Could nothing be done even yet by their field forces? This is the question the enemy asked himself.
A council of war was held on the ninth of August, and at this it was determined to attack our allies on the upper part of the river Tchernaya.
This was to be the last stand of the Bear at bay—in the open, that is.
The French had 18,000 men and 48 guns on the heights of Fedioukine; the Italians or Sardinians—our new allies—were near Tchorgoum, with 9,000 men and 36 guns; in the valley to the rear were the Turks, with a reserve of 10,000.
The Russians, under Gortschakoff, held the M'Kenzie heights, and on the night of the fifteenth of August they were reinforced by regiments from the Belbek.
The Russian army was divided into two. One wing, of 13,000 infantry, 2,000 horse, and 62 guns, was under command of General Read, and was on the right. It moved on to attack the French. General Liprandi had the left wing, divided into two columns, one of which followed Read; the other, commanded by Belgrade, was ordered to descend in another direction, and halt on the road to Tchorgoum.
Next day, at sunrise, the battle was commenced by the driving in of the Sardinian outposts. Things opened fairly well for Gortschakoff. But the goddess Fortuna had surely deserted the Russian cause; for General Read, mistaking an order, suddenly advanced upon the French without their position having been cannonaded.
Both his divisions were driven back with great slaughter, and although the battle raged long after this, as soon as Gortschakoff saw that the French reserves, as well as the Turks, were being hurried up for action, he knew that all hope was past, and so retreated.
The losses on the French and Sardinian sides amounted to nearly 2,000 killed and wounded; but those of the Russians showed how terrible had been the slaughter entailed by General Read's mistake. Three general officers and 36 others were killed, 160 officers were wounded, and of the rank and file over 6,000 were killed or wounded. Would Gortschakoff, now that he saw his game was almost lost, give up Sebastopol?
At first he was greatly disheartened by the result of the battle, and evidently intended to do so; but he changed his mind, after a visit to the interior of the fortress itself.