Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/248

 204 THE BATTLE OF INKEKMAN. CHAP. VI. 2d Period. Advance of the assailing Imttalions. Comparison of numbers. The great column advancing from the north. approacliing to the aid of our troops. Then once more the advance of the enemy's infantry began. The nine battalions which were now to concen- trate their power by attacking the Sandbag Bat- tery from both the north and the east, had a strength of 6000 ; * whilst their adversaries were the now thinned remains of those Grenadier and Scots Fusilier battalions which, even before all their losses, had numbered less than 800 ; f and, though also there were intermixed with these Guardsmen, or otherwise taking part near them, many yet unwearied survivors of the body which had fought under Adams, the conflict, we may say, was still one where the hundreds were en- gaged against the thousands. The air by this time had so cleared that the ascending throng of the Okhotsk and Sappers battalions could be seen from the first by our troops, and the foremost of the assailants, when near, could be plainly discerned ; but even then, the murky grey overcoats, and the numberless, numberless circles of the 'muffin caps' (as our people expressively called them) had hardly a more uniform sameness than the round, bullet - heads closely cropped, and the broad, high-boned faces, all young, but of a dismal, white hue, and dis- these troops had come into action with a strength of 7129, and their losses had certainly not reduced them to 6000. This computation does not include the four Iakout.sk battalions, which, however, as will he seen, were ultiniatel}' destined tc contribute towards the uumhers acting against our Guards. t757.
 * Giving the. Sappers Kattalion its estimated strength of 760,