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
garocund 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
whole 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 redoubts 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 stop,
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 cannonade 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 skirmishers retired, the enemy qnick-
ened their pace, and began to charge up to our trenchesu
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 up 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,
swho
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 100 pneoners. Never was • lre
completely repulsed, or with more slaughter. The enemy