The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-18 00:00:00

1088 the guns. conceiving that his orders compelled him to do so. The noble earl, though he did not shrink, also saw the fearful odds against him. The only support our light cavalry had was the reserve of heavy cavalry at a great dis tance behind them, the infantry and guns being fur in the rear. There was no squadrons in column at all, and there was a plain to charge over, before the enemy's guns were reached, of a mile and a half in length. At 11.10 our light cavalry brigade rushed to the front. They numbered as follows, as well as I can ascertain: — Men. 4th Light Dragoons llB Bth Irish Hussars 11th Prince Albert's Hussars lath Light Dragoons 17th Ltucers Total The whole brigade scarcely made one effective regiment, according to the numbers of continental armies ; and yet it. was more than we could spare. As they passed towards the front, the Russians opened on them from the guns in the redoubt on the right, with volleys of musketry and rifles. They swept proudly past, glittering in the morubig sun in all the pride and splendour of war. We could scarcely believe the evidence of our senses ! Surely that handful of then are not going to charge au army in posi tion? Alas! it was but too true—their desperate valour knew no bounds, and far indeed was it removed from its so-called better part—discretion. They advanced in two lines, quickening their pace as they closed towards the enemy. A more fearful spectacle was never witnessed than by those who, without the power to aid, beheld their, heroic countrymen rushing to the arms of death. At the distance of 1,200 yards the whole line of the enemy belched! forth, from thirty iron mouths, a flood of smoke and flame,! through which hissed the deadly balls. Their flight Was! marked by instant gaps in our ranks, by, dead men and horses, by steeds flying wounded or riderless across the; plain. The first line is broken, it is joined by the secon4l,; they never halt or check their speed an instant; with diminished ranks, thinned by those thirty guns, which 'die, Russians had laid with the most deadly accuracy, willa'a halo of flashing steel above their heads, and with a cheer which was many a noble fellow's death cry, they flew into the smoke of the batteries, but ere they were lost from view the plain was strewed with their bodies and with the carcasses of horses. They were exposed to an oblique fire from the batteries on the hills on both sides, as well as to a direct fire of musketry. Through the clouds of smoke we could see their sabres flashing as they rode up to the guns and dashed between them, cutting down the gunners as they stood. We saw them riding through the guns ;to our delight we saw them returning, after breaking through a column of Russian infantry and scattering them like chaff, when the flank fire of the battery on the hill swept them down, scattered and broken as they were. Wounded men and dismounted troopers flying towards us told the sad tale—demi-gods could not have done what we had failed to do. At the very moment when they were about to retreat an enormous mass of Lancers was hurled on their flank. Colonel Shewell, of the Eighth Ilussars, saw the danger, and rode his few men straight at them, cutting his way through with fearful loss. The other regiments turned and engaged in a desperate encounter. With courage too great almost for credence, they were breaking their way through the columns which enveloped them, when there took place an act of atrocity without parallel in the modern warfare of civilised nations. The Russian gunners, when the storm of cavalry passed, returned to their guns. They saw their own cavalry mingled with the troopers who had just ridden over them, and, to the eternal disgrace of the Russian name, the miscreants poured a murderous volley of grape and canister on the mass of struggling men and horses, mingling friend and foe in one common ruin. It was as much as our heavy cavalry bri gade could do to cover the retreat of the miserable rem nants of that band of heroes as they returned to the place they had so lately quitted in all the pride of life. At 11.35 not a British soldier, except the dead and dying, was left in front of these bloody Muscovite guns. While our affair was going on the French cavalry made a most brilliant charge at the battery on our left, which was firing on our men, and cut down the gunners; but they could not get off the guns without support, and had to retreat with the loss of two captains and fifty men killed and wounded out of their little force of 200 Chasseurs. The heavy cavalry, in columns of squadrons, moved slowly bkwards, covering the retreat of the broken men. The g a ro c und was left covered with our men and with hundreds of Russians, and we could see the Cossacks busy searching the dead. Our infantry grade a forward movement towards the redoubts after the cavalry came in, and the Russian in fantry in advance slowly retired towards the gorge. At the same time the French cavalry pushed forward on their right, and held them in check, pushing out a line of skirmishers, and forcing them to withdraw their guns. At 11 a.m. the Russians, feeling alarmed at our steady ad vance, and at the symptoms of our intention to turn or cut off their right, retired from No. 1 redoubt, which was taken possession of by the allies. At 11.15 they abandoned the redoubt No. '2, blowing up the magazine ; and, us we still continued to advance, they blew up and abandoned No. 3 at 11.45 ; but, to our great regret, we were not in time nor in force to prevent their taking off seven out of nine guns in these earthworks. At 11.41 the Russian line of infantry all began to retire slowly. and a strong detach ment of it crept up the hills behind the first redoubt, in the hope that we would attack them in that position : but it was not our desire to risk a battle, and we hod already found out that our position was too large to be readily de fended. We made up our minds, therefore, to let the Russians have the redoubts Nos. 1,2, and 3, and even 4, if they liked, and to content ourselves with keeping Bala klava and the communication with it open by the westerly and southerly heights behind our camp. 4t 12.28 the w hole of the allies again got into motion towards the THE PRESS enemy, with the exception of the first division, which moved en echelon towards the opposite hills, keeping their right wing well before Balaklava. When we got to the ridges they took possession of redoubt s Nos. 1, , and 3. Itut the Russians evidently intended to keep No. 4, and to draw us after them, if possible, into the gorge, where they had retired their guns. As our object was solely to keep Balaklava, this was not our game; and as the Russians would not advance, but kept their cavalry in front of the approach to the mountain passes, it became evident that there would be no farther engagement to-day. The can nonade, which began again at 12.15, and was continued with little effect, ceased altogether at 1.15, and the two armies retained their respective positions. Lord Raglan continued on the hill side all day watching the enemy. About 4 o'clock the French and English generals moved down to the valley together, and examined the enemy's position. It was dark ere Lord Raglan returned to his quarters. With the last gleam of day we could see the sheen of the enemy's lances in their old position in the valley, and their infantry gradually crowned the heights on their left, and occupied the road to the village which is beyond Balaklava to the southward. Subsequently to this battle Lord Raglan addressed, and publicly thanked, the Scots Greys for their gallant conduct during the action. Respecting the orders said to be given by Captain Nolan to Lord Lucan, the Post correspondent says -- It appears that when the attack first commenced Lord Raglan sent off Captain Nolan with a written order to Lord Lucan, telling him instantly " to storm the Russian guns with his light cavalry, if the manceuvre was practicable " Captain Nolan was wounded before he arrived with this despatch, and merely gave a verbal message to Lord Lucan, in which he unfortunately omitted the all-important words, "if practicable." Lord Lucan accordingly transmitted the order to Lord Cardigan, who, it is said, strongly remon strated against the imprudence of the movement, which, however, watt made and failed. Lord Raglan's written order was afterwards found on the body of Captain Nolan, who was killed in the charge. On the subject of the unfortunate charge made by the light cavalry, the Siècle observes that every one who has been in battle against the English knows that their horses in a charge, are not easy to st o p , and that the accident which happened to Lord Cardi gan is not. a novelty in their military annals, and says it. could cite from memory two charges f the English which led to consequences of a similar kind. The followiug letter from " an officer of distinc tion," describing the fatal attack by the light brigade, is published by the Morning Herald : Camp near Tialaklava, Oct. 27. You will be glad to hear I am alive after our tremendous affair of the 25th. We were ordered to charge some Russian batteries and cavalry, and the light brigade went down—the 17th and lfith leading in line the 11th were ordered to bang alittle back as a support, and the 4th and Bth followed, in a sort of third line. We all knew that the thing was desperate before we started, and it was even worse than we thought. In our front, about a mile and a half off, were several lines of Russian cavalry and nine guns—to get at which we had to pass along a wide valley, with the ground a little falling, and in itself favourable enough for a charge of cavalry ; but the sloping hills on each side gave the enemy an opportunity ( which they used) of placing guns on both our flanks as we advanced ; and not only guns, but infantry, with Minie rifles. However, there was no hesitation, down our fellows went at the gallop--through a tire in front and on both flanks, which emptied our saddles and knocked over our horses by scores. I do not think that one man flinched in the whole brigade--though every one allows that so hot a fire was hardly ever seen. We went right on, cut down the gunners at their guns ( the Russians worked the guns till we were within ten yards of them)—went on still, broke a line of cavalry in rear of the guns, and drove it back on the third line. But hers• our bolt was shot : the Russians formed four deep, and our thin and broken ranks, and blown horses, could not attempt to break through them, particularly as the Russian cavalry had got round our flanks, and were prepared to charge our rear (with fresh men). We broke hack through them, however, and then had to run the gauntlet, through the cross tire of artillery and Minie rifles, back to our own lines, with their cavalry hanging on our flank. The heavy brigade. which had made a good charge of its own in the morning, covered • our coming out of action, and lust some men from the artillery. - There is no concealing the thing—the light brigade was greatly damaged, and for nothing ; for though we killed the gunners and the horses of nine twelve-pounders, we could not bring them away. Nolan (who brought the order) is dead. The first shell that burst hit him in the breast. He gave a loud cry, his horse turned, trotted back (with him still in the saddle) between the first and second squadrons of the 13th, and carried him so for some way, when he fell dead. He was hit in the heart. In the two leading regiments, including Lord Cardigan (who led in person) and his staff, we had nineteen officers. Only three came out of action untouched both man and horse ; all the others were killed, wounded, or prisoners, or had their horses hurt. The 17th had no field officers, hut five captains. They came out of action com manded by the junior captain, I believe. We have lost about 335 horses (exclusive of officers' horses) out of a little more than ttoii, which we (the light brigade) had in the field; besides that, a great number are wounded with gun-Shot wounds, and about twenty-five have already been ►SATURDAY, destroyed, and more will. It was a bitter moment, after we broke through the line of cavalry in rear of their guns, when I looked round and saw there was no support beyond our own brigade which, leading in the smoke, had diverged and scarcely filled the ground. We weut on, however, and hoped that their own men flying would break the enemy's line and drive them into the river. When I saw them form four deep, instead, I knew it was " all up," and called out to the men to rally. At this moment a solitary squadron of the Bth came up in good order. This saved the remnant of us; for we rallied to them, and they, wheel ing about, charged a line which the Russians had formed in our rear. Yuu never saw men behave so well as our men did. As we could not hold our ground, all our dead and badly wounded were left behind, and we know not who are dead or who are prisoners. All this makes me miserable, even to write ; but it is the naked truth. Our loss in men is not so great as that in horses; fur men whose horses were shot in the advance got back on foot. I hear from a man who dined with Lord Raglan to-day that they do us justice at head-quarters, and say that our attack was an unheard-of feat at arms, and that Lord Raglan says that the moral effect has been wonderful. The Russian prisoners since taken at Sebastopol say the Russians were petrified at the audacity of the attack and the energy that could, after such a fire, break through their lines. These prisoners were takm in a very successful affair by Sir Be Lacy Evans. Do the old fellow justice. lie is a first-rate division leader. Resuming the chronicle of siege operations we extract the account of the next day's proceedings and sortie from the Herald correspondent : We have been all day in expectation of a general action at Balaklava. The Russians still occupy their places, and are evidently preparing to make an attack sooner or later. In the meantime it is said that our generals intend to abandon the position, as too remote from the trenches and requiring too large a force for its protection. This intention, though seriously entertained, was sub sequently abandoned]. The work in the trenches has been going on much the same as usual. It is a dull cannonade ou lath sides, and we don't seem to make any very great progress. Some of the nearest Russian earthworks have been much cut up, and in a few instances the guns silenced. This is particu larly the case with the circular earthwork at the foot of the Round Tower. The redan battery keeps up a constant cannonade. All this morning the fire was very hot, and several new batteries, which have been thrown up on the heights on the north side of Sebastopol, opened fire across the town into our trenches. As yet the distance is too great to enable them to do any mischief, though when our works advance I fear they will be fonuidable opponents. The French batteries, which now reach almost down to the shore of Kamisch Bay, and have been much advanced, appear to be doing considerable execution among the enemy. They have in vain directed a heavy cannonade against them for the last two days. Our allies have now protected their works too strongly to allow of their being silenced. Yesterday night the Russians attempted a sortie against the French, but the expedition appeared to be mismanaged, as, though the enemy showed, they never attempted to advance, and after exposing themselves to a heavy c annonade for a few minutes retired again in disorder. During today they made a desperate sortie against our lines, in which they met with a most signal defeat by the division of General De Lacy Evans. Fortunately, the enemy were observed by the'outlying picket and covering party mustering in large numbers in rear of their works, and notice of this important fact was immediately sent back to the camp, in order that our troops might be pre. pared to support the batteries. Hardly had the message been sent when a powerful force of Russian infantry, about 1,2,000 strong, sallied from behind the circular earthwork and redan battery. As they filed out into the plain all our lines of batteries opened into the columns with a dis charge of shot and shell which seemed to make the dense mass of men stagger, but in the course of a minute they reformed and advanced rapidly up the bill in the direc tion of the Green Mound and Lanqaster gun Batteries. At the first alarm all our outlying pickets and covering par ties had collected together, and, lying under cover of the loose stones, they commenced an irregular file fire, which seemed to tell with great effect among the enemy. laterally, for five minutes these skirmishers, who were not 200 strong, kept off the advance of a body of 12,000 light infantry. All this time our batteries seemed to be roaring. so incessant was their fire, full into the Russian ranks. Suddenly the enemy made a rush at the spot where our skirmishers lay, who then, of course, could do nothing but retire. With one parting volley they began their retreat, and fell back before their assailant, fighting anti disputing every Mel) of the way. As our skirmish ers retired, the enemy qnick ened their pace, and began to charge up to our trenches u Our men, however, stood firm to their guns, firing tho with deadly precision into the advancing masses. In this manner the advance and defence continued until the enemy was within 100 yards of our lines, and their killed and wounded covered the plain. 1 hen, for the first time, they began to waver and fall back, and at the same the mo ment our second division came u p to the support of threatened post. The Russian officers dill their best to reanimate the spirits of their soldiers, but in vain; and, after moving irresolutely for a second or so, the whole force retired in confusion on Sebastopol. As they fell back, two or three regiments of the second division poured in a heavy volley of musketry into the retreating foe, s who immediately lost all command, and rushed back like a mere mob to the cover of their trenches. As tar as I could learn we have not lost a single addi tional man during the sally. The enemy left upwards of ioi) dead upon the field, and between 1,004) and vo 1,2 as 00 wounded, and 10 0 pneoners. Never was • lre completely repulsed, or with more slaughter. The enemy J