Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/182

 150 THE APRIL BOMBABDMENT. chap, fight beneath the guns of the Fortress, I cannot ' at all fully say ; but it seems that one of their objects was to try to gain better security for the men and guns in our distant 1st Parallel by causing its assailants to be themselves as- sailed at close quarters ; * and on the other hand, they trusted much to a theory that our artillery- men thus thrown out in front to tempt the wrath of Sebastopol might be effectively supported by the fire passing over their heads from our bat- teries on the top of Green Hill, if not also indeed by some guns on the left flank of Gordon's At- tack. Still our Engineers did not conceal from themselves that the fight of the 13th under Older- shaw was to be an experiment.! This ' No. VII. battery ' had a small ' return ' at each Hank, and within the two angles thus formed, good, sound magazines had been built ; but else- where, the Work was on a straight line. Composed almost entirely of sand -bags, its parapet, with a height of some 8, had a width of Great, yet about 18 feet ; I but nevertheless was not strong suv'S" 1 enough on the day of Oldershaw's light to absorb oumpara- ^ w } 10 i e force of such missiles as might well be directed against it by an enemy rich in ship's guns; and, before seeing how men once fought under this almost treacherous shelter against the + See post, p. 156, the words of Sir Gerald Graham. + Our Engineers reckoned its width in some places at so much as 22 feet or more.
 * Journal Royal Engineers, vol. ii. p. 147.