the night of the twenty-fifth of October, 1854, at Balaklava. The
Russian attack on the English and Turks was at first successful, and
four redoubts were carried by the assailants. At the crisis of the
battle, however, the British Highlanders came into action, and the
Russians were repulsed. The latter did not attempt to renew the
attack, but fell back into their intrenchments. It was at this
juncture that the famous incident occurred of the Charge of the Light
Brigade, which was immortalized by Tennyson in his poem.

A few days after the battle of Balaklava occurred another hard
conflict at the village of Inkerman, at the head of the harbor of
Sebastopol. On the fifth of November, 1854, a strong force of Russians
descended from the heights, and were met by the allies on the slope
opposite the ruins of an ancient town, which occupied the site in the
times of Strabo. A severe battle ensued, in which the English and
French were victorious. Many other sorties were made from the
fortress, but were designed rather to delay the siege than with any
serious hope of breaking the investment. Sometimes the conflicts,
though desultory, were severe, taking the proportions of regular
battles. But nothing decisive was effected, until winter closed on
the scene, and brought upon both the besiegers and the besieged the
greatest hardships.

The sufferings of the allies, so far away from the source of supplies,
were at times beyond description. It is doubtful whether any other
siege of modern times has entailed such cruel privations upon a
civilized soldiery. At times the combined havoc of hunger, disease and
cold was seen in its worst work in the allied camps. The genius of
Elizabeth Butler has seized upon the morning "Roll Call," in the
Crimean snows of 1855, as the subject of a great painting in which to