Battle of Inkerman: Difference between revisions

When the British Fourth Division arrived under General [[George Cathcart]], they were finally able to go on the offensive, but confusion reigned. The Duke requested him to fill the 'gap' on the left of the Guards, to prevent them from being isolated; when Cathcart asked Pennefather where to help, Pennefather replied "Everywhere.", so Cathcart dispersed his men in different directions, until about 400 men were left. Quartermaster general [[Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey]] told to "Support the Brigade of Guards. Do not descend or leave the plateau... Those are Lord Raglan's orders." Cathcart moved his men to the right. The courage of Cathcart and his men had the unexpected effect of encouraging other British units to charge the Russians. However, the flanking troops were caught in the rear by an unexpected Russian counter-attack, during which Cathcart, believing that the Guards had mistaken them for Russians, ordered his men to remove their greatcoats, but the firing intensified, and Cathcart was shot from his horse and killed as he led 50 men of the [[20th Regiment of Foot]] up a hill ([[:commons:Category:Cathcart's Hill, Crimea|Cathcart's Hill]]), leaving his troops disorganized and the attack was broken up. This gave the Russian army an opportunity to gain a crest on the ridge. However, as the Russian troops were coming up, they were attacked and driven off by newly arrived soldiers from the French camps. The French, with marvelous rapidity, brought up a division from five miles away and poured reinforcements into the entire line, reducing the Russians' advantage in numbers.{{sfnp|Porter|1889|p=433}}

The dense fog precluded effective control by senior commanders, leading to fighting amongst units smaller than a company in size. Figes called it a 'soldier's battle'. Though still in control of the heights around Sevastopol, the British and French casualties were such that any further attack on Sevastopol would require reinforcements.{{sfnp|Figes|2010|pp=258,272}}