Instead, they decided to march around the city, and put Sevastopol under siege. Towards the end the allies marched to the southern coast of the Crimean and set up a supply port in the city of Balaklava. Before the siege the Russian commander retreated out of Sevastopol. On 25 October 1854, a Russian force attacked the British base at Balaklava. The attack failed before they could reach it, but the Russian had a strong hold on the British line.