BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 37 Division was in dou1)le. column of" compimies from ciiAP, the centre, and had the front and left flank covered ^' by riflemen in extended order. It was supported by the 1st Division undertime Duke of Cambridge, and that in turn was followed by the 4th Division* under Sir George Cathcart. Sir George Cathcart, however, in accordance with a suggestion made by himself, was authorised to take ground to liis left, and place liis force in ^clielon to the 1st ]Jivi- sion. The head of his column was al)renst of the rear companies of the 1st Division. The three great infantry columns thus com- posing the left wing of our army were covered what I must call the erroneous wording of Sir George Brown's Report to Lord Raglan. I say 'erroneous,' because, though Sir George Brown docs not, in terms, deny that the right wing of the 2d battalion of Rifles was fighting in front of his Division, he suppresses all mention of its achievements, and this in a despatch which gives a prominent place to the operations of the left wing under Major Norcott. In excuse for the error into which I was led by tn;sting too implicitly to Sir George Brown's Report, I may say that Lord Raglan also trusted to it, and was obviously misled by it into the adoption of the same mistake ; for although we now know that Lawrence and the men of the right T^-ing were among the foremost of those who stormed the redoubt, Lord Raglan— seeing no mention of this in Sir George Brown's Report, and observing that Sir George specially spoke of jMajor Norcott's wing as taking part with the 23d Regiment in the capture of the redoubt — was induced to speak of the aid given by Jlajor Norcott and the left wing of the Rifles, without speaking at all of the right wing, which was also taking a fore- most part in the storming of the redoubt, under the orders of Colonel Lawrence.
- Minus the 63d and some companies of the J 6th, left under
the command of General Ton-ens at the place of disembarkation. The force actually with Sir George Cathcart during the action consisted of the 20th, 21st, and 57th Regiments, the 1st battal- ion of Rifles, and Townsend's battery.
- 32 ?S0
