The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-10 00:00:00

DASHING CAVALRY .ENCOUNTER NEAR
KERTCH.

KERTCH, Dec. 22.—An infantry foraging party
was despatched a few days ago from Kertch to
bring in a quantity of hay and straw from a place
ca'led the Spanish Farm, about five miles from the
town. Parties of the enemy's Cossacks had for
some days been prowling about the neighbourhood,
with the view of seizing any opportunity that
might offer to set fire to the forage in question,
but wisely kept at a safe distance up till daylight
of the 16th inst. On the morning of that day,
however, scattered twos and threes of them made
a nearer appearance ; and Major McDonald, who
commands the Turkish cavalry detachment accom-
panying the force, went out with his party of 80
Lancers to beat them off and reconnoitre. After
riding some couple of miles in a westerly direction,
he fell in with the Russian videttes, who retired as
his party approached ; but, very quickly after,
numerous small bodies of the enemy's regular
cavalry galloped into view trom different directions,
and uniting, made a force of about 400 dragoons.
This unexpected discovery left no option but to fall
back on the farm, and this Major McDonald ac-
cordingly attempted to do, but the Russian horse-
men gave rapid chase, and with their long pieces
kept up a galling fire, to which the short carbines
of the pursued could make no effective reply. Bet-
ter mounted, too, they suceeded in outflanking our
men, and by this threatened to make prisoners of
the whole. The moment was critical ; but Major
McDonald, with a courage above praise, resolved
to imitate the desperate bravery of the 10th Hus-
sars, some months ago, under nearly similar cir-
cumstances, and to cut his way through, or fall in
the attempt. Forming his little squadron, there-
fore, he dashed forward at their head against the
gleaming barrier of hostile sabres, and being
admirably supported by his men, hewed open
a way for nearly the whole, with a cost to the
Russians of some twenty killed and wounded.
But the enemy speedily recovered from their con-
fusion, gave renewed chase, with a flying fire as
before,• and again turned the flank of the hard-
pressed Turks and their British leader. The escape
which had been hoped for from the first desperate
effort now seemed impossible ; but, with a heroism
even greater than before, Major McDonald deter-
mined to make one more blow for the lives and
freedom of his party. Pulling up for a moment he
hastily formed and again rushed ventre a terre
against the enemy. A fierce hand-to-hand fight
then took place, and after some twenty minutes of
as desperate sabring and lance-thrusting as the
present war has yet seen, the heroic Scotchman and
forty of his little band again cut a passage through,
leaving Captain Sherwood, his second in command,
and as many more dead and dying in the enemy's
hands. Some minutes elapsed before the well-
mauled Russians could renew the pursuit, and this
short interval sufficed to give our men headway
enough to render further chase hopeless : still the
enemy pressed on, and only gave up the game
within a mile of the camp outside the town, about
three o'clock in the afternoon. McDonald, all
agree in saying, was the bravest of the brave, and
proved himself to be an excellent cavalry man. He
killed some eight men, and got away with only a
few scratches. Forty of the Turks, who fought
most gallantly under English command, returned ;
the remainder are either killed or missing. On the
following day a flag of truce was sent out from
Kertch, when it was ascertained that poor Sher-
wood and five men had been killed, whilst the
whole of the remaining thirty-five were very badly
wounded. Since then no further collision has
taken place, the infantry party at the Farm having
been permitted to come in without any attempt at
molestation.