The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-10
Tie Charge or the Light Brigade

The prestige ot ten centuries rested upon
British; arms when the famous Light Briga de
charged upoG the famous batteries of Balak-
lava. IL the battle of Mtnts u we had the
prestige to win, and no world to give credit 10
our laureis "A miserable parreane was present
To chronicle the fortune OF the battle, but no
umpire from foreigq people to decide for the
foreign mimi and ears the yalue OF the vie
tors, Judged by the ardor or The science o;
their action. This same parrtRBf Russell!
gave brilliant sketches of the English in the
Climea, and over wrough the gallant charge
Of the Light Brigade TO an extent which has
rendered il famous III history and song But
since the truth is out, this grand charge il
not half as grand as the brilliant charge Of
the Ashhys-the Black Horse, of Fauquier---
which, though rot 4 sixth part as large
made = charge and a fight naore daring and
far more success fni than the Immortal Light
Brigads" ever dreamed of daring In testi
mony of this, we take the following proof
from 'he journal OF our enemy-the NatjGaai
IateNigeacer, Of Washington:
''THE LIGHT BRIGADE"
Poetry and history have conspirrd TO IN Ike
the charge of the British Light Brigade al
Baiaklava immortal. And yet il is no dero-
CATION from the Driliancy OF soidierly tieyo.
tion displayed in that desperate achievemf II t
execution was, as is usual in such eases
greatly exaggerated. Mr.. RUSSELL the Lon
don correspondent, in describing it at the
time and on the spot, wrote Is follows:
at was as much as our heavy cavalry hri.
gade could 90 to cover the miserable rem
nants OF that band of heroes as they returned
to the place they had so lately Quilted in All
the pride of life. At II .3j 4 NJ not British
soldier except the dead and dying was left in
front Of the bloody MIscovite guns Or the
6p7 light Dragons lancers and husssrs vino
rode so gallanty In the Storm of the battle
only lGS could be mustered at ? p NJ About
loo were killed, wounded, and missing. =
| This gallant brigade, 4 majority OF whom
had SO suddenly net bloody death were
thes esilo"er OF The whole army, aud many a
heart j. saddened by their untimey fate'I
lu looking over Nolan's History of the
war against Russia, Published by Virtue L.
Co, London, says the Chicago Tribune, we
were astonished ut She com para ti,ely small,
loss suffered bv the Light Brigade at Bai,k
lava, as measured by the statements current
in the English and American press ut the
time. The following is the more sober ac-
count OF the historian
"The number who wen. into action was
| scarcely ESQ, and according to the Adiutlnt
| GeneSai s returr. subsequently made theioss
was u Officers, q sergeants, s trumpetefs an,i
2-e pliVa'es, killed wounded, and missing -
| Nclaa's HiStory, rni. |, goae $50.
We look i'll vain for any precise statement
| OF the number OK siUed in this fatal charge
| The average OF killed TO KILLED. wouudrd,
| and missing in the trime;s was rs one
| III four and 4 half. al the sanguinary field
| of lnliermann, Were the British loss WAS
heavier tnan IN any other engagement -, the
| otllcIai report of casualties Is "ktiied 49,
wounded l,bo., missing t9e Noian remarks
| that many of The Light Brigade supposed 10
| be killed We're afterwards heard of alive IN
tiie hands of the enemy. The number ui
! killed, wounded and missing in the charge
| OF the brigade being 2si officers aud men, the
| number OF killed was probably abont stzfy-
,A.r 0hFh < o. h.s,.x ma
| Prussian General Liprandi, ia his oiEieial
| report ~, 55e,l accounts for - whom he made
| prisoners and for 90 wounded whom he had
| picked up on the field. Gen Canrobert. In
lis oiileiai report q, 555) says the loss of the
English light cavalry was 80, bat Of course
| the Adjutant Gen neral's returns, referred to by
| Nolan, are mole accurate There In certainl,
| no evidence OF terrible Slaughter iii the mas
| Of testimony presented by the volume before
us. The loss Of the Light Brigade az Raiak.
| lava, In killed and wounded, was about
equal to that of either Of the Kansas regi.
| ments at Wilson's Greek, which went &c
| the engagement with less than 700 men each