Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/218

 1SG THE APRIL BOMBARDMENT. chap, for ten davs were prevented from carrying for- VT ° ward their siege- works ; whilst also he holds that thus checked, they perforce became greatly dis- couraged, and even shaken in purpose.* On the whole, one may say — and there is no higher praise to utter — that, although conducted, this time, with the aid of mighty appliances, their resistance to the April bombardment was not un- worthy of those who — inspired by the then living Korniloff, and the matchless Colonel of Sappers still kindling and guiding their energies — had begun under desperate conditions their glorious defence of Sebastopol. supplies of In some respects, after seven days, the ordeal andreta- ° n became less trying ; for on the night of the 15th, forcements. ,, . . ■■ 1 p i -,i the enemy obtained a supply or gunpowder, with assurance that much more would follow; and soon, he began to enjoy a good measure of those many blessings which are commonly denied to a Fortress when really beleaguered ; for the needed ammunition came peacefully into Sebastopol, whilst the garrison was strengthened and com- forted by the arrival of reinforcements, and be- sides, by exchanges of troops made at will with the Russian Field army. Apart from that object of checking the French approaches with which we were dealing elsewhere, the enemy's task was twofold. He had, if he could, to prevent the assailant's artillery from opening a path for assault.
 * Todleben, vol. ii. p. 187.