted their guns and
opened fire. Immediately on the cannonade being heard the Duke of
Cambridge brought up the brigade of Guards, under Major-General
Bentinck, with a battery under Lieutenant-Colonel Dacres. General
Bosquet, with similar promptitude, and from a greater distance,
approached the position with five French battalions; Sir George
Cathcart, with a regiment of rifles hastened to the scene of action, and
Sir George Brown pushed forward two guns in co-operation by the left.
The enemy came on at first rapidly, assisted by their guns, on the mound
hill; but the pickets, then chiefly of the 30th. and 49th. regiments,
resisted them with remarkable determination and firmness. Lieutenant
Conolly, of the 49th., Captain Atcherley and Bayly, of the 30th., all of
whom were severely wounded, greatly distinguished themselves. Great
bravery was also displayed at this point by Sergeant Daniel Sullivan, of
the 30th., who was subsequently appointed to a commission in the 82nd.
regiment.
Meanwhile, the eighteen guns in position, including those of the first
division, were served with the utmost energy, and in half an hour they
forced the enemy’s artillery to abandon the field. The batteries were
then directed with equal accuracy and vigour upon the Russian columns,
which, being also exposed to the close fire of the advanced infantry,
soon fell into complete disorder, and, taking to flight, were literally
chased by the 30th. and 95th. regiments over the ridges and down towards
the head of the bay. So eager was the pursuit, that it was with
difficulty Major-General Pennefather eventually effected the recall of
the men. The above regiments and pickets were gallantly led by
Lieutenant-Colonel Mauleverer, 30th.; Major Eman, 41st.; and Majors
Champion and Hume, 95th. The Russians were similarly pursued farther
towards the right, by four companies of the 41st., gallantly led by
Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Percy Herbert, Assistant
Quartermaster-General. The 47th. also contributed. The 55th. were held
in reserve.
Upwards of eighty prisoners were captured, and about one hundred and
thirty of the enemy’s dead were left within or near the British
position. It was estimated that the Russian casualties could scarcely be
less than six hundred. The British loss exceeded eighty, of whom twelve
were killed, and five officers wounded. This affair has received the
name of “Little Inkermann.”
BATTLE OF INKERMANN.
NOVEMBER 5TH., 1854.
Two days after the sortie of the Russians had been repulsed, they were
strengthened by considerable reinforcements, which created an
expectation that an extensive movement would not be long deferred, and
this anticipation was fully realized. According to their own accounts
they had seventy-six thousand men assembled in and near Sebastopol, when
Prince Menschikoff resolved to attack the right wing of the English
position. The plan proposed to be carried out, was for twenty thousand
men, under Prince Gortschakoff, proceeding from Tchorgoun into the plain
of Balaklava, to make a demonstration against that place, and against
General Bosquet’s corps of observation, to prevent any troops being
detached to support the British; a like number occupied Sebastopol, of
whom a portion, under General Timofieff, was ordered to make a strong
sortie against the extreme left of the French, and thereby occupy the
attention of their besieging army; five thousand men were to be in
observation on McKenzie’s Heights; the remaining thirty-one thousand,
divided into two columns of attack, were destined for the immediate
assault of the British position. Lieutenant-General Soimonoff, with his
column of seventeen thousand five hundred men, issued from the Little
Redan before daylight, on Sunday,[161] the memorable 5th. of November,
but instead of ascending the ridge on which he then stood, so as to
assault the Light Division near the Victoria Redoubt, he crossed the
Careening Creek ravine at once upon quitting the town, and with his
three leading regiments proceeded to attack the position of the Second
Division. The two leading regiments of the second Russian column of
thirteen thousand five hundred men, under Lieutenant-General Pauloff,
having crossed the Tchernaya, and finding part of Soimonoff’s column
already occupying a portion of the field of battle, fell upon the
outposts of the Second Division, occupying the Sandbag battery. With
admirable gallantry these pickets defended the ground foot by foot
against the overwhelming masses which poured in upon them, until the
Second Division, under Major-General Pennefather, with its field guns,
which had immediately been got under arms, was placed in position.
Without loss of time the Light Division was brought to the front by
Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, the long slopes to the left towards
Sebastopol being occupied by the first brigade, under Major-General
Codrington; thus protecting the British left, and guarding against
attack on that side; the second brigade, under Brigadier-General Buller,
formed on the left of the Second Division, with the 88th. Connaught
Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffreys, thrown in advance.
The Brigade of Guards, under His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
and Major-General Bentinck, proceeded likewise to the front, and took up
most important ground to the extreme right on the alignment of the
Second Division, but separated from it by a deep and precipitous ravine,
and posting its guns with those of the Second Division.
The Brigade of Guards having driven the Russians out of the Sandbag
battery, maintained that post against repeated efforts to acquire
possession. The Grenadiers were in the battery, the Scots Fusiliers on
their left, and the Coldstreams, who arrived afterwards, to the left of
these. The Second Division occupied the ground immediately in front of
their own camp, and repulsed all attempts to force that part of the
position.[162]
The Fourth Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart,
having been brought from its encampment, advanced to the front and right
of the attack; the first brigade, under Brigadier-General Goldie
proceeded to the left of the Inkermann road; the second brigade, under
Brigadier-General Torrens, to the right of it, and on the ridge
overhanging the valley of the Tchernaya. The Third Division, under
Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England, occupied in part the ground
vacated by the Fourth Division, and supported the Light Division by two
regiments under Brigadier-General Sir John Campbell, while
Brigadier-General Eyre held the command of the troops in the
trenches.[163]
So dark was the morning, independent of the drizzling rain, that it was
nearly impossible to discover anything save the flash and smoke of
artillery, together with a heavy musketry fire. It however soon became
evident that the enemy, under cover of a vast cloud of skirmishers,
supported by dense columns of infantry, had advanced numerous batteries
of large calibre to the high ground to the left and front of the Second
Division, while powerful columns of infantry attacked with great vigour
the Brigade of Guards. Additional Batteries of heavy artillery were also
placed by the enemy on the slopes to the British left; the guns in the
field, amounting in the whole to ninety pieces, independently however of
the ship guns and those in the works of Sebastopol.
Protected by a tremendous fire of shot, shell, and grape, the Russian
columns advanced in great force, requiring every effort of gallantry on
the part of the troops to resist them. At this time two battalions of
French infantry, which had on the first notice been sent by General
Bosquet, joined the English right, and very materially contributed to
the successful resistance to the attack, cheering with the men, and
charging the enemy down the hill with great loss. About the same period
a determined assault was made on the extreme left of the British, and
for a moment the Russians possessed themselves of four guns, three of
which were retaken by the 88th., while the fourth was speedily
recaptured by the 77th. regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Egerton. In
the opposite direction the Brigade of Guards, under His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, was engaged in a severe conflict.
The enemy, under the cover of thick brushwood, advanced in two heavy
bodies, and assaulted with great determination a small redoubt which had
been constructed for two guns, but was not armed. The combat was most
arduous; and the Brigade, after displaying the utmost steadiness and
gallantry, was obliged to retire before very superior numbers, until
supported by a wing of the 20th. regiment of the Fourth Division, when
they again advanced and re-took the redoubt. This ground was afterwards
occupied in gallant style by French troops, and the Guards speedily
re-formed in the rear of the right flank of the Second Division.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart, with a
few companies of the 68th. regiment, considering that he might make a
strong impression by descending into the valley, and taking the enemy in
flank, moved rapidly forward, but finding the heights above him in full
occupation of the Russians, he suddenly discovered that he was entangled
with a superior force, and whilst attempting to withdraw his men, he
received a mortal wound, shortly previous to which Brigadier-General
Torrens, when leading the 68th., was likewise severely wounded.
Subsequently to this, the battle continued with unabated vigour and with
no positive result, the enemy availing themselves not only of the fire
of all their field batteries, but of those in front of the works of the
place, and the ship guns, till the afternoon, when the symptoms of
giving way first became apparent, and shortly after, although the fire
did not cease, the retreat became general, and heavy masses were
observed retiring over the bridge of the Inkermann, and ascending the
opposite heights, abandoning on the field of battle five or six thousand
dead and wounded, multitudes of the latter having already been carried
off by them.
During the engagement, Major-General Codrington, fearing that the
British position would be forced near the five-gun battery, and that the
camp of the first brigade of the Light Division would be endangered,
sent Major Mc Kenzie back to the camp, to order all the bâtmen, men on
guard, and any sick who could carry arms, to turn out at once. No
officer being in camp, Lieutenant-Colonel Lysons, of the 23rd., who was
at the time recovering from an attack of fever, got up and took command
of the parties of three regiments of the first brigade; every man who
could stand volunteered to go out; they went to the front in support of
comrades, but no serious attack was ever made in the direction of the
Light Division hills, although the fire from the enemy’s field pieces
across the front, especially at the before-mentioned battery (which they
completely enfiladed), and near the old redoubt, was very heavy.
With the hope of diverting attention from the Inkermann attack, a
Russian column, five thousand strong, made a sortie on the French lines,
and succeeded in spiking several guns, but were gallantly repulsed, and
pursued to the very walls of Sebastopol, the town being entered by a
portion of the French troops, their leader, General Lourmel, meeting his
death in the charge; General Forey experienced great difficulty in
recalling his soldiers, who were carried away by the ardour of the
chase. The Russians lost a thousand men in this attack, and the French
casualties were also considerable.
Thus terminated one of the most sanguinary contests of modern times. For
several weeks the troops had been subjected to constant labour, and many
of them had passed the previous night in the trenches. A zealous
devotion to duty characterized the gallantry of both French and English,
and, after a hard-fought day, the “soldier’s battle,” as it has been
designated, ended in a victory over, as regards numbers, an infinitely
superior force.
Nq positive conclusion could be arrived at in regard to the actual
numbers brought into the field by the Russians, as the configuration of
the ground did not admit of any great development of their force, the
attack consisting of a system of repeated assaults in heavy masses of
columns. It was, however, considered, judging from the numbers seen in
the plains after they had withdrawn in retreat, that they could not have
been less than sixty thousand men. The number of British troops actually
engaged scarcely exceeded eight thousand[164] men, whilst those of
General Bosquet’s Division only amounted to six thousand, the remaining
available French troops on the spot having been kept in reserve.
Prince Menschikoff’s intention was to drive the British from their
position, and to entrench himself at once on the heights, for several
waggons, laden with fascines and gabions, were noticed in the retreating
columns across the Tchernaya. His first attack was made with vigour and
determination but it was completely defeated by the British before the
arrival of the French. No part was taken in the renewed assault by the
Russian regiments composing the above attack, as they could not again be
organized for further offensive operations.
The casualties were heavy,—the British had forty-three officers killed,
one hundred wounded, and one taken prisoner; five hundred and
eighty-nine non-commissioned officers and men were killed, one thousand
seven hundred and seventy-eight wounded, and sixty-two missing, in all
two thousand five hundred and seventy-three.
It was stated that the French casualties amounted to about one thousand
eight hundred killed and wounded, whilst those of the Russians were
estimated at fifteen thousand men.
There is a peculiar feature incident to the battle of Inkermann, for the
British soldiers were nearly all in their grey great coats; this arose
from the fact of their being turned out before daylight, and on account
of the rain, besides which the greater portion of the Guards, and the
Fourth Division, had come from the trenches, in which they had been
employed for twenty-four hours, and were consequently similarly clothed.
It is also worthy of record that the battle was fought fasting by the
British.
The gallant deeds of the following officers and men at Inkermann, will
appear among the recipients of the Victoria Cross, but their names are
here mentioned to facilitate references:—Colonel the Honourable Hugh
Manvers Percy, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Russell, and Private
Palmer, of the Grenadier Guards; Lieutenant-Colonel Robert James
Lindsay, of the Scots Fusilier Guards; Lieutenant Walker, 30th.
regiment; Brevet-Major Rowlands, 41st.; Private Mc Dermond, 47th.;
Private Thomas Beach, 55th.; Private John Byrne, 68th.; Sergeant John
Park, 77th.; Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable H. Clifford, Rifle
Brigade; and Corporal Prettyjohn, of the Royal Marines. In addition to
these, the list of officers and men who received French and Sardinian
War Medals, will shew the special acts of bravery performed by them
throughout the campaign.
There is a peculiar interest attaching to the soldiers’ accounts of this
hard-fought battle, and the two following are but types of many others,
all of which are full of natural characteristics. The first is from a
soldier in the Scots Fusilier Guards:—
“We have had another general engagement, on the 5th. of November. Well
shall I remember that day. I ought never to forget the goodness of God
in bringing me off the ground safe, and without a scratch.
“And now I will endeavour to give you an account, as far as I am able,
of the battle. But I must tell you that on the night preceding the
battle it was very foggy, and the morning was misty. The Russians
availed themselves of it. A strong force, about forty thousand men (we
are informed) under the command of General Osten-Sacken, from Odessa,
with numerous artillery, got possession of some heights, and when the
mist cleared away opened fire, drove in the outlying pickets, and got
possession of the hills overlooking the Second Division’s tents. It was
about a quarter part six a.m. when the firing commenced. I was just up,
and saw the Second Division falling in. Some men were killed in front of
their tents. We fell in anyhow. We had only six companies—two on picket;
the Grenadier Guards five companies; and, I believe, the Coldstream
Guards seven companies. The brigade of Highlanders are guarding
Balaklava; the Second Division is encamped on our right. We went up, and
a fearful sight it was going through the Second Division’s encampment.
The shells were bursting over our heads, and the cannon-balls rolling
through us, bringing down tents, and poor bât-horses were knocked to
pieces by them.
“We were, of course, all taken by surprise, finding that the enemy being
so near, and had gained possession of a redoubt; and the Duke of
Cambridge, with only the Guards and two companies of the 46th., said,
‘You must drive them out of it.’ Well, then, they were only twenty yards
from us, and we were firing at each other. The pioneers and drummers,
with the stretchers, were told to find the best shelter they could, and
so I, myself, with our drum-major, were lying down behind a small bush,
and we both expected every moment to be shot, the bullets actually
passing within a few inches of our heads, and breaking off the branches
over us as we lay there. Well, they succeeded in driving the Russians
out of the place, and got them down the hill, when they were ordered to
retire.
“They retired, and the Russians came up with redoubled strength, and
completely surrounded us. The Russians took possession of the redoubt.
The Duke[165] said, ‘They must come out of it again.’ The Russians
cheered, as also did the Guards. Things now looked desperate, as we had
no support except the Almighty, and He defended the right.
“At it they went, and for half an hour things seemed to favour the
enemy. We were all surrounded—no getting out. The Grenadier Guards
nearly lost colours; they had only about forty men to defend them. We
gave another cheer, and out of the redoubt they went again, and the
Grenadier Guards managed to keep their colours. We drove them out at the
point of the bayonet down the hill. The Guards were ordered to retire
again, but would not, and, in fact, could not; if they had got down this
steep hill, they could not have got back again well. The brave French
came up to our assistance, and kept them at bay while we retired and got
our ammunition completed; and then the brigade of Guards were formed
into one regiment of six companies, and at it we went again; and by this
time, plenty of assistance coming to us, we managed to do them, but at a
great loss to us. Officers behaved bravely. The Coldstreams had eight
officers killed on the field; the Grenadiers three officers. Only
picture to yourself eleven officers being buried at one place and time!
there was not a dry eye at the funeral. We had Colonel Walker wounded in
three places. Colonel Blair died and was buried to-day. He had only
joined three weeks ago; he was shot in the breast. Our Adjutant, Captain
Drummond, Captain Gipps, Colonel F. Seymour, and Mr. Elkington, were all
wounded. Colonel Ridley and Colonel Dalrymple left us to-day sick. We
have scarcely any officers now left. We had two sergeants, four
corporals, and thirty-one privates killed on the field, and eleven have
died since of their wounds.”
The second is from a soldier of the 95th., who writes thus:—“On the 5th.
instant, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, we had a most terrible
day of it. The Russians advanced to attack our position, and drive us
into the sea (as has since been learned), at about six in the morning,
and continued the battle until four in the afternoon. Not once or twice,
but thrice and again did they advance, and endeavour to take our
position; and after our repeated attacks and charges, and our great
losses, they had nearly carried the crest of our position, but were met
by a Division of our brave allies, the French, who formed like the
letter V, and drove them back. The battle was far more desperate than
that at Alma. The Russians fought well, and attempted to advance up the
face of the hill, which was sheer madness, and can only be accounted for
by their state of intoxication, which, I believe, is usual; the custom
being to issue spirits before any enterprise is undertaken. The loss on
our side I cannot as yet inform you of, but in our brigade the killed
and wounded amounted to three hundred and sixty-one. The Guards, I
think, have lost the most of any English regiment, and the point which
they defended shows their prowess—hundreds of Russians lying dead and
wounded (some say a thousand) in that spot alone. It is said that we
have taken a thousand prisoners. I myself saw at least two hundred
wounded brought in to-day of the Russians, and I do not think that all
have yet been brought in.”
The Staff Officer, in his “Letters from Head Quarters,” a most valuable
and interesting work, relates the following anecdote, regarding the
battle of Inkermann, which shews of what material the British soldier is
made:—“I should also tell you an instance of great self-possession on
the part of a sergeant, I think, of the 7th. Fusiliers. It was towards
the close of the battle, and Lord Raglan was returning from taking leave
of poor General Strangways, and was going up towards the ridge. A
sergeant approached us, carrying canteens of water to take up for the
wounded, and as Lord Raglan passed, he drew himself up to make the usual
salute, when a round shot came bounding over the hill, and knocked his
forage-cap off his head. The man calmly picked up his cap, dusted it on
his knee, placed it carefully on his head, and then made the military
salute, and all without moving a muscle of his countenance. Lord Raglan
was delighted with the man’s coolness, and said to him, ‘A near thing
that, my man.’ ‘Yes, my Lord,’ replied the sergeant, with another
salute, ‘but a miss is as good as a mile.’”
Not less interesting is the same writer’s account of the poor wounded
horses:—“One of the most painful things during the action was the number
of wounded horses. Some of the poor creatures went grazing about the
field, limping on three legs, one having been broken or carried away by
shot; others galloping about, screaming with fright and terror. At
times, some would attach themselves to the Staff, as if desirous of
company; and one poor beast, who had its nose and mouth shot away, used
to come in amongst us, and rub its gory head against our horses’ flanks;
he was ordered to be killed by one of the escort, which was of course
done.”
Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, to which rank his lordship was advanced for
this victory, in publishing to the Army in General Orders the despatch
of the Minister of War, conveying the Queen’s entire approbation of the
conduct of the troops at Inkermann, especially drew attention to the
passage, “Let not any Private Soldier in those ranks believe that his
conduct is unheeded. The Queen thanks him—his Country honours him.”
In addition to the medal and clasps ordered for these successes, the
Queen, as a mark of Her Majesty’s recognition of the meritorious
services of the non-commissioned officers serving in the Crimea,
directed that one sergeant should be selected from each regiment of
cavalry, guards, and infantry, serving under Lord Raglan, for promotion
to a commission, to be dated 5th. November, 1854. The thanks of the
House of Lords and Commons were given for these services, and the same
tribute was conveyed to General Canrobert and the French Army for their
gallant and successful co-operation. This distinction was most highly
prized, and the French Commander, in his general order, gave utterance
to sentiments that found a ready response in every heart, and which, it
is hoped, time will never efface: “You will all feel its value, and I
shall, in your name and mine, assure Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, that it
will, if possible, tighten still more the bonds of good fellowship,
which a mutual high esteem, and the blood we have shed in common, have
established between our British gallant companions in arms and
ourselves.”
Contrasted with the painful though glorious scenes for which medals were
being gained, stands out the mission of Miss Nightingale, who
exemplified what womanly devotion could effect. The public desire to
alleviate the sufferings endured by the soldiers in the far-off
battle-field, met with a generous response, and the subscription,
originated by the all-powerful “Times,” was liberally responded to, and
a special correspondent of that newspaper, Mr. Macdonald, judiciously
administered its distribution; whilst the devoted widow of the heroic
Colonel Moore, whose husband, preferring the lives of his men to his
own, met his death in the burning troopship “Europa,” thinking the best
consolation for her bereavement would be found in administering
consolation to the sick and wounded, fell a victim to her self-denial,
but left a name which will be associated with Mr. and Mrs. Bracebridge
and Florence Nightingale, and will never be forgotten, for the example
of the Dorcas of the Crimea and her Christian associates will be ever
held up as a noble instance in the holy cause of suffering humanity. The
difficult task which, at the pressing instance of the Right Honourable
Sidney Herbert, Secretary of State for War, she undertook, was deemed by
some at first visionary, but the arduous enterprise was successfully
carried out by these ladies, and their arrival at Scutari at the period
of the battle of Inkermann was most opportune. This was truly designated
as a Christian episode in a Christian war.
Few will forget the exhibition of the fine arts in aid of the patriotic
fund, to which the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, and Prince
Alfred contributed. The touching picture sent by Her Royal Highness,
wherein the devoted wife has found the dead body of her husband, was as
appropriate as it was truthful. This, and the pen-and-ink sketches of
knightly warriors and kings, furnished by the youthful princes, realized
handsome prices. The patriotic fund reached the munificent amount of
half a million of money, whilst by the “Central Association,” ably
superintended by Major the Honourable Henry Littleton Powys, of the
60th., and the regimental and other funds about two hundred thousand
pounds were obtained. Such appreciation by their country of her gallant
soldiers, and regard for their wives and children, were alike worthy of
the nation and of their noble devotion and patient endurance before
Sebastopol.