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 405on 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, 406was 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 407Cathcart, 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 408of 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 409Division 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 410could 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 411one 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 412of 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 413out 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 414advanced 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 415moving 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 416established 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.

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