On the 30tli June, Major-Geneval Codi'ington was appointed to the command of the Light Division; and at tlie same date, Major-General Barnard was nominated to the Second Division. By these changes and promotions, Colonel Van Straubenzee, of the 3rd Euifs, became Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, Light Division; Colonel Spencer, of the 41th Ixegiment, became Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, 4th Division; and Colonel Barlow, of the 14th, assvnned the command of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division. We received about this time the 3rd, 13th, 31st, and 72nd Regiments, which were attached to the 2nd, 4th, and 1st Divisions. But as reinforcements slowly poured in, a great drain on the strength of the army was steadily increasing in the trenches — our losses began to reach 300 men Jiors de combat in every week.
The cholera also was diminishing the numbers of the daily tales of effective men, and there was reason to believe that the Russians were receiving large reinforcements just at the time that our strength was failing. The losses of the enemy were, indeed, enormous; but so was the army which supplied the garrison, and held the positions outside the city. General Simpson, under such circumstances, had a most difficult duty to fulfil. Constant demands were made upon us by the French general to take such and such rifle pits, which annoyed them, or to construct batteries and parallels for the purpose of relieving their siege works; and although it is quite true that they aided us materially on several points, by diverting and checking the enemy's fire upon us, it will be found, I think, that we rendered them a greater amount of assistance than we received.
The principal events of the siege, and the military movements of the army, will be found detailed in the following abstract, which will, I fear, prove dry and uninteresting to any but military people, and lovers of dates and facts: — From the attack of the 18th June to 10th July, the enemy were employed in strengthening their works; and they made such progress at the Eedan, that it was judged expedient to open a heavy fire upon them from the allied batteries. This commenced at five o'clock on the morning of the 10th, and lasted for four hours; two embrasures were destroyed, and tlie enemy's reply was feeble, — but they did not cease from their labours, and we were obliged to reserve our ammunition for a more general bombardment.
An alteration was made in the trench service at the same time, and it was ordered that the generals of the day sliould not be named in General Orders, but that the duties in each attack should be done by divisions alternately. Thus, for example, the First Division took the left, and the Second Division took the right attack, on one day; the Third Division took the left, and the Fourth Division took the right attack next day, and so on in rotation; but the arrangements were left to the Generals of Division as much as possible. The English cavalry, long inactive, began to look forward to service in the field, as hopes were held out that a strong movement would be made against the Russian corps on the Upper Belbek; and Colonel Shewell, who commanded the Light Cavalry Brigade, in Lord George Paget's absence, was an officer who showed, on the 25th of October, that he only needed an opportunity to handle cavalry Avith intelligence and effect.
On the 12th July, General Barnard was appointed Chief of the Staff, and on the 15th Colonel Warren assumed the command of the First Brigade and Colonel Trollopc was named Brigadier of the Second Brigade of the Second Division. General Simpson had, unfortunately, on several occasions, the opportunity of proving that he was disposed to punish, with great severity, the crime of drunkenness on the part of officers; and no loss than three gentlemen were cashiered, by court-martial, for that offence, in a few days, one after the other. Major-General Markham arrived on the 19th July, and assumed the command of the Second Division: but he had materially injured his health by the exertions he made in travelling through India to get to the Crimea, and on no subsequent occasion did he add to the higli reputation he had gained in the East.