Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/255

 HIS DEFENCE OF SEBASTOPOL. 225 stood open to all who would save it, and only chap. closed against enemies, the troops there at any 1. time planted were something more than a ' gar- ' rison,' being also in truth the foremost column of troops engaged in resisting invasion ; and moreover the one chosen body out of all the Czar's forces which had in charge his great jewel — the priceless Sebastopol Eoadstead. The invaders and the invaded alike had from time to time fondly dwelt on plans for deciding the fate of Sebastopol by means of action else- where ; but the Eussians, deterred from ' ad- ' ventures ' by the terrible Inkerman day, had since been avoiding recourse to the leverage of field operations attempted with any such- object ; and, on the other hand, General Pelissier by his great strength of will had substantially brought the invaders to follow a like resolve. From this avoidance on both sides of serious field oper- ations, it resulted of course that hostilities be- came, as it were, condensed on the Sebastopol battle-field. There, accordingly, and of course with intensity proportioned to the greatness and close concen- tration of efforts made on both sides, the raging war laid its whole stress. On the narrow arena thus chosen, it was Rus- sia, all Russia that clung to Sebastopol, with its faubourg the Karabelnaya ; and, since Todleben there was conducting the defence of the place, it follows from what we have seen, that he was chief over that very part of the Czar's gathered, gatlier- VOL. IX. p