Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/453

 THK 17TII OF OCTOBER. 423 on the glacis of the work, but the tower itself chap. was now silent. ^ It was at the Redan, however, as we have seen, tiio Redan: that the English siege-guns were to drive a path- way for our columns of assault by first getting down the power of the Piussian artillery. To assail the defences at this chosen part of them, a large proportion of the guns which armed Gordon's works had been made to cross their fire with that issuing from some of the batteries in Chapman's Attack ; and thus it resulted that each face of the Redan was both battered in front and enfiladed.* IMeanwhile, also, other projectiles of great weight discharged from the English batteries, and taking effect by ricochet, so swept the space between the INIarine Hospital and the Dockyard ravine as to make all going and coming in that direction a service of exceeding danger. AVe saw that so early as that hour of the fore- noon when Todleben surveyed the Redan, its de- fences had fallen into a critical state. Even then several pieces had been dismounted, and numbers of the embrasures blocked up with ruins. True, we also learnt that the zeal of the Russian engin- eers and seamen w^as supporting them in their ceaseless efforts to encounter the work of destruc- tion with the work of repair, and giving them heart to toil thus under a fire of great power. But hours and hours elapsed. The cannonade did not relent ; and, despite all that man could do, the power of the English ordnance so con-
 * See again the Diagram appemled to the foregoing note.