The party detailed for the purpose placed the ladders, but they were found to be too short. However, had there been enough of them, that would not have mattered much, but some had been left behind in the hands of dead or wounded men, and others had been broken, so that if one can credit the statements made by those who were present there were not more than six or seven ladders at the salient. The men led by their officers leaped into the ditch and scrambled vip the other side, ■whence they scaled the parapet almost without opposition, for the few Russians who were in front ran back and got behind their traverses and breastworks and opened fire upon them, as soon as they saw our men on the top.
To show what difi'erent impressions difi'erent people receive of the same matter, let me remark that one officer of rank told me the Russians visible in the Redan did not exceed 150 men when he got into it, that the men could have carried the breastworks at the base with the greatest ease, if they had only made a rush for it. He further expressed an opinion that they had no field-pieces inside the breastworks from one re-entering angle to the other. A vegimental officer, on the other hand, positively assured me that when he got on the top of the parapet of the salient he saw at about a liuudred yards in advance of him the breastwork with gaps in it, through which were run the muzzles of field-pieces, and that in the rear of it were compact masses of Russian infantry, the front rank kneeling with fixed bayonets as if prepared to receive a charge of cavalry, while the two rear ranks over them kept up a sharp and destructive fire upon our men.
The only way to reconcile these discrepancies is to suppose that the first spoke of the earliest stage of the assault, and that the latter referred to a later period when the Russians may have opened embrasures in the breastwork, having been reinforced by the fugitives from the MalakholF, and by the troops behind the barracks in its rear. Lamentable as it no doubt is, and incredible almost to those who know how well the British soldier generally behaves in presence of the enemy, the men, when they reached the parapet, were seized by some strange infatuation, and THE ADVANCE. M7 began loading and file-firing, instead of fiallowing their officers, who were now falling fast, for they rushed on in front and tried to stimulate their soldiers by their example.
Notwithstanding the popular prejudice to the contrary, most men stand fire much better than the bayonet — they will keep up a fusillade a few paces oft' much sooner than they will close with an enemy. It is difficult enough somrtimes to get cavalry to charge if they can find any decent excuse to lay by their swords and take to pistol and carabine, with which they are content to pop away for ever; and when cover of any kind is near at hand, a trench-bred infantryman finds the charms of the cartridge quite irresistible. The small partj^ of the 90th and 97th, much diminished, went on gallantly towards the breastwork, but they were too weak to force it, and they had to retire and get behind the traverses, at which part men of diiferent regiments had already congregated, and were keeping up a brisk fire on the I\i;ssians, whose heads were just visible above the breastwork.
The 77th Regiment had furnished 1(50 men for the ladder party, and 200 for the storming pai*ty. The former, under the command of Major Welsford, were to proceed to the advanced parallel, and the latter, under the command of Lieut. -Colonel Handcock, were to be in the fifth parallel. At 5 a.m. the regiment paraded and marched off. Eight men were told off" to each ladder, and they had orders to leave the trench when the appointed signal was made from the Malakhoff". They were to be preceded by 100 of the Eiile Brigade, and by some Sappers and Miners to cut down the abattis, and they were to be followed by IGO of the 3rd Buff's, with twenty ladders also. The storming party was to follow the ladder party.
A few minutes after twelve. Major Welsford, seeing the signal flying from the Malakhoff", gave the word — " Ladders to the front!" The men instantly ran out of the parallel towards the salient of the Redan, and at the same time. Colonel Handcock, with his 200 storm ers of the 97th, and 100 of the 90th left the parallel. The ladders were managed with difficulty, but on entering the place there was little or no resistance. However, the Russians were soon roused out of their casemates, and flocked to the traverses, from which they kept up a heavy fire on the men getting over the parapet or through the embrasures. Thus it happened that so many were killed and wounded, that no sufficient force was left of the fir.st an-ivals to make a rush across the open space which lay between the salient and the traverses.