Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/105

 ON THE SEBASTOPOL FRONT. 61 Though dissevered from Mouut Inkerman by the c h a p. Careenage Eavine, our troops on its bank under Codrington were still very near, as the crow flies, to ^gj^^'in'^^** that master-part of the battle which raged on the Q°"grai other hillside ; and from this close proximity it nrJlinels""'^ resulted that the General's firm hold on a vitally victoria needed position was a wholesome sign of ascend- ^^'^^^' ancy reacting on the principal fight. The Victoria Ridge at its peak was a height which showed from afar; and although a dense mist had en- shrouded Mount Inkerman, this closely neigh- bouring hill remained in great measure unclouded. When people — French, English, or Eussian — were able to observe its eastern front, they always sav; our troops there established with an air of stead- fast dominion, and the advantage resulting from this apparent indication of power was enhanced by the spirit in which General Codrington acted. Whilst discharging to the utmost his own special task, he preserved a due sense of its proportion to the rest of the conflict, and never forgot that the all-paramount fight was the one he saw writhing in mist on the opposite bank of the ravine. His vigilance did not derive from any perturbing anxiety. Far from seeking unduly to strengthen the ground in his charge, he voluntarily dispensed with the presence of troops brought up to support him, and sent them off to Mount Inkerman.* the list of wounded included besides Troubridge, Captain Ship- ley, Captain Rose, Lieutenant Vane, Lieutenant Corbett, Lieu- tenant Butler, Ensign Jones, and Ensign Owens. guide it) a wing of the 50th Regiment ; and he also, I believe,
 * It was he who sent thither (with liis trusty Mackenzie to