BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 15 Buppovted them by three battalions of rcguhir chap. infantry,* placed only a liundred and fifty yards . in their rear, and by a fourth battalion f drawn up in a neighbouring ravine.:[; Further still in rear, he held in hand, as a reserve for his left wing, the four battalions of the ' JNIoscow ' corps which had joined him that niorning.§ At the commencement of the action, these thirteen bat- talions, with one or two companies of the 6lli Ilifles, and a ten-gun battery of artillery,!! were Fr.irrs the only forces occupying the part of the position posted in then about to be assailed by the French. They the position , assaileil by formed the left wing of the Paissian army, and tLeFreuch: were commanded by General Kiriakoff. In this western part of the position the ground at the time of the battle had not been strength- ened by field-works. In the main Pass, facing the bridge, and des- tined to confront the 2d Division of the English army, Prince Mentschikoff placed four battalions of light infantry ,11 with also some portion of the ' ions,' but upon the wliole it seemed to me that the toiTA 'militia' would be less likely to convey a wrong notion than the term 'dep6t.* They are troops regarded as very inferior in quality to troops of the line. The four battalions which 1 call ' militia' wore the 'reserve' battalions of the 13th Division. — A n itchkoff, Chodaslcwkz.
- Nos. 2, 3, and 4 of the Taroutine corps. — Ilnd.
+ The No. 1 battalion of the same corps. — Ibid. + Chodasiewicz. § The battalions of the Moscow corps. — Anitclikoff^Clmdasiewicz. II Viz., the No. 4 battery of the 17th brigade of artillery. —Todlcbcn, p. 177. H The foui 1 iittalions of the Borodino corps. — Anitchkofl, Chodasiavlc:, I'odkhcn,
