The French had the left of the Upland, and made the inlets near Cape Kherson, called Kazatch and Kamiesch Bays, their base; and the latter was speedily filled with their shipping, which landed their tents and stores on a temporary raft. There was around this bay quite a town of tents. Moreover, the French made a well-paved road from it all along the rear of their division, facing Sebastopol. It will be seen, therefore, that our Gallic allies knew how to make themselves snug.
The Upland is divided from south to north by the great ravine, separating the French and English at first, but afterwards taken possession of by the French siege-corps.
The plan shows where the cliffs sweep round to the north of Balaklava, and these the French fortified.
Crossing the great ravine, you would have found first the Third and Fourth English Divisions, then the Light Division, with, on its right, the Careenage Creek; and on the other side of this ravine the Second Division, looking towards the Inkermann heights, and in its rear the First Division, about a hundred yards back, and also resting its right on the rocky edge of the Upland.
One vulnerable point in the British line was the valley of Balaklava. A reference to the plan will show the Woronzoff Road, which goes to the left up the cliff and thence to Sebastopol. Another branch of this road goes on to M'Kenzie heights, and away north and west towards Southern Russia. This road ought to have been strongly fortified from Balaklava to the Upland. As it was, the Russians could get to Balaklava out of reach of the guns on the edge of the Upland, and we must descend to the valley to repel them.
On the north-east of Balaklava were the heights of Kamara, and a row of heights crossed the valley from here to the Upland. On these some works were made carrying twelve-pounder guns and manned by Turks. Below these heights, and between them and Balaklava harbour, the 93rd Highlanders were posted. Marines—over a thousand, with guns brought from the ships—were placed to the right of the harbour on the heights, while cavalry were also stationed below the cliffs of the Upland, and not far from the Highlanders.
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The siege of Sebastopol was now begun in earnest, under the supervision of Burgoyne. The French, taking advantage of a stormy night, threw up their first trench on Mount Rodolph. This was 1,100 yards in length. Then on the next two nights we opened our first on Green Hill and Mount Woronzoff. Although the Russians by their cannonade succeeded in doing considerable mischief to our trenches by day, at night they were repaired and pushed on. On the 16th these were ready and mounted for siege.
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It was agreed that a simultaneous attack should be made by land and sea, although the strength of the great stone forts did not appear very promising for our wooden ships. The proposal emanated from Lord Raglan, and Admiral Dundas gave a kind of unwilling consent to it.