Gortschakoff was now general over the Russian army in the Crimea instead of Menschikoff. That was the second change.
Many changes were taking place at home that affected the carrying on of the war considerably—splits in the cabinet, the resignation of a cabinet, councils of war, and indignation meetings.
New men came to the front in the French army, and new theories were advanced.
The Emperor of the French himself, who probably had a hankering after military glory, had a theory. Everybody had a theory; though, as Jack told his friend Dr. Reikie, speaking perhaps from his early experience in Malony's shop, theory never bent a red-hot horse-shoe. There is no good standing and looking at it till it begins to get cold; the plan is to go at it hammer and tongs.
General Neil was, against Canrobert's wishes, appointed engineer vice General Bizot, killed in the cannonade.
Canrobert, indeed, was far from very resolute, and therefore might do more harm than good. Good he might have done had he taken the bull by the horns, and resolved on a grand assault after the terrible bombardment. This assault was to have taken place on the 28th of April; but on the 25th, orders had been given to the French admiral to get ready all his ships at once to embark the army of reserves at Constantinople. So this news determined Canrobert not to make the attack. He thought it safer and wiser to wait for these reinforcements, and Lord Raglan had to give an unwilling assent.
An expedition had been despatched to attack Kertch, for through this place the Russians were receiving all their supplies. It had sailed on May 3; but Canrobert recalled the French portion of it by a fast steamer, on receiving a telegram from the Emperor of the French to the effect that an expedition must be made at once against the Russian army. In the middle of May, the emperor's plans in detail were laid before Canrobert by an officer direct from France. He, Canrobert, was to command the field army, General Pelissier to take sole charge of the siege-works with a force of Turks and French, and the British to take to the field.
To this plan there were insuperable objections, though it might have looked very pretty on paper to the eyes of the French emperor, who, by the way, was never a Buonaparte.
So it fell through. Canrobert resigned, and General Pelissier was made commander-in-chief of the French army.
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