Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/357

 THE MAIN FIGHT. 313 Danuenberg's present enterprise. When uearing chap. its goal, tills vanguard, if so one may call it, will ' be found several hundreds of paces in advance of ^'^ '^«'^'' the great trunk column, and then showing a front guard. uneven and not without breaks — but coextensive with the whole length of Home Eidge. The forces thus advancing against the Allies on strengtii Home Kidge, comprised, it is believed, about 6000 assailants- men.* Of coherent infantry forces so disposed on the of the forces ground, or so closely approaching it as to be able them, to take part in resistance to this coming attack, the Allies had some 2000 English, and (besides the truant body of Zouaves) a battalion of 900 French.-f- Of the two thousand English, some 600 — Period were perhaps on the whole more creditable to thorn than any of their other endeavours on this Inkerman day ; but, whether from losses of officers or from whatever other clause, they have entirely I'ailed to record what they did in this stage of the battle ; and the number above indicated is attained by accepting — with, however, some reduction — the estimate of skilled English observers. Officers on Hill Bend or on the Fore Ridge had a commanding view of the enemy's advance when it neared the Home Ridge, and they describe it as a force which must have comprised some twelve battalions. I may add, however, that the interest of the strife during this Third Period does not turn so much upon comparison of num- bers as was the case in those earlier struggles where t!ie great- ness of the odds was in reality a main characteristic. + 2027 English and 908 French, the rest being either at a distance on the right or right front, or left in charge on the opposite flank to guard the Careenage Ravine and the Wikria- kofT Glen. See Appendix, Note IX.; where the coinj)onents of the forces thus divided are given in detail.
 * The combats uudertakeii by the Russians durin<; this Tliird