The New Works at the Siege of Sebastopol on the Right Attack, From the Mortar Battery on the Right of Gordon's Battery (Plate 29)

Description

This scene corresponds to the summer of 1855, when the siege was intensifying and the British aimed to advance on the right. Gordon's Battery, named after General Charles Gordon, was one of the main lines of the British attack on the Redan Fortifications. During this period, British forces systematically extended the siege lines, digging forward lines connecting artillery and mortar batteries. Mortar batteries were used particularly for night bombardments and were effective in breaking up defensive positions. The engraving shows in detail the new earthen fortifications and military engineering activities built by the Allies on the right flank of the siege of Sevastopol, the process of fortification construction and the siege layout. William Simpson, who painted this engraving, was a painter and engraver sent to the war zones for The Illustrated London News during the Crimean War.