Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/518

 474 THE BATTLE OF INKEltMAN. CHAP. At the time of the enemy's approach, the men of . 1_ the new pickets were in their appointed places : they engaged the enemy as soon as he could be descried through darkness and mist : by their firing they amply announced the attack : they thwarted and vexed the advancing thousands so obstinately as to give time for our reinforcements to come up : and the commencement of the attack was reported to Headquarters with a promptitude which at once brought Lord Eaglan to the recognised seat of danger. On our left, the first Prussian attack was at once defeated by Grant. On our right, the Taroutine corps had scarce pressed back seven outlying sen- tries, when Adams came up with the 41st and drove it out of the battle-field. As regards the centre, Peunefather could say with truth that the Kussians had been made to fight hard for more than two hours, and to suffer the defeat, nay, the ruin, of no less than twenty battalions, before they drove in his main picket.* In the teeth of such facts it would plainly be wrong to say that Pennefather was ' surprised ' at Inkerman. But, on the other hand, it must be acknow- ledged that the English — intent on the siege — had been able to bestow little care, with still less 15,000 of tho enemy's infantry had been shattered and ruined, tliat Dannunberg at length was able to seize the Barrier — tho station of Peunofather's main picket, and even then lie failed to retain his conquest for so mucli as half an hour. It was not, however, with the very same men that Pennefather so long held the pobt.
 * It was only at about a ((uaitcrto niiu', and when more than