3 collect their skirmishers, for as soon as they had formed, they ran up the hill at the pas de charge, and broke up1 the Russians at once, who fled in disorder with loss, up the hill. We could see men dropping on both sides, and the wounded rolling down the steep.2 At 1:50, our lines of skirmishers got within range of the battery on the hill, and immediately the Russians opened fire at 1200 yards with effect, the shot ploughing through5 the open lines of the riflemen, and falling into the advancing columns behind. Shortly ere this time, dense volumes of smoke rose from the river, and drifted along to the eastward, rather interfering with the view of the enemy on the left of our position. The Russians had set the village on fire. It was a fair exercise of military skill-was well executed-took place at the right time, 10 and succeeded in occasioning a good deal of annoyance. Our troops halted when they neared this village, their left extending beyond it by the verge of the stream; our right behind the burning cottages, and within range of the batteries. It is said the Russians had taken the range 11 of all the principal points in their front, and placed twigs and sticks to mark them. In this they were assisted by the post signboards 12 on the road. The Russians opened a furious fire 13 on the whole of our line, but the French had not yet made progress enough to justify us in advancing.14 The round shot 15 whizzed in every direction, dashing up 1 'to break up,' here, enfoncer. 2 escarpement. & à portée. 4 opened the fire;' but we say faire feu (to fire), without any article (faire du feu is, to make a fire, as in a chimney, &c.). 5 You may use here either labourer, or balayer (to sweep); we more commonly use, however, labourer (to plough), in speaking of cannon, with reference to ground, and to ramparts under the fire of oblique batteries. *shot,' here, boulets (plural.) the open, here, laissées à découvert, and put it after 'riflemen.' 7 d'épais tourbillons de fumée; or, simply, une fumée épaisse. 8'which, drifting... rather interfered (nous cacha en partie), &c.' 9 Turn, had set (use mettre) the fire to the village; but we say, le village est en feu (the village is on fire is burning). 10 took place at the right time;' simply, et à propos. 11had measured the distance.' 12 par les écriteaux des poteaux indicateurs (or, poteaux guides). un feu d'enfer. 13 14 pour qu'il fût prudent de nous porter en avant. 15 Les boulets. 4 the dirt and sand into the faces of the staff of Lord Raglan, who were also shelled severely, and attracted much of the enemy's fire.2 Still Lord Raglan waited patiently for the development of the French attack. At length an aide-de-camp came to him and reported the French had crossed the Alma, but they had not established themselves sufficiently to justify us in an attack.3 The infantry were, therefore, ordered to lie down, and the army for a short time was quite passive, only that our artillery poured forth an unceasing fire of shell, rockets, and round shot, which ploughed through the Russians, and caused them great loss. They did not waver, however, and replied to our artillery manfully, their shot falling among our men as they lay, and carrying off legs and arms at every round." Lord Raglan at last became weary of this inactivity-his spirit was up-he looked around, and saw men on whom he knew he might stake the honour and fate of Great Britain by his side, and anticipating a little in a 10 military point of view the crisis of11 action, he gave orders for our whole line to advance.12 Up rose these serried masses,13 and passing through a fearful shower of round, case shot,14 and shell, they dashed into the Alma, and floundered through its waters, which were literally torn into foam by the deadly hail.15 At the other side of the river were a number of vineyards, and to our surprise they were occupied by Russian riflemen. 8 7 Three1 of the staff were here shot down,2 but led by Lord Raglan in person, they3 advanced cheering on the men.1 And now came the turning 5 point of the battle, in which Lord Raglan, by his sagacity and military skill, probably secured the victory at a smaller sacrifice than would have been otherwise the case. He dashed over the bridge, followed by his staff. From the road over it, under the Russian guns, he saw the state of action. The British ine, which he had ordered to advance, was struggling through the river and up the heights in masses, firm indeed, but mowed down by the murderous fire of the batteries, and by grape, round shot, shell, canister, case shot, and musketry, from some of the guns of the central battery, and from an immense and compact mass of Russian infantry. Then commenced one of the most bloody and determined 10 struggles in the annals of war. The 2nd Division, led by Sir De L. Evans in the most dashing manner, crossed the stream on the right. The 7th Fusileers, led by Colonel Yea, were swept down by fifties. 11 The 55th, 30th, and 95th, led by Brigadier Pennefather, who was in the thickest of the fight,12 cheering on his men, again and again were checked indeed, but never 18 drew back in their onward progress, which was marked by a fierce roll 14 of Minié musketry,15 and Brigadier Adams, with the 41st, 47th, and 49th, bravely charged up the hill, and aided them in the battle. Sir George Brown, conspicuous on a grey horse, rode in front of his Light Division, urging them with voice and gesture. 1 'Three officers;' and leave out 'here.' 2 tombent sous le feu. 9 dirigés sur elles par une parti. de l'artillerie.-'and from,' et par. 10 acharnés.-'in;' turn, that 3 'the rest' (see page 118, are (page 13, note 12) recorded (use enregistrer) in.' 13 again and again,' à plusieurs reprises (or, mille et mille fois, fain.).-'never drew back,' ne... pas une seule fois; or, ne.... point d'un pas (one step). 14 'roll,' feu roulant. 15 de carabines Minié; or, de carabines de précision (i. e. cara bines à balles coniques). Gallant fellows!1 they were worthy of such a gallant chief. The 7th, diminished by one half,2 fell back to reform their columns lost for the time; the 23rd, with eight officers dead and four wounded, were still rushing to the front, aided by the 15th, 33rd, 77th, and 88th. Down went Sir George in a cloud of dust in front of the battery. He was soon up, and shouted, "23rd, I'm all right.5 Be sure I'll remember this day," and led them on again, but in the shock produced by the fall of their chief, the gallant regiment suffered terribly, while paralyzed for a moment. Meantime the Guards on the right of the Light Division, and the brigade of Highlanders, were storming the heights on the left. Their line was almost as regular as though they were in Hyde-park. Suddenly a tornado of round and grape rushed through from the terrible battery, and a roar of musketry from behind thinned their front ranks by dozens. It was evident that we were just able to contend against the Russians, favoured as they were by a great position. At this very time an immense mass of Russian infantry were seen moving down towards the battery. They halted. It was the crisis of the day. Sharp, angular, and solid, they looked as if they were cut out of the solid rock. It was beyond all 10 doubt that if our infantry, harassed and thinned as they were, got 11 into the battery, they would have to encounter again a formidable fire, which they were but ill calculated to bear. 12 Lord Raglan saw the difficulties of the situation. He asked if it would be possible to get a couple 13 of guns to bear on these masses. The reply was Yes," 1 ,"14 and an artillery officer, whose name I 1 Les braves soldats! 2 de moitié.-'to fall back,' se replier. 3 momentanément. Tout à coup (p. 148, n. 2) Sir 5 il n'y a pas de mal. 7 et un feu nourri de mousqueterie parti de derrière elle éclaircit leurs premiers. We also say, simply, fusillade, as well as feu (or décharge) de mousqueterie. 8 n'étions que tout juste de force. 9 taillée (fem. sing., agreeing with masse) dans le roc vif. 10 tout à fait hors de. 11 donnait. 12 était à peine en état de soxtenir. 13 See page 3, note 1.-'to bear on; pour contenir, or, pour arrêter. 14 On lui répondit que oui. 3 do not now know, brought up two guns to fire on the Russian squares. The first shot missed, but the next, and the next, and the next2 cut through the ranks so cleauly, and so keenly, that a clear lane could be seen for a moment through the square. After a few rounds the columns of the square became broken, wavered to and fro, broke, and fled over the brow of the hill, leaving behind them six or seven distinct lines of dead, lying as close as possible to each other,5 marking the passage of the fatal messengers. This act relieved our infantry of a deadly incubus, and they continued their magnificent and fearful progress up the hill. The Dukes encouraged his men by voice and example, and proved himself worthy of his proud command and of the Royal race from which he comes.9 66 Highlanders," said Sir C. Campbell, ere they came to the charge, "I am going to ask a favour of you; it is, that you will act so as to justify me in 10 asking permission of the Queen for you to wear a bonnet! Don't pull a trigger till you're within a yard of the Russians!" They charged, and well they obeyed 12 their chieftain's wish; Sir Colin had his horse shot 13 under him, but his men took the battery at 14 a bound. The Russians rushed out, and left multitudes of dead behind them. The Guards had stormed the right of the battery ere the Highlanders got into the left, and it is said the Scots Fusileer Guards were the first to enter. The Second and Light Division crowned the heights. The French turned the guns on the hills against the flying masses, which the |