Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/121

 THE ENEMY'S GREAT NIGHT ATTACK. 89 The night was dark, and a wind blowing high chap. intercepted the sound of troops marching, when L. at about ten o'clock nine battalions of infantry commanded by General Khrouleff moved out from the flanks of the Kamtchatka Lunette along the Victoria Eidge ; and, another battalion acced- ing, it was with a strength of no less than 5500 men that the Russians soon came into action.* What these forces had before them were first, die disputed lodgments, next, the foremost of the new French 'approaches' where (with no troops at all under arms except a few score of Zouaves) 500 men gathered in ' working - parties ' were labouring at their appointed tasks, and beyond, the one parallel which as yet had been brought to completion. The French 'guards of the ' trenches,' that night, were under General d'Au- temarre, and comprised four battalions. Three of these were so posted that they could be brought up in time for resistance to Khrouleff s impending attack. Though not without some hard fighting, and even at one point encountering a somewhat long check, General Khrouleff s battalions recovered the lodgments which their adversary had been suffered to occupy, advanced to the head of the sap, and invaded the foremost ' approaches,' whence — after, however, encountering a brave and stubborn resistance — they at last drove in the French working-parties along with the hand- assailing Eupatoria. See ante, chap. ii.
 * Khrouleff was the general repulsed by the Turks when