The French occupied a series of hillocks to the left of the Sardinians, guarding the road leading from Balaklava to McKenzie's farm.

The river and aqueduct both flowed along their front.

The road crossed the former by a bridge known as the Traktia Bridge, the latter by a stone bridge.

In front of the Traktia Bridge was a breastwork.
At dawn a strong body of Russians were seen upon the heights opposite to those occupied by the Sardinians, and thence, being on ground higher than that upon our side of the river, they commanded both the Sardinian and French positions.

The bridge was held by a company of infantry and a company of Bersaglieri, and General Della Marmora at once despatched another company of Bersaglieri to enable the advance to hold their post until the army got under arms.