Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/100

 74 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. C II A P. I. St Arnaiicl pushes for- ward his reserves. The ill effect, of tl'.is lii^suie ui>oii the French troops. Their com- jilaint that they were being 'iiias- ' sacred.' Anxiety on account of Bosquet. Btate of the battle ht this time shal did, however, was to order up his reserves, sending one brigade of his 4th Division to follow the march of Bosquet, and the other to support Canrobert. This last measure was actually a source of weakness rather tlian of strength ; for, as far as numbers were concerned, Canrobert and Prince ISTapoleou were already in more than ample strength. With two superb divisions, numbering some 15,000 men, and having Bosquet and Bouat on their right with many thousands more, they ^"ere advancing upon a very narrow front; and the bringing up of fresh troops augmented the masses who came under the fire of the guns with- out at all propelHng the leading divisions. So the evil lasted and increased. Inaction in the midst of a battle is hateful to the brave, impetu- ous Frenchman, and inaction under fire is intoler- able to him. The troops towards the rear of the columns, not having the close presence of the enemy to animate them, and being without that shelter from the Russian guns which was enjoyed by the leading battalions, became discontented and uneasy. It was then that there sprang up among the French troops the ill-omened complaint that they were being ' massacred.' All this while, Bosquet was on the summit of the cliff with his one brigade ; and his isolation, as we shall presently see, was becoming a source of great anxiety. Minute after minute aides-de-camp were coming to Lord Raglan with these gloomy tidings ; and, iu truth, the action at this time was going ou ill