On March 23 the Russians made a great attack on the whole length of the allied line. It was particularly severe on the right attack; Captain Forman’s company formed part of the trench guard, and was actively engaged. This attack was led by a Greek in full dress who rushed at the magazine, and fired his musket into it, but it was empty; and he was immediately bayonetted in the trench.
After this the enemy began firing shells into the camp of the 1st Battalion, but without doing any material injury. During the month of March three sergeants and 82 men died, of whom 1 sergeant and 10 men died in camp; the remainder at Scutari or Kulalie.
During this month seven men of the 2nd Battalion were wounded in the trenches.
On March 19 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were augmented to sixteen companies, and were to consist of the following numbers:
| Lieutenant-Cols. | Majors | Captains | Lieutenants | Ensigns | Staff |
| 2 | 2 | 16 | 26 | 14 | 7 |
| Staff-Sergeants | Sergeants | Buglers | Corporals | Privates | |
| 9 | 100 | 41 | 100 | 1,900 |
On April 9, fire was reopened and kept up till the 12th, and on the 13th volunteers were called for to man the rifle pits in front of No. 7 battery. Lieutenant the Hon. A. Anson[255] and eighteen men of the 1st Battalion volunteered for the duty. They occupied the pits from daylight until dark; but suffered a heavy loss, Sergeant Devitt and four men being killed. These pits were afterwards connected and formed the fourth parallel.
On April 22 a bandsman of the 2nd Battalion named Wright, who was on duty in the trenches, going to fetch water from a well in front of the advanced trench near the Quarries, was killed; it being impossible to throw up any cover near the well in consequence of the rockiness of the soil. This man being a great favourite of his comrades, a number of them rushed out determined to drive out the Russian riflemen, by whose fire he had fallen, from the pits which they occupied. Three men, Bradshaw, Humpston and MacGregor, were the first to reach them, and drove the Russians out, killing some while a few escaped. For this gallant deed these three Riflemen received the Victoria Cross, Bradshaw being also decorated with the French War Medal.[256]
About this time clothing of a new pattern was served out to both Battalions; a tunic being substituted for the old coatee for the men, and taking the place of the jacket and pelisse for the officers, which they had both worn with slight variations since the formation of the Regiment.