Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/218

188 COLONEL YEA'S ATTACK. chap, from the first, this crushing fire of artillery was v 1 1 about to be now reinforced by another arm of the service. Our string of 100 Riflemen thrown out in front had been formed as a 'covering party,' which, if only the anterior bombardment had not been omitted in deference to General Pelissier, might perhaps have kept down any fire at- tempted from what in such case would have hardly been more than the ruins of Todleben's Great Redan. As it was, our foremost hundred of men, advancing under daylight across open ground on a fortress at the height of its power, were quickly mown down in great numbers, and, the unwounded survivors still continuing their forward movement, still keeping their place in the front, became rather what we mean when we speak of a ' forlorn hope ' than a ' covering party ' endowed with anything like a real power to keep down or check the fire of either the mighty guns which were hurling torrents of grape-shot on the advancing troops, or even that of the infantry in- dustriously driving their missiles from over the top of the parapet. These blasts of mitrail, reinforced by the rifle and musketry, met the very ideal of Todleben ; for his fixed belief was, as we know, that a fortress whilst girded by lire of this enormous power must be proof against any assault undertaken across a broad zone. For any mortal advancing in the teeth of the extraordinary intensity of the fire is described in not less strong terms by Sir George Brown and by Admiral Lushington,