Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/42

 12 HIS LETTER TO BOSQUET. chap, there was nothing that allured (like a battle) die . — rapt imaginations of men by opening a vision of glory attainable perhaps before sunset after going through only the ordeal of fights fought out in hot blood. Far from thinking that the path he had chosen was an easy, or a swift way to victory, Pelissier saw in it a course beset with evils and troubles, one involving cruel sacrifices, and after all, not even promising to compass with- out further efforts that long-pursued object of objects for which the Allies were in arms. It was only from that future campaign which would open, he took it for granted, after the fall of the ' South Side ' that Pelissier hoped to educe a not unworthy result. What he said for his plan of first pushing war to extremity against the 'South ' Side ' was simply this : — that its execution, how- ever difficult, however costly of life, was still in his judgment ' possible.' * Tn a powerful letter addressed to General Bos- quet, Pelissier declared his resolves, and did this, one may say, in the language of one who gives final judgment, as though it were matter of course that what he (in accord with Lord Raglan) had determined to do must and would be accordingly done. He did not, he could not say that his plans had been approved by his sovereign, nor again did he — even for form's sake — write any word tending to show that his resolve would be submitted to the Emperor. On the contrary, he wrote as a man whose word was perforce to be
 * Kousset, vol. ii. p. 184 el seq.