REPORT OF CAPT. GEORGE B. M'^CLELLAN. 15 



couple of men each were formed on each side of the ditch, each hole being 6' long, 5' high, and 

 3' wide. 



In the same locality arrangements were observed for firing cannister from a 13" mortar. 



The line of works extending from the Eedan along the crest of the OtchakofF ravine varied 

 much at different points ; in some places the ditch was excavated to the depth of 6' and 8' in the 

 rock, in others the counterscarp was wholly artificial ; portions of the abattis still remained in 

 front of this line. This line did not extend continuously to the Malakoff, but was broken where 

 it crossed the Otchakofi" ravine, detached retired batteries enfilading the latter. 



The Malakofi" also was a salient bastion, its right face being slightly broken to the front ; 

 the bastion enclosed the remains of the tower, the lower story of which was covered by the 

 parapet. 



An ample estimate for the profile of the Malakofi" at the salient would probably be, command 

 14'; thickness of parapet, 18'; ditch, 18' wide and 12' deep. At all events, such was the condition 

 of afiairs that the Zouaves, who formed the storming party on the 8th September, entered the 

 work without the aid of ladders. 



The Malakoff Bastion (called by the Kussians Kornilofi", the name Malakofi" being applied by 

 them only to the tower) occupied the eastern crest of a hill rising from the general surface of 

 the ridge, and terminating it towards the town ; the slope of the hill towards the French 

 approaches was gentle, while towards the Karabelnaia suburb it was steep, difiicult, and 

 obstructed in the extreme ; to the north and south the ground fell away rapidly. In rear of the 

 bastion an irregular redoubt occupied the remainder of the summit of the hill ; the parapet 

 did not always follow the ditch, but was often broken into saw teeth (to obtain better directions 

 for the guns) while the ditch ran in a straight line. With regard to the bastion and redoubt 

 two errors were commited: in the first place, two epaulments were left standing, extending from 

 near the fianks of the bastion to the redoubt, which afi"orded easy access 'to the latter from the 

 parapet of the former ; in the second place, the bastion was literally filled with traverses 

 covering the bomb proof shelters ; these traverses entirely nullified the efi'ect of the fire of the 

 redoubt upon the troops who gained the bastion, and afi"orded them complete shelter. As these 

 bomb proofs were absolutely necessary to enable the garrison to hold the work during the bom- 

 bardment, it is not perhaps exactly proper to designate their construction as an error, althouf'h 

 their existence proved fatal at the time of the assault. The evil might have been remedied 

 either by sinking the bomb proofs entirely under ground, or by giving to the mass of earth 

 above a glacis slope towards the salient, although the latter arrangement would have required 

 much space. The interior slopes of all the works were revetted with gabions, crowned with 

 fascines and sand bags. From the Malakofi" to the Little Eedan abattis, military pits, spikes 

 and caltrops, with four barbed points, stuck through planks, were freely employed. These 

 things were also employed in front of other parts of the defences. Explosive machines, on the 

 Jacobi principle, were also employed. 



The Kussian engineers appeared to have relied upon the artillery fire of the collateral works 

 for flanking defences and acting upon the ground in front of any particular work, rather than 

 upon the immediate flanking arrangements of the special work in question. The entire absence 

 of blinded batteries is somewhat remarkable. There can be no doubt that such batteries at 

 the salients of the principal works would have exercised a very great influence. 



The Mamelon Vert was situated on the summit of a mound of no considerable elevation above 

 the general surface of the ridge ; the eastern slope was gentle, while it was more abrupt on the 

 other sides, particularly towards the west. It was difiicult or impossible to determine the 



