Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/98
III.
The part taken by the garrison in the Karabel Fauborg. From the Kavabel Faubourg the Russians maintained a strong fire against the English siege works, but attempted no sortie with the object of etaining the reinforcements in march for Mount Inkerman. 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;[1] 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 reinforcements marched toward Mount Inkerman. Thus the Generals in rear of our trenches were left so Unchecked by demonstrations in their front, that they could move freely towards Inkerman with some portions at least of their forces.[2] Sir Richard 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 conflict, but when he gained the next ridge and