BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH. xxvii 



open firing, and go on firing till you pump the town dry of ammunition and disable all the 

 guns?' Oh! because the deserters say that the enemy's resources in ammunition are inex- 

 haustible. Then, how do you expect to silence a superior number of guns, supplied with 

 inexhaustible ammunition? Oh! because the deserters difi'er; and some say that the enemy 

 have very little ammunition. The deserters differ, therefore, as to the amount of ammunition ; 

 why may they not be wrong also about the number of gunners 1 Well, they may be ! And 

 such is the way in which you obtain a fair means of testing the value of, ' we suppose they have 

 not men enough to man their guns ! ' In my own mind, from what I see, I am certain that the 

 enemy would not place guns tliat they could not fire. They are far too practical to try and 

 humbug us in that way. I believe they have men for the guns and reserves which we have 

 not. Of the two, I should say that it was we who had not got enough men to man the o-uns. 

 In fact, we have not ; for one lucky shell knocking over a dozen men would stop the fire of 

 that gun, from our wanting reserves." " Whenever we open fire we shall have four disadvantages 

 to contend against : — Incomplete and imperfect protection to our men and guns ; a superiority in 

 numbers of the guns against us ; no reserve of guns to replace those disabled ; no reserve of o-uns' 

 crews to replace disabled guns' crews. Against this we have set a very powerful and a superior 

 mortar fire. Such being the state of things, are we justified in openino- fire '{ " 



Altogether these letters introduce us again to the " masterly inactivity " which marked all 

 the proceedings of our generals in the earlier stages of the war, and in many cases made us the 

 laughingstock, not only of our enemies, but of our allies. " Appointments " to open fire were 

 made each day ; but some screw invariably became loose, and they could not be kept. At this 

 period Captain Peel must have been a thorn in the sides of those in authority. Notwithstanding all 

 that the engineers and artillery boasted as to the fitness of the apparatus and batteries of attack, 

 he, without hesitation, reported that his batteries were unserviceable. Every one had been lono- 

 since prepared for this, but no steps were taken to remedy it ; a shot came through the main part 

 on one occasion, and was shown to Lord R. when he went round. Peel volunteered to repair his own 

 battery. With a bad grace the Engineers permitted him, and he did it in one night with his 200 

 " Leanders." The next disagreeable fact pointed out by Peel was that there were only two guns in 

 any of the batteries which could bear upon the Mamelon, in which there were fifteen. The 

 Eussians, with great wisdom, allowed us to build all our batteries, and then threw up others to 

 fire into us. Peel proposed a new battery to be made to play on the Mamelon, which enfiladed 

 one of our best batteries, but was told there were no guns. He replied that four very fine 

 solid 8-inch guns were lying on the beach at Balaclava doing nothing. He was contradicted, 

 but he persisted ; and being proved in the right, was permitted to make the battery. Lord 



