Several cuts in the rear of the embrasures enabled the men to retire inside in case of need, and very strong and high traverses ran all along the sides of the work itself, oflering additional shelter. At the base of the Eedan, before the re-entering angles, is a breastwork, or, rather, a parapet with an irregular curve, which runs in front of the body of the place, and reaches to the height of a man's neck. As our men entered through the embrasures, the few Eussians 150 ATTACK ON THE ItKDAN. wlio wove between the salient and this bi-eastwork retreated behind the latter, or got behind the traverses for protection. From these they poured in a quick fire on the parapet of the salient, which was crowded by the men of the Second and Light Divisions, and ommen, with an inMuation which all ofticers deplore, but cannot alwaj's remedy on such occasions, began to return the fire of the enemy without advancing or charging behind the traverses.
They loaded and fired as quickly as they could, doing but little execution, as the Eussians were well covered by the breastwork. There were also groups of Russian riflemen behind the lower traverses near the base of the Eedan who kept up a galling fii-e on our men. As the alarm of an assault circulated the enemy came rushing up fi'om the barracks in rear of the Redan, increasing the force and intensity of their fire, while our soldiers dropped fast. The Russians were encouraged to maintain theii' ground by the immobility of our forces and the weakness of a fusillade, from the effects of which the enemy were well protected. In vain the ofiicers, by voice and act, by example and daring valour, tried to urge our soldiers on to clear the work.
The men, most of whom belonged to regiments which had sufiered very recently in the trenches, and were acquainted with the traditions of June 18th, had an impression that the Redan was extensively mined, and that if they advanced they would all be blown up, yet, to their honour be it recorded, many of them acted as became the men of Alma and Inkermann, and, rushing confusedly to the front, were swept down by the enemy's fire. The officers fell on all sides, singled out as a mark for the enemy by their courage. The men of the different regiments got mingled together in inextricable confusion. The 19th did not care for the orders of the officers of the 88th, nor did the soldiers of the 23rd heed the commands of an officer who did not belong to the regiment.
The officers could not find their men — the men had lost sight of their own officers. All the Brigadiers, save Colonel Windham, were womided, or rendered unfit for the guidance of the attack. That gallant officer did all that man could do to form his men for the assault, and to lead them against the enemy. Proceeding fi'om traverse to traverse, he coaxed the men to come out, and succeeded several times in collecting a few of them, but they melted away as fast as he laid hold of them and either fell in their little ranks, or retired to cover to keep up tlieir fusillade. Mauy of them crowded to the lower parts of the inner parapet, and kept up a smart fire on the enemy, but nothing would induce them to come out into the open space and charge the breastwork.
This was all going on at the proper left face of the Redan, while nearly the same scene was being repeated at the salient. Every moment our men were diminishing in numbers, while the Russians were arriving in swarms from the town, and rushing down from the MalakhofF, which had now been occupied by the French. Thrice did Colonel Windham send officers to Sir E. Codrington, who was in the fifth parallel, to entreat of him to send up supports in some order of formation; but all these three officers were wounded as they passed from the ditch of the Redan to the rear, and the Colonel's ow'n aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Swire, of the 17th, a gallant young officer, was hit dangerously in the hip, as he went on his perilous errand.
Supports were, indeed, sent up, but they advanced in disorder, from the fire to which they were exposed on their way, and arrived in dribblets on the parapet, only to increase the confusion and the carnage. Finding that he could not collect any men on the left face, Colonel Windham passed through one of the cuts of the inner parapet, and walked over to the right lace, at the distance of thirty yai'ds from the Russian breastwork, to which he moved in a parallel line, exposed to a close fire, but, wonderful to say, without beingtouched. When he got behind the inner parapet, at the right face he found the same state of things as that which, existed at the left. The men were behind the ti'averses, iiring away at the Russians, or blazing at them fi-om the broken parts of the front parapet, and the soldiers who came down from the salient in fi-ont only got behind these works for cover while they loaded and fired at the enemy.