Battle of the Alma Part 2 - The British Attack
Whilst the French 1st and 3rd Division set off to assault the Russian positions in the Telegraph Hill area, the British Army was taking things lying down. Or more accurately, trying to avoid taking things lying down because they were static in the prone position on a forward slope within full view and extreme range of the Russian batteries.
The round shot bounced in like dam-buster bombs, causing less casualties than might be expected, as battalions had been deployed into line, two deep, against which the plunging fire from the heavy guns was less effective. But there were casualties nonetheless. The men kept their spirits up by giving the guns nicknames. One particularly active and accurate cannon was christened after a Sergeant's wife renowned for a particularly active and accurate tongue. Whilst the rank and file often had time to scramble out of the line of shot, the officers made a point of affecting complete unconcern. Although one was not amused after a cannon ball passed straight under his horse between fore and back legs, and he turned to find his servant convulsed with laughter.
This strange state of affairs had come about through indecision at command level. Earlier on the march forward, when the allies had their first close view of the Russian positions and the ground over which the battle would have to be fought, the armies had halted and Lord Raglan and Marshal St Arnaud had met privately on a low hillock ahead of the troops to discuss their final plans of action. Strangely a sudden eerie hush descended on the assembled mass - as though a minute's silence had been called. It was as if all as one recognised that their fate was being decided. Sir Colin Campbell, that most worldly wise of commanders, realised it was time to change the atmosphere, and gave the order for his Highlanders to shake their cartridges loose from their packaging. The resultant racket shattered the silence with a vengeance.
What actually transpired between the two Commanders is unrecorded. Clearly Raglan had decided that the wide left flanking movement originally proposed was a non-starter. His force was far too vulnerable to the Russian cavalry, he would himself be outflanked by the the immensely strong Kurgan position, and he would be moving ever further away from his coastal lifeline. But there must have been at best ambiguities in the discussion. Sir George Brown recalled that he rode up just as the meeting was breaking up and he heard St Arnaud ask Raglan whether he would turn the Kurgan or attack it frontally. According to Brown, Raglan replied that he wouldn't turn it, but didn't say what he would do. In that respect St Arnaud left none the wiser. He also failed to inform his own commanders that the British would not be carrying out their left flanking movement. This would cause confusion later.
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