230
JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.
character, and with a larger body of men. The guard of the trenches behaved nobly, receiving theenemy with such a steady fire that he was obliged to retire, leaving many dead behind him.
The general officer commanding (Colonel Trollope) in the trenches made very judiciousarrangements for repulsing a sortie, should such be made, and in great measure to thesearrangements may the repulse of the enemy be attributed.
A 13-inch shell fell upon the magazine in battery No. 3., and burst without doing any damageof consequence. The Right attack has been advanced 360 yards; the Left attack 460 yards.
The heat in the trenches is beginning to be very great, and the latrines extremely offensive.
Notwithstanding the orders which have been issued upon the necessity and importance ofthrowing lime and earth over the places used as such, little attention has been paid to these importantsanitary measures.
The guard of the trenches considers that it is not worth their while to labour for others, as theywill be relieved in a few hours. *
Those of our allies are in much the same unpleasant state.
The daily expenditure of ammunition by the guards in the trenches is enormous. The men beingprincipally recruits, and the greater number of officers young lads who have been commissioned buta few months, and perfectly ignorant of all their duties, the men are not under control, emptytheir pouches as soon as they can, and then lay down in the sun to sleep away the remainder oftheir tour of duty, thus blocking-up the trenches, and preventing a free communication along them.These are great disadvantages, and impose much additional labour upon the engineers andSappers.
The heavy rain on the 1 Oth made the trenches and batteries in a terrible state.
Opened fire from an 8-inch gun on the right of No. 8. battery, Left attack. This gun takes theQuarries and advanced line of the enemy’s rifle-screens nearly in enfilade; and will no doubt provea very great annoyance to them.
On the night of the 11th the enemy made a strong sortie against the Left attack. They got intoNo. 8. battery, but were soon driven back, leaving some dead behind them. Our loss was oneofficer, 68th Regiment, and five men killed, and one officer and 12 men wounded. No damagewhatever was done to the battery. Had the reserve been posted as directed many prisoners mighthave been made.
A meeting of the chiefs of the English, French , and Turks armies took place this day, which lastednearly six hours.
On the 13th General Dalesmes of the French engineers accompanied General Jones in areconnoissance of the enemy’s works from the English trenches.
On the 16th Lord Raglan, accompanied by General de la Marmora, commanding the Sardinian troops, and General Jones, visited the works of the Left attack. The field marshal expressed hissatisfaction with their state, and the situation of the new batteries.
On the 18th the field marshal, with General de la Marmora, inspected the works of the Rightattack.
The French continue very busy in throwing up a line of entrenchments to cover the harbours ofKamiesch and Kazatch. The line is a very long one, and will require a large body of troops for itsdefence.
On the 19th General Canrobert resigned the command of the French army to GeneralPelissier.