Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/311

 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 285 ground ou one of the eastern spurs of the Tele- chap. graph Pleight. At the opposite extremity of our ^' line, Sir George Cathcart had established liis troops on the left rear of the Higliland Brigade. Facing ahnost due south, and puslied forward to the reverse of the slopes which made the strength of the Russian position, and ranged upon a front of two miles, the British infantry looked down upon the enemy's retreating masses. At this time Lord Eaglan sent the Adjutant- oi.oiati.ms General with his orders to the cavalry. Those Li, cavalfy. orders, however, did not authorise tlic operations by which it is usual for horsemen to gatJier in the fruits of a victory. A commander, even in battle, must not forget the campaign. The West- ern Powers were invading a province of Bussia with forces which had to march through an open country. Their pretension to wage such war as tliat depended upon their having at their command all the three arms of the service ; therefore the strength of the arm in which they were the most weak was the measure of their power as invaders. The French, as we saw, had no cavalry, and the English had rather more than a thousand sabres and lances. With such a force, thrown forward to intercept the enemy's retreating masses, man}^ prisoners, if not also some guns, might have been assuredly taken ; and it was to be ex- pected that blows of this kind would aggravate the despondency of the beaten army. But Loicl Eaglan judged that no practicable capture of trophies or prisoners was worth the risk of los-