Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/210

 180 THE COUNSELS OF THE ALLIES. CHAP. VIL US, Prince Meiitschikoff is in the field with an army which might act formidably upon our tiank and rear — which might attack us whilst in the act of assaulting the place.* To storm an en- trenched position thus held by a force between 25,000 and oO,OUO strong, and to provide at the same time against any enterprise on our flank or rear which Prince Mentschikoff might under- take, we have only some 50,000 men. In case of failing, we should find ourselves in danger of being driven into the sea."!* If we were to storm at once, we should have to do this with nothing but field-pieces at our command, and our troops would be exposed, for a distance of up- wards of a mile, to a galling fire of more than a hundred pieces of artillery, besides the guns of the shipping, liemendjer that the force engag- ing in such an attack would be without any re- treat in case of a reverse. I The place ajjpears to be in such a state, and the garrison so busily, and with so much apparent confidence, engaged in improving it, that, with a fine battering-train on board ship close at hand, wu ought not fur a moment to contemplate so rash an act as that of storming at once. § To do so would be U[iou the minds of the Freiicli ; and its ellcet in bending their cuunsels should certainly be rerneriibered by those wlio under- take to criticise Prince Mentselakofr's Hank inarch. t Narrative of Frencii Divisional General referred to above. X The arguments contained in this and the preceding sentence I understand to be Sir Jolm Burgoyne'.s. — ' Oflicial Journal of ' the Kngli.sh Siege Operation.s,' p. 17. § iMenioranduni by Sir John Burgoyne, dated 20th Noveni-
 * Tlii.s set^rns to have been the ;u'<^umeiit which most pressed