Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/62

 40 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. chap, the lapse of some hours, could be expected to ' come and support it. sir coiin It is strange, but still true, that for some time Campbell's ° confidence, before the 25th of October, Sir Colin Campbell had been every day growing more and more con- fident in the strength of the position. There were moments, no doubt, when he spoke more distrust- fully, but in his report of the 20th of October, sent up to Headquarters, he wrote : ' I think we ' can hold our own against anything that may ' come against us in daylight. I am, however, a ' little apprehensive about the redoubts if seri- ' ously attacked during the night ; ' and, in a later report, he said, ' I fancy we are now very strong ' as well as secure.' It could not but be that, when so wary and anxious a soldier as Sir Colin reported the posi- tion secure, he would more or less impart his own trustfulness to Headquarters ; and it is not to be wondered at that, when thus assured, Lord Eaglan abstained from weakening his scant re- sources by sending down any further detachments of infantry. The Turkish redoubts, though capable of sup- plying useful aid to an army, had no such means of independent self-defence as to warrant the notion of their holding out without support ; and it is evident that, in the absence of infantry, no- thing short of a vigilant and brilliant use of the cavalry arm would enable the Turks to withstand a determined attack. I cannot say whether Sir Colin Campbell's sense of security was in any