Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/423

 PLAN OF THE FLANK MAKCH. 397 Engineers. Some other Staff officers were in the chap, tent. Wlien Sir John Burgoyne had expLained ^- the proposal recorded hy ]iis memorandum, and liad answered the few questionings which were addressed to him, the Marshal at once, and with- out at all seeking counsel from the officers about him, declared, as Sir John understood, that he approved the plan, and was willing to join with Lord Eaglan in the determination to carry it into effect ;* but it must not be understood that these and by him Avords carried with them an unconditional de- '^"^"*«'"^'* cision. The Marshal apparently understood the proposal exactly in the same sense as that in which Lord Raglan had meant it to be submitted to him ; and what his answer really imported was, that if he should persist in his objection to attack the North Fort, then, and in that event, he would consent to resort to the flank march. At all events, it is certain that the question of adopting the plan of the flank march remained open until a later period. ■[• Yet, even as early as the time when the Allies still lay on the Alma, the plan had won so much favour, that already, as we saw, it acted upon the arrangements of the commanders, preventing them from leaving a detachment to cover the embarka- + See Marshal St Arnaud's journal, under date of the 23d and 24th September. Lord Eaglan fixes the evening of the 24th, on the Belbec, as the time when tlio measure was adopted. — Despatch to Secretary of War, Sept. 23. See also, post, an extract from a private letter to the Duke of Newcastle, written on the night of the 24th.
 * Letter from Sir John Burgoyne.