12 MILITAEY COMMISSION TO EUROPE. 



antine Bay ravine, then crossed this last ravine and terminate! at the shore of the Black sea, 

 where powerful batteries were erected. The Central Bastion ravine has rather gentle slopes, 

 and is by no means so difficult as those on the eastern side of tlie great central ravine ; in fact, 

 approaches could he carried over it, and did, indeed, extend into it. 



Passing to the east of the central ravine, Cathcart's hill, which will be found on all the maps, 

 may be taken as a starting point. 



On the west and east sides of this hill two difficult ravines commence ; the first, called by the 

 English the Valley of Death, iinites with the central ravine about one mile from the southern 

 extremity of the inner harbor ; the second, by which the Woronzoff road enters the city, joins 

 tlie central ravine at the very end of the inner harbor. The isolated .spur thus formed was 

 occupied by the English le'.t attack, the only object of which was to establish batteries to assist 

 the French attack upon the Flag-staff Bastion, and the English right attack upon the Redan, as 

 well as to protect the flanks of those attacks; for the ravines bordering this spur are so deep and 

 difficult as to render it impossible to cross them either by trenches or assaulting columns. 



Further to the east is the Otchakoff ravine, running nearly parallel to the Woronzoff ravine, 

 much less difficult and directed upon the Dock Yard bay. On the highest point of the ridge 

 separating the two ravines last named, and at its end nearest the. town, were situated the Redan 

 and the Barrack battery; the English right attack followed the ridge. To the eastward of the 

 Otchakoff ravine, and nearly parallel to it, is the Careening Bay ravine, the most difficult of all. 

 On the highest point at the end of the ridge thus formed was placed the Malakoff, at an eleva- 

 tion of 333' ; the Little Redan (Batterie Noire) occupied a considerably lower point to the north- 

 east of the Malakoff, while the work known as the Mamelon Vert, or Brancion redoubt, crowned 

 a hill on the same ridge, about three-eighths of a mile to the southeast of the Malakoff, and 40' 

 more elevated ; the French attacks against the three works named occupied the summit and 

 higher slopes of the ridge. 



Between the Careening Bay ravine and the main harbor is situated the high and narrow ridge 

 known as Mount Sapovine. Points of this ridge were occupied by the Volhynia and Selenghinsk 

 redoubts, (ouvrages blancs,) which acted upon the flank of the French approaches against the 

 Mamelon, and would have taken in reverse the approaches thence against the Malakoff. The 

 French approaches against the redoubts wound along the summit of the Sanoune ridge. In 

 rear of the Redan and Malakoff, more especially in the latter case, the ground fell rapidly to 

 the level of the Karabelnaia and the bay ; in rear of the loopholed wall the ground also soon 

 fell rapidly into the Artillery Bay ravine, leaving, however, a plateau of some little width imme- 

 diately behind the defences, which thus screened the greater part of the town and harbor from 

 the view of those in the trenches. 



From the course known to have been pursued by the Russians in other cases, the nature of 

 the ground, the appearance of the works at the close of the siege, and the remarks of officers 

 on both sides, it would appear that when Todtleben was called upon to fortify Sebastopol, in 

 presence of the enemy, he commenced by occupying most of the important points that have been 

 mentioned by detached works, generally closed at the gorge. The first efforts of the garrison 

 were directed towards giving these sufficient strength to resist assault ; afterwards they were 

 connected by re-entering lines of a weaker profile, which served to enfilade the ravines and 

 flank the main works. These lines were generally, but not always, continuous. 



One of the early measures was to construct rifle pits, which were often advanced to a very 

 considerable distance. 



The most important points of the main line of defence should probably be classed in the • 



