effort; and on word being sent by General D'Autemarre
that his reserve was reduced to the 74th of the line, I
sent him the regiment of the Zouaves of the guard: but
on the arrival of these veterans of our African wars, the
movement no longer having the unity so desirable for a
coup of this vigour, with one single division unsupported
either on the right or on the left, and cut up by the
artillery of the Redan, against which our Allies were
suspending their attack, I did not fail soon to perceive
that every favourable chance was exhausted. A fresh
effort would merely have occasioned a useless effusion of
blood. It was half-past eight. I gave orders in all
directions to return to the trenches. This operation
was effected with dignity, much order and coolness, and
without pursuit of the enemy on any one point. A part
of the Russian trenches still continued even to be held
by our men, who got away in succession; nor did the
enemy venture to profit by his advantages and attack
them. Our loss has been great. We took care from
the very commencement of the action to remove most of
the men hit by the enemy; but a certain number of
these glorious dead remained stretched upon the glacis
or in the moats of the place. The last honours were
paid them on the following day."

General Pélissier says that the Russians were evidently
informed of the plan of the Allies, and were on their
guard. He admits, however, that he may have been
mistaken in thinking that the Russians had suffered so
severely as was anticipated from the Allied artillery, and
that it is probable the enemy wished to spare his guns
and reserve his fire; but he also thinks, although the
Russians were on their guard, "that if the attack could
have been general and instantaneous along the whole
extent of the line—if there had been suddenness and
unity of action in the efforts of our brave troops—the
object would have been attained."

Lord Raglan, in his despatch of the 19th of June,
describes the English attack on the Redan:—"My
Lord—I informed your Lordship, on the 16th, that new
batteries had been completed, and that in consequence
the Allies would be enabled to resume the offensive
against Sebastopol with the utmost vigour. Accordingly,
on the 17th, at daylight, a heavy fire was opened from
all the batteries in the English and French trenches,
and maintained throughout the day; and the effect
produced appeared so satisfactory that it was determined
that the French should attack the Malakoff works the
next morning, and that the English should assail the
Redan as soon after as I might consider it desirable.
It was at first proposed that the artillery fire should be
resumed on the morning of the 18th, and should be
kept up for about two hours, for the purpose of
destroying any works the enemy might have thrown up
in the night, and of opening passages through the
abattis that covered the Redan: but on the evening of
the 17th it was intimated to me by General Pélissier,
that he had determined, upon further consideration,
that the attack by his troops should take place at three
the following morning. The French therefore
commenced their operations as day broke; and as their
several columns came within range of the enemy's fire
they encountered the most serious opposition both
from musketry and the guns in the works which had
been silenced the previous evening: and, observing
this, I was induced at once to order our columns to
move out of the trenches upon the Redan. It had been
arranged that detachments from the Light, Second, and
Fourth Divsions, which I placed for the occasion under
the command of Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown,
should be formed into three columns; that the right
one should attack the left face of the Redan between
the flanking batteries; that the centre should advance
upon the salient angle; and that the left should move
upon the reëntering angle formed by the right face and
flank of the work, the first and last preceding the
centre column. The flank columns at once obeyed the
signal to advance; preceded by covering parties of the
Rifle Brigade, and by sailors carrying ladders and
soldiers carrying wool-bags . but they had no sooner
shown themselves beyond the trenches than they were
assailed by a most murderous fire of grape and musketry.
Those in advance were either killed or wounded, and
the remainder found it impossible to proceed. I never
before witnessed such a continued and heavy fire of
grape combined with musketry from the enemy's works,
which appeared to be fully manned: and the long list
of killed and wounded in the Light and Fourth
Divisions, and the seamen of the Naval Brigade, under
Captain Peel, who was unfortunately wounded, though
not severely, will show that a very large proportion of
those that went forward fell. Major-General Sir John
Campbell, who led the left attack, and Colonel
Shadforth, of the 57th, who commanded the storming party
under his direction, were both killed; as was also
Colonel Yea, of the Royal Fusiliers, who had led the
right column. I cannot say too much in praise of these
officers. Major-General Sir John Campbell had
commanded the Fourth Division from the period of the
battle of Inkerman till the arrival, very recently, of
Lieutenant-General Bentinck. He had devoted himself
to his duty without any intermission, and had acquired
the confidence and respect of all. I most deeply lament
his loss. Colonel Shadforth had maintained the
efficiency of his regiment by constant attention to all the
details of his command; and Colonel Yea was not only
distinguished for his gallantry, but had exercised his
control of the Royal Fusiliers in such a manner as to
win the affections of the soldiers under his orders, and
to secure to them every comfort and accommodation
which his personal exertions could procure for them.
I shall not be able to send your Lordship correct lists of
the killed and wounded by this opportunity, but I will
forward them by telegraph as soon as they are made
out. I have not any definite information upon the
movements of the French columns; and the atmosphere
became so obscured by the smoke from the guns and
musketry that it was not possible by personal observation
to ascertain their progress, though I was particularly
well situated for the purpose: but I understand that
their left column, under General D'Autemarre, passed
the advanced works of the enemy and threatened the
gorge of the Malakoff tower; and that the two other
columns, under Generals Mayran and Brunet, who
both, I regret to say, were killed, met with obstacles
equal to those we encountered, and were obliged in
consequence to abandon the attack. The superiority of
our fire on the day we opened led both General Pélissier
and myself, and the officers of the Artillery and
Engineers of the two services, and the armies in general,
to conclude that the Russian artillery fire was in a
great measure subdued, and that the operation we
projected could be undertaken with every prospect
of success. The result has shown that the resources of
the enemy were not exhausted, and that they had still
the power, either from their ships or from their batteries,
to bring an overwhelming fire upon their assailants.
While the direct attack upon the Redan was
proceeding, Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England was
directed to send one of the brigades of the Third
Division, under the command of Major-General Barnard,
down the Woronzoff ravine, with a view to give
support to the attacking columns on his right, and the
other brigade, under Major-General Eyre, still further
to the left, to threaten the works at the head of the
Dockyard creek. I have not yet received their reports,
and shall not be able to send them to your Lordship
to day; but General Eyre was very seriously engaged,
and he himself wounded, though I am happy to say
not severely; and he possessed himself of a churchyard
which the enemy had hitherto carefully watched, and
some houses within the place; but, as the town front
was not attacked, it became necessary to withdraw his
brigade at night. I shall make a special report upon
this by the next mail, and I shall avail myself of the
same opportunity to name to you the officers who have
been particularly mentioned to me. I am concerned
to have to inform you, that Lieutenant-Colonel Tylden,
of the Royal Engineers, whose services I have had
the greatest pleasure in bringing so frequently to your
Lordship's notice, is very severely wounded. The
account I received of him this morning is upon the
whole satisfactory, and I entertain strong hopes that
his valuable life will be preserved. I feel greatly
indebted to Sir George Brown for the manner in which
he conducted the duties I entrusted to him; and my
warmest acknowledgments are due to Major-General