Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/454

 i-2!< APPENDIX. ' de la pObition est enleve.' If the acounts given by the French had ended there, it might have been inferred that they wished quietly to re- pudiate the bloody narrative of M. de Eazancourt, and to drop the notion of saying that there Avas really a great light at the Telegraph : but the oflicial atlas of the French (Government renews the story ; for in the plan which illus- trates this period of the battle, it places the Taroutine and the ' Militia ' battalions close in front of the Telegraph antl around it ; and the letterpress narrative accompanying the plans has these words : — ' Le General Canrobert lance sa ' division sur les d(ifenseurs du Telegraphe ; apr^s un com- ' brigade d'Aurelle de la 4'^ division, les Eusses sont ' chass(5s de leur position, et les drapeaux des V^ et 2® de ' Zouaves et du 3'J° de ligue llotteut successivement sur le ' T^Mgraphe.' That the three flags were hoisted on the Telegraph no one doubts ; but the question is, whether those triumphant demonstrations were preceded by anything like a serious light, The difficulty of believing this is occasioned by the tenor of the liussian accounts. General Iviriakolf Avas naturally anxious to show that he had made an obstinate stand ; and it may be imagined that if the heroic struggle described by M. de Bazancourt had really occurred, General Kiriakoff's narrative would have jnit it in full relief, lie, however, says not a word of any such struggle. In one part of his narrative ho speaks of the Taroutine and the ' Militia ' battalions as being so far in advance, and so low down, that the batteries near the Telegrajih fired over their heads : and at a later period of his narrative, without hav- ing said a word about any intermediate operation, he says that these battalions were under a cross-fire of artillery ; and that, for that reason, and because the troops opposed
 * ilie key uf tlio posiliun, is carried.' ' Le Tel^grajHie clef
 * bat opiniatre aucj^uel prend part le 39^ de ligne de la