The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-19 00:00:00

DECORATING THE HEROES.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel Mac-
donald, the duke's aide-de-camp, Major-General the Earl of
Lucau, Major-General the Earl of Cardigan, Major-General
the Hon. J. Searlett, and the cavalry in the order of their
regiments, having received their medals, the Royal Artillery,
Royal Engineers, and Royal Sappers and Miners, under
Lieut.-Geueral Sir J. Burgoyne, G.C.8., followed. Then came
the officers and men of the three regiments of Foot Guards,
under his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. Next ad-
vanced the infantry of the line, under Lieut.-General Sir D.
L. Evans and his staff, with Major-General Torrens and his
staff.
It is impossible to describe the mingled sensations of admi-
ration and pity which went like an electric thrill through the
vast multitude as they saw that line of heroes, whose gaunt
and pallid forms, scarred features, and maimed and mutilated
limbs told alike the story of their bravery, and of their manly
endurance of horrible and heartrending suffering and priva-
tion. • Many of those who hobbled upon crutches or walked
painfully with the assistance of a stick wore upon their arms
the emblems of mourning for some brother or near relative,
now reposing on the hillside at Maklava, or in the hospital
graveyard at Scutari. To every one of the wounded, whether
soldiers or officers, her Majesty said some kind word, or asked
some gracious question. Many of the poor fellows were al-
most
overcome by their emotion and by the sweetness of her
Majesty's condescension, and many a moistened eye upon the
Royal dais bore witness to the intimate sympathy that exists
between the Palace and the camp. A few of the private sol-
diers appeared to lose their self-possession for a moment on
finding themselves thus brought into the very presence of
the " divin,ty that doth he ge a king ;" but for the most
part the brave fellows exhibited a-simple gratitude and manly
self-respect which did them infinite honour.
Three officers, whose wounds rendered them unable to
walk, were wheeled past her Majesty in Bath chairs. Lieut.-
Colonel Sir Thomas Troubridge, of the 7th Fusiliers, who lost
both his feet in action, was the first of these maimed heroes.
The Queen, leaning over the chair, handed Sir Thomas his
medal with the most gracious gesture, and conferre a upon
the delighted officer the post of Aide-de-Camp to her Majesty.
The extraordinary coolness, intrepidity, and self-command
displayed by this gallant officer under the most trying cir-
cumstances amply justify us in recalling to the recollection of
our readers the incident which is thus described in one of t
narratives of the carol aign :—At the battle of Inkerman he
was field officer of the day for the Ist Brigade of the Light
Division, and had charge of the outposts and five gun battery.
At the break of day on the morning of the sth of Nov;, 1854,
while at his post, -he discovered the enemy ascending the
eecond Ditision hill. He commanded at this point through-
out the day with the greatest bravery. The fire of the Rus-
sians ploughed the ground around him for several hours.
Many of his brother officers were shot down before the battle
had half terminated. The five-gun.. battery. had been telling
fearfnllY on the Russian columns, and it accordingly attracted
the increased at: ention of the enemy's artillery. Towards
the close of the engagement, a thirty-nine pound shot from
the Round Tower of Sebastopol carried off Sir Thomas Trott-
bridges right leg and left foot. In this condition, with the
blood flowing rapidly, Troubridge, who bad fallen close to a
gun, coolly requested the man under his command, who
wished to carry him to the rear, to assist him in placing his
mangled limbs in an elevated position on the gun carriage by
the side of whieli he had fallen. His request having been
complied with, the gallant fellow, lying on his back,
watched with the greatest anxiety the progress of the can-
nonading, and each time the guns were loaded ho gave the
word " Fire," as , composedly as when, a few minutes
before, ha was untouched. Major Banbury, of the
23d Welsh Fusiliers, who succeeded to the active
command of the battery, requested Sir Thomas to allow him-
self to be removed, so that his desperate wounds might be
attended to. " No," replied this heroic soldier, "I do not
may° until the battle's won !" Sir Thomas was loudly cheered
as ho received the medal from the hands of the Queen, as was
Captain Maude, who was almost miraculously saved from de-
struction—a shell having struck and exploded upon the right
shoulder of his horse, which was killed on the spot. A piece
of flesh was forced into the eye of the gallant captain, and has
destroyed his sight, portions of the shell in bursting also
wounding him in the right arm and leg, but not dangerously.
Captain Sayer, of the 23d Fusiliers, was also compelled to
receive his medal from his wheeled chair; and her Majesty's
sympathy was here also manifested with the liveliest grace.
Another gallant sufferer, Captain Currie, of the 19th Foot,
was scarcely able to walk the length of the dais, even with the
aid of a pair of crutches, and his helpless condition and severe
sufferings deeply excited the sympathy, not only of the Seve-
r reign, but of his comrades in arms. When the Highland regi-
meuts passed before the dais the band changed the tune to
" Blue Bells of Scotland," and " Whar ha'e ye been a'

day ?"
When the soldiers had passed before the royal dais, the
Royal Navy, and Marines, under Vice• Admiral Dundas, pre-
sented themselves, the gallant Admiral being the first to re-
ceive the medal from tine Queen, the baud playing "Rule
Britannia." The soldier had, according to regulatioursatisfied
the necessities of the service by touching his hat to the Sove-
reign ; but Jack took off his long before he approached the
dais. The senior officers of the Royal Navy having passed the
dais, then came the turn of the midshipmen—smart, gallant
little fellows, who, in all the glory of white kid gloves, received
such an honour from the hands of their Sovereign as middies
never received before. -The seamen followed, and when it ap-
peared that any man had-been wounded, the inquiries of the
Queen were made with an earnestness and sympathy which
appeared to be highly relished by the rough, but honest tars.
The Marines brought up the rear; 'and no body of men better
deserved to participate in the honours and distinctions of such
a day.
Tho following is the nominal return of the officers who re-
rceived the Crimean medal from tile hand of her Majesty :
Lieutenant-General his Royal Highpess the Duke of Cam-
bridge.
Lieutenant-General Sir John Burgoyne, G.C.B.
Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans, K.C.B.
Major-General the Earl of Lucan.
Major-General the Earl of Cardigan.
Major-General the Hon. J. Searle%
la aj or-General Tenons.