Photograph of a mortar battery on a quiet day during the Crimean War. At the centre of the battery there is a large mortar set in a stone mount. One soldier is lying on the mount and another stands leaning against it to the left. Another soldier lies on the ground beside them. Behind the mortar is a stone wall topped with sand bags, with the section directly behind the mortar partially collapsed. A soldier stands watch by the wall to the left, with his back to the camera. During the Siege of Sevastopol the British brought mortars up to the batteries positioned in front of the town, in the hope that it would give them the necessary power to hit buildings directly.