The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-10 00:00:00

Rear Guard.

"7,000 Turkish infantry, under Suliman Pasha, moved
along by the seaside ; next to them name the divisions
of General Bosquet, Canrobert, Forey, and Prince Na-
poleon. Our order of march was about four miles to the
right of their left wing, and as many behind them.
" The right of the allied forces was covered by the
fleet, which moved along with it in magnificent order,
darkening the air with innumerable columns Of smoke,
ready to shell the enemy should they threaten to attack
our right, and commanding the land for nearly two
miles from the shore.

" It was 9 o'clock in the morning ere the whole of our
army was prepared for marching. The day was warm,
and our advance was delayed by the wretched transport
furnished for the baggage, an evil which will, I fear, be
more severely felt in any protracted operations. Every-
thing not absolutely indispensable was sent on board
ship. The naval officers and the sailors worked inde-
fatigably, and cleared the beach as fast as the men depo-
sited their baggage and tents there. At last the men
fell in, and the march of the campaign began.
" The country beyond the salt lake, near which we
were encamped, is perfectly destitute of tree or shrub,
and consists of wide plains, marked at intervals of two
or three miles with hillocks and long irregular ridges of
hills running down towards the sea at right angles to the
beach. It is but little cultivated, except in the patches
of land around the unfrequent villages built in the
higher recesses of the valleys. Hares were started in
abundance, and afforded great sport to the men when-
ever they halted, and several were fairly hunted down
among the lines of men. All oxen, horses, or cattle
had been driven off by the Cossacks. The soil is hard
and elastic, and was in excellent order for artillery.
"After a march of an hour a halt took place for 50
minutes, during which Lord Raglan, accompanied by a
very large staff. Marshal St. Arnaud, Generals Boa-
quet, Forey, and a number of French officers rode along
the front of the columns. The men spontaneously got
up from the around, rushed forward, and column after
column rent the air with three thundering English cheers.
It was a good omen. As the Marshal passed the 55th
Regiment he exclaimed, English, I hope you will fight
well tc-day !" Hope !' exclaimed a voice from the
ranks, ' sure you know we will!' The troops presented
a splendid appearance. The effect of these grand
:misses of soldiery descending the ridges of the hills
rank after rank, with the sun playing over forests of
glittering steel, can never be forgotten by those who
witnessed it. Onward the torrent of war swept ; wave
after wave, huge stately billows of armed men, while
the rumble cf the artillery and tramp of cavalry accom-
panied their progress. At last the smoke of burning
villages and farm-houses announced that the enemy
in front were aware of our march. It was a sad
sight to see the white walls of the houses blackened
with smoke—the flames ascending through the roofs
of peaceful homesteads--and the ruined outlines of
deserted hamlets. Many sick men fell out and were
carried to the rear. It was a painful sight—a sad
contrast to the magnificent appearance of the army in
front, to behold litter after litter borne past to the
carts, with the poor sufferers who had dropped from ill-
ness end fatigue.
"Presently, from the top of a hill; a wide plain was
visible, beyond which rose a ridge, darkened here and
there by masses which the prctised eye recognised as
cavalry. It was our first sight of the enemy. On the
left of the plain up in a recess formed by the inward
sweep of the two ridges lay a large village in flames ;
right before us was a neat white house unburnt, though
the outhouses and farm-yard were burning. This was
the Imperial Post-house of Bulganac, just 20 miles
from Sebastopol.
"A small stream ran paid us, which was an object of
delight to our thirsty soldiers,
.who had now marched
more than eight miles from their camp. The house was
deserted and gutted. Only a picture of a saint, bunches
of herbs in the kitchen, and a few household utensils
were left ; and a solitary peahen stalked sadly about
the threshold, which soon fell a victim to a revolver.
After a short halt for men and horses by the stream
the army pushed on again. The cavalry (about 500 men
of the Bth Hussars, the 11th Hussars, and 13th Light
Dragoons) pushed on in front, and on arriving about a
mile beyond the post-house we clearly made out the Cos-
sack Lancers on the hills in front. Lord Cardigan
threw out skirmishers in line, who covered the front
at intervals of 10 or 12 yards from each other. The
Cossacks advanced to meet us in like order, man for
man, the steel of their long lances glittering in the sun.
They were rough-looking. fellows, mounted on sturdy
little horses, but the regularity of their order and the
celerity of their movements showed they were regulars,
and by no means despicable foes. As our skirmishers
advanced the Cossacks halted at the foot of the hill.
Their reserves were not well in sight, but from time to
time a clump of lances rose over the summit of the hill
and disappeared. Lord Cardigan was eager to try their
strength, and permission was given to him to advance
somewhat nearer ; but as he did so, dark columns of
cavalry came into view in the recesses of the hills, and
it became evident that if our men charged up such a
steep ascent their horses would be blown, and that they
would run a risk of being surrounded and cut to pieces
by a force of three times their number. Lord Lucan
therefore ordered the cavalry .to halt, gather in their
skirmishers, and retire slowly. None of the infantry or
artillery were in sight of us, as they had not yet topped
the brow of the hill. When our skirmishers halted the
Cossacks commenced a fire from their line of videttes;
which was quite harmless. Few of the balls came near
enough to let the whiz be heard. Two or three officers
who were riding between the cavalry and the skirmish-
ers, Lieut.-Col. Dickson, R.A., Captain Fellowes, 12th
Lancers, Dr. Elliott, R.A., were looking out anxiously
for the arrival of Captain Maude's Horse Artillery,
when suddenly the Russians, emboldened by our
halt, came over the brow of the. hill, and slowly
descended the elope in three solid squares.
We had offered them battle, and they had lost their
chance, for our cavalry now turned round and rode
quietly towards the troops. Our skirmishers, who had
replied smartly to the fire of the Cossacks, but without
effect, retired and joined their squadrons. At every 50
Paces our cavalry faced about to receive the Cossacks
if they prepared to charge. Suddenly one of the Rus-
si in cavalry squares opened—a spirt of white smoke rose
out of the gap, and a round shot, which pitched close to
my horse, tore over the column of our cavalry behind,
and rolled away betieen the ranks of the riflemen in the
rear, just as they came in view of the cavalry. In an-
other instant a second gun bowled through the 11th Hus-
sars, and knocked over a horse, taking off his rider's leg
above the ankle. Another and another followed, tear-
ing through our ranks, so that it was quite wonderful BO
many cavalry escaped. Meantime Captain Maude's ar-
' Very galloped over the hillock, but were halted by
Lord Raglan's order at the base, in rear of the cavalry
on the left flank. This was done probably to entice the
Russians further down the hill. Meantime our cavalry
were drawn up as targets for the enemy's guns, and
had they been of iron they could not have been more
solid and immoveable. The Russian gunners fired
admirably ;' they were rather slow, but their balls came
bounding along, quite visible as they passed, in right
lines from the centre of the cavalry columns. After
some thirty rounds from the enemy our artillery
opened fire. Their round shot ploughed up the co-
lumns of the cavalry, who dispersed into broken
lines, wheeling round and round and with great adroit-
ness to escape the six and nine pound balls. Our shells
wore not so successful, but one, better directed than the
rest, burst right in the centre of a column of Light In-
fantry, whom the Russians had advanced to support
their cavalry. Our fire was so hot, the service of the
guns so quick, that the enemy retired in about fifteen
minutes after we opened on them. While this affair
was going on the French had crept up on the right, and
surprised a body of Russian cavalry with a round from
battery of nine-pounders, which scattered them in all di-
rections. We could count six dead horses on the field
near the line of fire. It is not possible to form an accu-
rate notion of the effect of our fire, but it must have
caused the Russians a greater loss than they inflicted on
us. Wa lost six horses, and four men were wounded..
Two men lost their legs. The others, up to yesterday,
though injured severely, were not in danger. One of
the wounded men, a sergeant in the 11th Hussars rode
coolly to the rear with his foot dangling by
just Como
by P
eee ro
of
skin to the bone, and told the doctor he had
to have his leg dressed. Another st,o unded trooper be-
haved' with equal fo-rtitinie, and.
.ni.s legrefused
the use of a litter
to carry him to the rear thoughwas broken into
,-It. was strange,in
visiting the scene where
the lay dead, that tlie first feeling produced
on the spectator, when the horror of seeing the poor