ABSTRACT
By now-two months after the French debacle at Odessa and Sebastopol-there was much better news from South Russia. On May 31, the Admiralty informed the War Office that the Volunteer Army had retaken Mariopol (on the sea of Azov) on the 24th, and were now advancing west towards the Dnieper; HMS Speedy was supporting them on their left flank. This news was greeted with enthusiasm by the General Staff. ‘Good’, scribbled an officer underneath. ‘This is first class’, wrote Colonel Steel; and Sir Henry Wilson added a large tick.
