BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 179 time to time forced to shift their ground. The chap. 'Militia' battalions were troops of inferior quality; [ — . and finding at last that, wherever they stood, they were more or less galled by artillery, they dis- solved* So, although he was supported by Prince Mentschikoff in person, with 'the column of the ' eight battalions,' of which we shall presently speak, yet in his own hands Kiriakoff had only four battalions of sound infantry with which to show a countenance to thirty thousand French- men and Turks. But on the other hand, both of Bosquet's brigades were distant. General Can- robert, indeed, had so spread out his battalions on the verge of the plateau, as to have them in readi- ness for an encounter, so soon as his guns should come up ; and having somewhat brought round his riglit shoulder, he fronted towards the Tele- graph, but, because still without his artillery, he was hanging back in expectancy on the steep broken ground close below the smooth cap of the hill. Prince Napoleon's Division at this time was in Backward- . iiess of the the bottom of the valley close to the river ; and, 3d French . iJivisiou. indeed, of the whole force which the Prince at this time had around him, there were only two battalions which had hitherto forded the stream. f To the hopes which the French army had of being
- Chodasiewicz.
+ The battalion of the 19th Chasseurs, and one of the battalions of the Marine Corps. The 2d Zouave Eegi- ment had also crossed, but this, it will jjresently be seen, was not a part of the force which Prince Napoleon 'ha*' ^ around him.'
