To Kertch - or to Curse?

William Russell - Before Sevastopol, 8th May.

Now that the trenchworks had approached so close to the Sevastopol defences, the thrust and counterthrust of hand to hand trench warfare was to dominate the next month's activities, with casualties constant at 15% higher for the attacker. To date, the allies' Minie rifles had dominated the small arms war, but an unexpected levelling factor now appeared with the Russian spherical bullet, which gave their obsolescent muskets an added range out to 200 metres, making trenchworks on all fronts well within range, and there was a sudden increase in allied casualties from rifle fire.

Having paid heavily in winning the ground won during April, the French tried hard to maintain the initiative on the western side of the fortifications. But it proved difficult to keep the new works fully manned, and ten days later the Russians had established new pits in front of the Schwarz Redoubt. The French this time were not allowed to dislodge them - Canrobert was as ever disinclined to throw lives away on what for him were minor local skirmishes. The result was that by the end of the month the Russians had a strong fortification of redoubt status dubbed the 'Souzdal Counter-Guard ' established 141 yards forward of the Central redoubt and 116 yards from the French front line where life was being made a misery by newly accurate Russian mortaring. So Canrobert now had to act in a situation which would cost many more lives than if he had dealt firmly with the then minor problem a few weeks before.

The scale of action required turned out to be a major operation involving three columns; left and right flanking, and a central frontal attack. On the left, under General Bazaine were 1st Foreign Legion (6 companies) 43rd Line (8 Companies) and 79th Line (10 companies). In the centre were 2 full battalions of 46th Line with General De la Motterouge in command. On the right was the entire 9th Battalion of Foot Chasseurs and the 42nd Line, provisionally under Captain Villermain until they linked up with the centre. The 98th Line under Colonel Bregeot were in reserve. General de Salles was in overall command.

At 10 pm on the 1st May the moon came out, prompting the signal to attack and the infantry charged forward. First into the enemy position were the foreign legionnaires on the left. With cries of 'Vive l'Empereur' they were into the fray with the bayonet, hacking and stabbing in the narrow confines of the trench. The element of surprise was total - the 46th in the centre were quickly through the first defence line but the Russians ran forward from the second and met them in the open, causing them heavy losses. The 98th had to be committed to get the momentum going again. Finally the second line was carried and the Russians withdrew into the Central Bastion. Some hotheads tried to follow them, prey to an optimism which proved fatal when they were blown up almost to a man on the Russian mines which littered the glacis approach.

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