Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/240

 214 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. CHAP. Liglit brigade. After allowing for casualties, and ' especially fur the heavy losses sustained by the column which engaged our 7th Fusiliers, it may be conjectured that these liussian forces on tho Kourgan^ Ilill amounted to some 15,000 men. Except the Kazan battalions, none of these troops had been hitherto engaged in hard fighting, for the triumpliant Vladimir column had not yet en- countered formed troops. Nearly all the Eussian artillery had been taken away from the front, and, except that there were five pieces of ord- nance not yet withdrawn from the Lesser Re- doubt, the enemy had no guns now remaining in battery. The impending struggle was a fight — a sheer fight — of infantry. Advance aud At the momcut wheu the troops which had discomfiture ot the Scots stormed the redoubt beuan to retreat, the 1st Fusilier. . ., Guards. Divislou had not yet emerged from the cover afforded by the river's bank ; but General Cod- rington's message hurried the advance of the Scots Fusilier Guards.* The battalion climbed up the bank, formed line with a good deal of haste, and began to move forward. At this time, there were numbers of stragglers of the Light Division standing about near the company got parted from the re.st of tho battalion. Tliat separa- tion lasted during the period of the struggle which followed ; and when, therefore, in this Note I speak of the Scots Fusilier Guards in general terms, it must he understood that I mean to designate that body of seven companies which remained to- gether, when the left-flank company had got parted from the rest of the battalion.
 * We saw that, at the time of pas.sing the river, the left-flank