Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/130

 104 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. CHAP, of military order was, of course, the necessary ^' result of having to pass through enclosures and to ford a winding stream ; so what the main body needed to have before it when it approached the left bank of the river was a swarm of skir- mishers clearing its immediate front, and prepared to cover it during the process of forming anew. This cover, however, was wanting. Sir George Brown declared that to attempt any formation after the passage of the river would be impossible, and that he had ' determined to trust to the spirit ' and individual courage of the troops.' Thus, on ground giving rare opportunity for the deliberate preparation of an attack, and imder no great stress of battle, the Light Division— the ' Light ' Division ' whose very name carried with it a great inheritance of glory — was suffered to lapse into a mere throng of brave men. In this plight the five battalions had to advance under the guns of a powerful battery supported by heavy columns of foot. But an officer honoured with the command of British troops can always hope that, when his skill fails him, his men may still retrieve the day by sheer fighting ; and to a commander frustrated in his evolutions, the prospect of a rude conflict with the enemy may offer the best kind of solace, and perhaps even a happy issue out of trouble. Of such comfort as was to be got from close fighting, there seemed to be fair promise in the Great Redoubt; and there. Sir George Brown resolved to seek it. Eager to