General Bonaparte; but the results carry with them the weight of an irreversible verdict, which is accepted by posterity long after the cliques and jealousies and animosities of the hour have passed away for ever. Now, without being a member of a clique, having no possible jealousies, and being free from the smallest animosities, I may inquire was there any generalship shown by any of the allied generals at the Alma? We have Lord Raglan, as brave, as calm, as noble, as any gentleman who ever owned England as his mother-land — trotting in front of his army, amid a shower of balls, "just as if he were riding down Rotten Row," with a kind nod for every one, leaving his generals and men to fight it out as best they could, riding across the stream through the French riflemen, not knowing where he was going to, or where the enemy were, till fate led him to a little knoll, from which he saw some of the Russian guns on his flank, whereupon he sent an order for guns, seemed surprised that they could not be dragged across a stream, and up a hill which presented difficulties to an unencumbered horseman — then, cantering over to join the Guards ere they made their charge, and finding it over while he was in a hollow of the ground. As to the mode in which the attack was carried on by us, there was immense gallantry, devotion, and courage, and, according to military men present, no small amount of disorder. The Light Division was strangely handled. Sir George Brown, whose sight was so indifferent that he had to get one of his officers to lead his horse across the river, seemed not to knowwhere his division was, and permitted Brigadier Buller to march off with two regiments of his brigade, leaving the third to join Codrington's Brigade. The men got huddled together on the other side of the river under the ridge, and lay there seven or eight instead of two deep, so that when they rose and delivered fire, their front was small, and the effect diminished. Then they were led straight up at the guns in a confused mass; when they had got into the battery they were left without supports, so that the enemy forced them to relinquish their hold, and were enabled to recover the work. The Light Division had, it is true, drawn the teeth of the battery, but still the enemy were able to fire over the heads of the columns from the hill above. However, the Alma was won. Menschikoff was in retreat, and the world was all before us on the evening of the 20th of September. Whether our generals had any foresight of what that world was to be — what were to be the fruits of victory, or the chances of disaster — let the history of the war on some future day communicate to the world.
The Russians were very much dissatisfied with the result of this battle. They put forth the rawness of the troops, their inferiority in numbers, and many other matters; they criticised severely' the conduct of their generals during the action, and the disposition of the troops on the ground; but, after all, their position ought to have been impregnable, if defended by determined infantry.
The force under the orders of Prince Menschikoff was composed as follows: —
Squadrons.
Guns.
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
Battalions. Guns.
The 1st Brigade of the 14th Division of the 5th Army Corps, i consisting of regiment No. 27 Vo'hynia, and regiment No. ( o ig
28 Minsk, with No. 3 battery of position, and No. 3 light ( battery /
The 16th Division 6th Army Corps, consisting of the regiments \ 31st Vladimir, 32nd Sudalski, 31st (Light) Uglilski, 32nd f (Light) Kazan, with the 16th Brigade of Artillery, No. 1 and ( No. 2 light batteries, and No. 2 battery of position..)
The 2nd Brigade of the 17th Division, with the regiment of)
Moscow, the 17th Brigade of Artillery, No. 4 and No. 5 > 12 24
light batteries, and No. 3 battery of position....)
4 Preserve battalions of the 13th....,,
The rifle and sapper battalions of the 6th Corps..,
2 battalions of sailors, with 4 guns
CAVALRY.
2nd Brigade of 6th Cavalry Division, 2 regiments, each of S
squadrons
16 sotnias of Cossacks, or regiment of 4 squadrons...
No. 12 light battery of horse artillery
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
Total— Infantry, between 33,000 and 34,000 24 16
Cavalry, about 3,500.
The Russians have given the following account of their own position and of some incidents of the action:—