" Colonel Egerton was an officer of superior merit, and conducted all his duties, whether in the camp or in the field, in a manner highly to his own honour, and greatly to the advantage of the public; and Her Majesty's service could not have sustained a more sevei'e loss, and it is so felt in this army and in the 77th, where he was much beloved, and is deeply lamented.
* The details of these hrilliant affairs of the 13th and 15th are chiefly derived from General Canroberfs despatch of the 17th April.
Captain Lerapriere was a very young, but most promising, officer. Captain Owen, whose leg has since been amputated, and Lieutenant Baynes, are both most valuable officers of Engineers, as is Captain King, of the same corps, who was wounded two nights before. BrigadierGeneral Lockyer, who was the general officer of the trenches in the right attack, LieutenantColonel Mundy, of the 33d, who succeeded to the command of the troops engaged in the operation on the death of Colonel Egerton, and Captain Gwilt, of the 34th, deserve to be most favourably mentioned; and Lieutenant-Colonel Tylden, the officer of Engineers in charge of the right attack, distinguished himself, as he has done on many previous occasions, in a remarkable manner. The conduct of the troops was admirable."
We shall not, we trust, be blamed for the reproduction in this place of these concluding sentences of Lord Raglan, in which mention is made of those whose energy and daring insured a success so glorious alike for those who fell, and those who survived; the gratitude which such men have deserved of their country is not an empty phrase — in the affectionate remembrance of their countrymen lies their highest and purest reward, and that reward will never be denied them.
The Russian rifle-pit which was taken on this occasion is the subject of one of Mr. Simpson's drawings in a former volume of this work. Another immediately in front of it was destroyed on the morning of the 21st in the most spirited manner by a party of volunteers headed by Lieutenant and Adjutant Walker of the 30th regiment. The pit, which was found to be empty, and could not be turned to account by the besiegers, was immediately levelled and filled in without interruption from the enemy.
These operations of the French and English not only served to destroy the cover afforded for a galling fire from the enemy's practised and indefatigable riflemen, but also secured ground of the highest value for pushing the approaches, and constructing a new parallel, which was armed in the interval between this bombardment and the next, which took place early in June. In order to connect two affairs which in reality were only parts of one combined scheme, we have so far deviated from the strict chronological order as to give precedence to the events of the evening of the 19th over that which occurred on the morning of the same day. This was a reconnaissance by the Turks under Omar Pasha, who had been transferred from Eupatoria to the Chersonese in the beginning of the month, and it was made with the view of ascertaining what might be the force of the enemy on the Tchernaya. The Turks, mustering twelve battalions of infantry, advanced in the direction of Kamara, leaving a force of French and English Cavalry and Horse Artillery under