Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/69

 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 43 of the Ptussian officers, the leading divisions of the chap. men in red were massed in no sort of column, and ^' were clearly seen coming on in a slender line — a line only two deep, yet extending far from cast to west. They could not believe that with so fine a thread as that the English General was really in- tending to confront their massive columns.* Yet the English troops had no idea that their forma- tion was so singular as to be strange in the eyes of military Europe. Wars long past had taught them that they were gifted with the power of fighting in this order, and it was as a matter of course that, upon coming within range, they had gone at once into line. Meanwhile, the war-steamers — eight French Firo from and one English — had pushed forward along the ring"'' shore in single file, moving somewhat in advance of the land - forces ; and now, at twenty - five minutes past one o'clock, the leading vessels opened fire against the four guns at the village of Ulukul Aides, and again tried the skill of their gunners upon the distant masses of infantry ^hich occupied the Telegraph Height and the low flat ledge at its base. This last part of the cannonade from the ships was followed by a change of no small moment in the Eussian fi-ont of battle. Convinced that his chief had been guilty of a followed by grievous error in placing the Taroutine and the movenSu' militia battalions on this low narrow ledge, troops con- General Kiriakoff, who commanded in this part Freuch. of the field, had tried by indirect means to pro-
 * Chodajiiewicz.