252 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



few survivors of that desperate fight will be held of 

 much account ; and when future wars shall 

 threaten, his counsel will be taken, and they 

 will say "Hear the old man; he fought at Inker- 

 mann." 



This kind of work lasted for several hours. 

 Fresh columns of Russians, uttering the most 

 fiendish yells, time after time attacked our position 

 Avith great determination and courage, but again 

 and again they were driven back at the point of 

 the bayonet. Nine times during that day I found 

 myself at close quarters, and engaged hand to 

 hand. I have been engaged in over a hundred 

 fights in my time, and have seen many a red field 

 won ; but for desperate work, constantly at " close 

 quarters," no battle can be compared with Inker- 

 mann ; and never have I seen men fight so splen- 

 didly as our brave fellows did that day, when the 

 carnage was unheeded, and " the odds " against us 

 were never counted. The British soldier is une- 

 qualled, when cold steel has to decide the contest, 

 and over and over again that day, large masses 

 of the enemy were driven back and repulsed by 



