Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/209

GENERAL CAMPBELL'S ATTACK. 179 troops, he apparently thought that the fire — the chap. merciless fire — they encountered when facing ! — the open had altogether destroyed or dispersed them. All the organised force that he knew of was, There- first what remained of the valiant body of sailors his disposal with their ladders which along with a few of the sappers remained under Graham's command, and next, a string of several hundreds of infantry (composed of what was called the ' Eeserve ' and of stragglers from other bodies) which, to use the chief's words, had ' deployed, as it were, into an ' extended line behind the parapet seeking cover ' from the furious fire wherever it could be found, ' and disorder and confusion prevailed.' * Lord West perhaps in cool blood would hardly es reiuc- have judged that the power — the severed, the de- neve that Tl6 WilS composed power — which chance had thrown into powerless to CXCClltC his hands was such as could make it his duty to an attack, protract an abortive attempt, still less to begin a new onset with plainly inadequate means. It was natural, however, that one who could act with the vigour and zeal we saw him exerting at Inkerman should resist a conclusion importing that the moment of his accession to extended com- mand must be the very one to be chosen for giv- ing up all further effort. A covering party, he thought, might again be formed and thrown for- ward, to be followed again by the ladder-men, whilst he himself in their wake would bring up the body of troops then sheltering under the para-
 * Lord West to the author, Dec. 23d, 1863.