Читать книгу The Battles of the World or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military events онлайн

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At length twilight warned the combatants to cease. At about six o’clock the fleets drew off, and shortly afterwards the batteries suspended their fire. The naval attack, so far as damage to the enemy was concerned, was a failure. Many Russian artillerymen were, doubtless, victims to the accuracy of our aim, and the undaunted pertinacity of our seamen. Nothing, indeed, could exceed the brilliancy of the fire; and our gallant sailors of all ranks nobly maintained their reputation. But when the morrow came, the forts were found to be almost uninjured. Not a gun the less frowned from their embrasures, not a stone seemed to be displaced. The blackened mouths of the casemates, and a multitude of scars, as it were, where the fierce storm of iron had splintered the surface of the granite, were all the evidence afforded of that desperate assault. The question between wood and granite had been fairly tried, and granite was the victor. The forts were essentially unhurt; but scarcely a ship had escaped without serious damage to masts, sails, and rigging. The Albion and Arethusa were compelled to proceed to Constantinople to be docked; the Rodney got fast upon the reef, and her masts were soon shattered by the Russian shell and shot—the little steamer Spiteful gallantly towing her off, with considerable damage to herself and loss of men; and the Bellerophon had about fifteen shots in her hull, and her wheel knocked away. Throughout the English fleet, 44 men were killed, and 266 wounded. The French loss was even greater. The Turkish vessels, which occupied the centre of the line, were too far removed from the intensity of the action to sustain any serious injury to the ships or loss to the crew.”