These losses have not shaken either the ardour or the confidence of these valiant divisions. They only ask to make the enemy pay dearly for this day's work. The hope and the will to conquer are in every heart, and all count upon it that in the next struggle fortune will not play false to valour.
Pelissier,
Commander-in-Chief.
THE BATTLE OF THE TCHERNAYA.
Head-quarters, before Sebastopol, August 18.
Monsieur le Maréchal,—You will have learnt by my telegraphic despatches of yesterday and of the day before the general results of the battle of the Tchernaya; to-day I send your Excellency a detailed report of that battle, so glorious for our arms.
For some days, although the enemy abstained from any apparent movement, certain indications made us suppose he would attack our lines on the Tchernaya. You know those positions, which are excellent, and which are covered to the full extent by the Tchernaya itself, and by a canal, which forms a second obstacle. The Sardinian army occupies the whole of the right, opposite Tchorgoun; the French troops guard the centre and the left, which joins after a declivity our plateaux of Inkerman. Independently of a few fords, which are bad enough, there are two bridges across the Tchernaya and the canal. One, a little above Tchorgoun, is under the guns of the Piedmontese; the other, called Traktir Bridge, is below, and almost in the centre of the French positions. Looking straight before one towards the other bank of the Tchernaya, you behold to the right the heights of Tchouliou, which, after extending themselves in undulating plateaux, fall somewhat abruptly towards the Tchernaya below Tchorgoun, opposite the Piedmontese. These heights diminish opposite our centre, and starting from that point to the rocky sides of the Mackenzie Plateaux, there is a plain about three or four kilomètres in width. It is by that plain that the Mackenzie Road leads across the Tchernaya at Traktir Bridge, and, after passing through our pontoons, leads into the Balaklava plain.
A strict watch was kept all along our lines—the Turks, who occupy the hilly grounds of Balaklava, were on the alert, and watched Alsou; and General d'Allonville, also put on his guard, doubled his vigilance in the high valley of Baidar. My mind was quite at rest, moreover, as regards the extreme right; it is one of those mountainous regions where it is impossible to manœuvre large bodies of men. The enemy could only make false demonstrations there—in fact, that is what occurred. In the night between the 15th and 16th of August, General d'Allonville notified that he had troops opposite him; but his attitude imposed upon the enemy, who attempted nothing on that side, and dared not attack him. During this time, the main body of the Russian troops, which had descended from the Mackenzie Heights with the intention of debouching near Ai Todor, advanced, favoured by night, on the Tchernaya; to the right, the 7th, 5th, and 12th Divisions crossed the plain; and to the left, the 17th Division; a portion of the 6th and the 4th followed the plateau of Tchouliou. A strong body of cavalry and 160 pieces of artillery supported the infantry.
A little before daybreak the advanced posts of the Sardinian army, placed as vedettes as far as the heights of Tchouliou, fell back, and announced that the enemy was advancing in considerable force. Shortly afterwards, in fact, the Russians lined the heights of the right bank of the Tchernaya with heavy guns (pièces de position), and opened fire on us.
General Herbillon, who commanded the French troops on this point, had made his arrangements for battle. To the right of the Traktir Road, Faucheux's division, with the 3rd battery of the 12th artillery; in the centre, his own division, with the 6th company of the 13th; to the left, Camou's division, with the 4th battery of the 13th. On his side, General Della Marmora had ranged his troops in order of battle. At the same time, General Morris's fine division of Chasseurs d'Afrique, speedily joined by General Scarlett's numerous and valiant English cavalry, took up a position behind the hills of Kamara and Traktir. This cavalry was to take the enemy in flank, in case he should succeed in forcing a passage by one of the three outlets of Tchorgoun or Traktir, or at the incline to the left of General Camou.
Colonel Forgeot, in command of the artillery of the Tchernaya lines, kept six batteries of horse artillery, two of which belonged to the Imperial Guard, ready to act as a reserve. Six Turkish battalions of Osman Pasha's army, led by Sefer Pasha, came to lend us their assistance. Finally, I ordered forward Levaillant's division of the 1st corps, Dulac's division of the 2nd corps, and the Imperial Guard, comprising reserves capable of remedying the most serious contretemps. The thick mist which covered the depths of the Tchernaya, and the smoke of the cannonade which had just commenced, prevented us distinguishing against which particular point the chief effort of the enemy would be directed; when, on our extreme left, the 7th Russian division came tilt against Camou's division. Received by the 50th of the Line, the 3rd Zouaves, who charged them with the bayonet, and by the 82nd, which took them in flank, the enemy's columns were compelled to make a demivolte to recross the canal, and could only escape the fire of our artillery by getting out of range to rally. That division did not appear again during the day.