Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/220

 188 THE APRIL BOMBARDMENT. chap, eluded the 'Great Eedan,' and its western neigh- '. bom s the ' Barrack,' the ' Creek,' and the ' Garden ' Batteries ; but, although these Works all formed good links in the enemy's chain of defence, they still guarded his Fortress at points which were not for the moment endangered. Dealing first with the Faubourg, its principal counter-approaches were the two White Redoubts on Mount Inkerman, and the now strong Kamt- chatka Lunette which covered the front of the Malakoff. The two The two White Eedoubts on Mount Inkerman White Re- doubts were confronted by the French, and by them so crushed and " •> silenced, successfully battered as to be silenced and crushed on the second day of the bombardment ; * but what is more, the conditions were such that the and not Russians for once proved unable to repair the havoc, and they supposed that the ' worst ' was at hand. They assembled their troops before dawn and awaited the expected assault.! but still not The French did not follow up their advantage assaulted by, . . the French, and retrained from laying hold by assault of the path which their guns had laid open to them. This was the more astonishing to Todleben, since lie knew — and supposed all must know — that by taking the White Redoubts the French would have insured the fall of the Kamtchatka Lun- ette. When the enemy afterwards found that the French were not moving in the thus opened path of conquest, he proceeded at his leisure to repair
 * Todleben, vol. ii. p. 127. t Ibid., p. 130.