182 THE COUNSELS OF THE ALLIES. CHAP. ' These ravines descend into Sebastopol, dividing vn. ' the town from the faubourg, and again sub- ' dividing into fractions both town and faubourg.
- It is plain that the difficulty in the way of
' lateral communication created by tliis configura- ' tion of the ground must be so sure a source ' of weakness to the garrison as to be equivalent
- to a great deduction from their actual numbers.
' You will remember, Sir John Burgoyne, that ' you yourself perceived this clearly enough, from ' the indications in Colonel Jervis's map ; and ' when you advised the flank march, you were so ' far from looking upon these ravines as an evil ' to us, that you spoke of the embarrassment they ' must necessarily put upon the garrison as one ' of the reasons for bringing us round to this ' South Side.* And your reason, so far as it ' went, was a sound one ; for a difficulty in the ' way of lateral communication must of necessity ' be more embarrassing to the defenders than to ' the assailants, who can choose the ground where ' the real conflict shall take place. Besides, we ' hold the heads of the ravines, and there, our ' hiteral communications are free. Look at the ' part of the harbour ravine which the enemy ' occupies. It is of such a depth and steepness ' that the defences which cover the Karabel ' suburb are quite sundered from those which ' cover the town ; and apparently a body of troops ' engaged in meeting an assault upon one of
- See vol. iii. p. 395, Cabinet Edition, Sir Jolui Rurgoyne's
Memorandum of the 21st Sept.
