Crimea!: War Against the Russians by Nigel Seed

Author:Nigel Seed [Seed, Nigel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-18T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

The French Assault

“So where are we going tonight, Tom? It’s not our turn in the trenches.”

Thomas shrugged. “The major has been given a task by Lord Raglan and we are his escort.”

Carson slipped the sling of his rifle onto his shoulder and put his battered shako on his head. “What does he need an escort for?”

“Dunno, but he’ll tell us when we get there. Come on, all of you.”

The four men trudged through the scrubby wet grass under a crescent moon to where the major had his tent pitched. He ducked out through the entrance as they arrived.

“Good timing, Corporal. Are you ready to go?”

“Ready, sir. If it please you, sir, where are we going?”

Major Wood adjusted the sword belt around his waist and looked up. “Ah well, today we have some entertainment and my Lord Raglan wants a full report of the proceedings. Our French allies have determined that this is an auspicious time for them to mount an attack on the Sevastopol defences. They are convinced, it seems, that the Russians will not be expecting them.”

“Forgive me, sir, but does that make sense? The enemy can see everything we do from his ramparts.”

Wood nodded as he placed his own shako on his head. “Indeed they can, but it seems the French have done all their preparations silently, in the dark of night. By the time we get to their lines, their assault force will be crouched down in the trenches waiting for the word to go. Their commander has assured Lord Raglan that today will crack open the defences, and will be the beginning of the end for the siege. My job is to observe and report back to his lordship. Your job is to keep me alive in case things go astray.”

“Very good, sir.”

Wood gave Thomas a small smile. “I’m so glad you approve, Corporal. Now, let us be on our way. We must be there before dawn.”

With the major in the lead they walked along the rutted track that ran behind the two armies. A junior French staff officer met them and led the small party to where the French command staff were assembled. The four riflemen hung back while the major spoke quietly with the allied officers.

Thomas moved forward when he saw Major Wood’s hand wave him closer. “It seems we have arrived at almost the perfect time. The order will go forward as soon as there is the first glimmer of daylight. By the time the sun actually rises the infantry should be well forward.”

“Yes, sir. Where do you want us to position ourselves?”

“Right here. The French commanders tell me that, once it is light, I should be able to see everything significant from this small rise. They also say that you can cook your rations here. A small fire will look like a normal morning to the enemy.”

“Not much to cook this morning, sir.”

“Why’s that?”

“Short rations again. The fatigue parties struggled on the road from Balaklava yesterday, so today we get less than half rations.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.