Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/120

 88 Til 10 KNKMYS GREAT NIGHT ATTACK. chap. * but they continue/ he archly adds, ' to have full ! ' confidence in their English allies.' * VIII. Vigorous ad- vance of the French ' ap- proaches' against the new Lunette. Anxiety of the enemy to check them. His night sorties, 22d of March ; his great ni^'lit sortie against the French. General Bizot, meanwhile, had been pushing on his 'approaches' with a good deal of vigour; and before many days, the moment seemed to be near when by working close up to the lodgments he might convert a whole chain of them into a new parallel, and thus become clothed with a power which would put the Lunette in grave danger. To check the advance of 'approaches' which threatened such consequences, and perhaps at the same time to compass an object of yet greater moment, the Eussians judged it expedient to hazard a step that might cost them a not trif- ling sacrifice of men. So, on the night of the 22d of March, the enemy undertook an adventure with a much greater number of troops than are commonly charged with the task of making a sortie in darkness. He effected four sorties (of which we shall afterwards hear) against his English besieger, thus largely extending the front of his great night attack, but still threw the main weight of his onslaught on that chosen part of the ground where our French allies were engaged in sapping their way towards the Mamelon.
 * To Lord Panmure, 30th March 1855.