Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/344

 318 BxVTTLE OF THE .VLMA. CHAP, better in urnis ? The Western Alliance had the ear ^- of Europe, and it awarded to itself au unstinted measure of glory. Was this glory honestly taken ? How fur The Allies were more than 60,000, and of that strength the Russians fell short by a difference Uiu Allies were eu- lUe gioiy exceeding one-third. This was a disparity which to them- selves made it unbecoming for the Great Alliance of the West to indulge in the language of a boisterous triumph. But, besides that the strength of the ground went some way towards making the con- flict equal, the very faults and shortcomings of the Allies had the effect of putting a heavy stress upon some portions of their united army ; for, by sending two-fifths of his army to the seashore, and l)y crowding the remainder of it upon a narrow front, the French jMarshal placed Prince Gortschakoff and General Kvetzinski upon a numerical equality with their English foes ; * and, the ground that our people assailed being en- trenched and singularly strong by nature, the Russians in that respect had of course a great advantage over their English adversaries. Be- sides, though our forces were about equal in numbers to the part of the Russian army with which they had to deal, yet it happened that in each distinct infantry fight the English battalions were almost always confronted by masses far, far gr(!ater in numerical strength. Justly, therefore, there may be rendered to some of the components of the Allied army a part of the glory which History must refuse to the aggregate host.
 * Sec Appendix, No. II.