THE MAIN FIGHT. 151 Borodino corps before overthrown) had been 6600 chap. strong, was now passing away discomfited from the field of strife. By what further wanderings i*'^*^**- the stray Catherinburg body made good its way back to Sebastopol, no record before me lias told ; but the eight battalions of the Borodino and the Taroutine regiments descended to the foot of Mount Inkerman, drew off along the bank of the river, and were not again brought into action. If here once again the thousands gave way to circum- the hundreds, it must be remembered in excuse under win iii for these Taroutine and Borodino regiments that uneandtiie they were troops somewhat shaken in confidence regiments by their experience of defeat on the Alma ; that now on the Inkerman day they had adventured almost at random across the ravines and the ridges having no artillery with them ; that they had been left to guess at their duty without the guidance of any general officer ; that from the first, they had had, as it were, the sensation of being astray, and that plainly in the hour of trial there was no fit commander to wield them. XXI. Thus, though having already brought u]) nearly comparison 25,000 infantry,* and 38 guns (of which 22 were engaged XT .1 IT during the 12-pounders), the enemy received a cruel discom- ist Period; fiture from forces which comprised altogether only 3600 foot,+ with 18 pieces of field-artillery.
- 24,643.
+ 3622, as shown ante in footnote, p. 118.
