Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/74

 30 THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN. CHAP, longed the enemy's line of battle in aii altered ._!^__ diiection, by carrying it on southward through the plain to ground not far distant from Bala- clava. From the opening of the battle until the cardinal moment which will be presently in- dicated, Prince Gortschakoff was to menace Gen- eral Bosquet by feints, and thus strive to prevent him from bringing succour to Pennefather. But so soon as the victorious Dannenberg should have not only driven the English from Mount Inker- man, but rolled up their line further south, Prince Gortschakoff" was to ascend unopposed by the ap- proaclies thus happily opened for him, and bring his 22,000 men to receive a glad welcome on the heights from Dannenberg's conquering host. That done, the enemy would be on the Chersonese with The imine- an army — even after some losses — of about 60,000 of'the"battie mcu, including a great body of cavalry. He I'lated by trustcd that before the sunset of the appointed day he would he already entrenching his victori- ous troops upon the conquered ground, and was not indeed without hope that by that time he might find himself master over all the eastern Ulterior part of the Chersonese.* He judged, and judged resuiung' souudly cuough, that his field-army thus firmly anticipated established on the toplands and having its right uieattacit. iu closc coutact with the army of Sebastopol, would not merely forbid the intended assault of the Flagstaff' Bastion, but, perhaps, at once force the Allies to abandon the siege ; and the stress of such fortune, he knew, might well make it hard
 * Toilleben, p. 443.