Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/131

 UKROIG RESISTANCE OF SEBASTOPOL. 101 CHAPTER VI. I. Upon withJrawiufr his army from the scene of chap. VI the threatened attack, Prince Mentschikoff had ' distributed amongst three commanders the author- Jerentf' ity which was to be exercised at Sebastopol dur- seUi^toi>oJ: lug the period of his absence. To General MoUer he had left the command of General the small body of land forces which was suffered ' to remain in the place, that is, of the one imper- fect battalion of sappers, and the 5000 militiamen. Of the officer thus placed at the head of the town garrison, it cannot be said that he had dis- closed the qualities needed for any momentous charge ; but, at all events, he was so constituted as to be able to show his devotion to the public service by a generous abandonment of every pre- tension or right that miglit clash with the general good. The Prince ordered that all the seamen who A.imirai Xacliiiuoff S had been withdrawn from the fleet for the defence of the south side of the town should be under the orders of Vice-Admiral Nachimoff..