Journal of the Operations conducted by the Corps of Royal Engineers

320 Pages·1859·18.365 MB·English

by  H. C. Elphinstone

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1854-5
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ROYAL ENGINEER PARK .
( RICHT ATTACK )

JOURNAL
OF THE
OPERATIONS CONDUCTED
BY THE
CORPS OF ROYAL ENGINEERS.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR.
PART I.
FromtheInvasion ofthe Crimea tothe close of theWinter Campaign 1854-55,
O
T
H
BY IE
CAPTAIN H. C. ELPHINSTONE, R.E.
of the Topographical Depot.
London:
PRINTED BYGEORGE EDWARD EYRE ANDWILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE
Itinurs to theQueen's Mus' Ex'cient Malesty.
1859.
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CONTENTS.
l'age
LETTER FROM THE WAR DEPARTMENT
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PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
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INVASION OF THE CRIMEA
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SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL
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APPENDIX
89
VOL.I.
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War Department,
SIR, 30th September 1856.
I am directed by Lord Panmure to request that you will state to
His Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief, that Lord Panmure
considers it expedient, while the incidents of the Siege of Sebastopol are
still recent, and the Officers who conducted the important operations of the
British Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers at that siege are still for the
most part within reach, that an official record should be compiled relating
all that is of interest or value to those arms of the service, whether for
future instruction or as matter of history, a record that will be in some
degree similar to those published by Colonel, afterwards Sir J. Jones, of the
sieges of the Peninsular War. Lord Panmure apprehends that there will
now be no difficulty in collecting these facts, and preserving the experience
acquired through them, although a short lapse of time may make it difficult;
and I am to request that you will move His Royal Highness to call upon
the Inspector-General of Fortifications and the Adjutant-General ofArtillery
to compile in a narrative form , with statistical Appendix, and with any
illustrations required, all those particulars relating to their arm of the
service which they deem of professional value, and to embody the same in
a Report for his Lordship’s information.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) JOHN CROOMES,
For the Under-Secretary of State.
The Military Secretary,
Horse Guards.
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PREFACE TO THE FIRST VOLUME.
In compliance with the preceding instructions of the Secretary of State for
War, this volume has been drawn up in two distinct parts; the one containing
a general narrative ofevents, from the commencement of the war to the close
of the winter campaign 1854–55 ; the other, a Statistical Appendix including
the more important official documents relating to that interval, a series of
papers by Sir John Burgoyne on matters referring to the siege, a detailed
Trench Journal showing the work executed each day, and several Reports of
great interest, in connection with the operations in the Crimea.
The strictly professional character of the work has constantly been
kept in view, and nothing has been inserted that was not required to
elucidate the engineering operations. This will to some extent explain
why several of the more important events of the campaign have been
but casually alluded to, whereas others, solely of professional interest,
but of little importance to a general reader, have been dwelt upon at
considerable length. This will necessarily render the work unattractive
in a general sense ; nor was it to be expected that the interest of an
ordinary narrative could have been attained under this condition of a
strictly technical treatment.
The data upon which this volume has been based have been obtained
from the official documents in the offices of the Adjutant-General, Quarter
master-General, and Inspector-General of fortifications. Recourse has like
wise been had to the journals ofsome of the Officers of Engineers, who most
vi PREFACE.
kindly placed them at the disposal of the compiler ; but these last-named
documents have been used but sparingly and with due circumspection.
The Reports at the end of the Appendix have all been written sub
sequent to the War, by the persons who respectively had the charge of the
particular duties to which they refer.
The operation of landing in the Crimea, although strictly a naval
proceeding, involved so many strategical and tactical points, and was an
operation of such magnitude, and so successfully executed, that a detailed
description of this operation was considered necessary; and on referring the
matter to Captain Mends, R.N., who had the charge of its execution, he
drew up, in a most obliging manner,, the very able Report which has been
inserted in the Appendix.