The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1868-11-28
CHARGE OF RALACLAVA.

have just issued the second volume
of Kinglake's Crimea. Ii embraces
the events that have already made
the strongest impression on the pop
ular mind of America, where the
Crimean War or its results have ex-
cited less attention than single deeds
of heroic daring, or scenes of start
ling dramatic effect. 1t includes the
events of the thirty-fve days, COM
mencing with the Goth of Septem-
Der, at the close of the battle of AL
ma, and ending on the 25th of Octo-
Der, after the battle of Balaclava. 1t
is needless to say to those who have
read Kinglake, that every page of
his new volume glows with genius.
A few extracts from the famous
charge of Balaclava will be read
with pleasure, though the prolixity
of our author renders it difficult to
find compact descript tions suitable for
our purpose:
Except in the instances of COM
bats under the walls of besieged fort
resses, it can rarely occur that armies
or large portions of armies, are not
only so near and SO well placed for
the purpose of seeing, but also so un-
occupied with harder tasks as to be
able to study a combat going ON un-
der their eyes and still more rare
must be the occasions which modern
warfare allows for seeing a conflict
rage without looking through a cur
tain of smoke; but, besides our
Light Cavalry Brigade, which stood
near at hand, there had gathered
large numbers of military observers
including French, English, and
Turks-who, being at the edge of
the Chersonese upland, were on
ground so inclined as TO be compara-
BILE to that from which tiers upon
tiers Of spectators in a Roman am
phitheatre used to overlook the are
ma; and the lodges of the hillside
were even indeed of such form as to
invite men to sit as they gazed. The
means that people had of attaining
to clear perceptions were largely in
creased by the difference that there
was between the color of the Rus
sian and that of the English squad
rons. With the exception of a few
troops which showed the uniform
the pale-blue pelisse and jacket of a
hussar regiment-all the Russian
horsemen whether hussars, or Ian
GERS, or COssacks, whether officers or
troopers, were enyelOped alike in the
murky gray Outer-COats which, by
this time, had become familiar to the
eye Of the invaders. The gray was
of such hue that, like the gray of
many lake and river, it gathered
darkness from quantity; and what
people on the Chersonese saw NOV
ing down to Overwhelm our three
hundred were two masses having
that kind of blackness which belongs
to dense clouds charged with storm.
"The English Dragons, on tile
other hand, were in their scarletuni-
form, and with the exception of the
Grays, who had the famed 'bear
skins for their head-gear) they all
wore the helmet. The contrast of
color between the gray and the red
was so strong that any even slight
| intermixture of the opposing COM
batants could be seen from the Cher
conese. So great had been the desire
of the English in those days to pur-
chase ease for the soldier at the ex-
pense of display, thatseveral portions
of our dragoon accoutrements had
been discarded. The plumes of the
| helmets had been laid aside, and oui
men rode without their shoulder.
scales, without the then ridiculated
stock, and, moreover, without theiI
gauntlets.
"Searlett by this time was charging
up at high speed, and, conjoined with
the swiftness thus attained, the
weight of a sixteen-hands horse gave
his onset a formidable momentum,
The Russian officer turned partly
round in his saddle, with gesture
which seemed to indicate that he
sought to beckon forward his people
and cause them to. flood down over
the four coming horsemen but al
ready Scarlet and his aide-de-camp
were closing. Moved perhaps by
such indication of rank as was to be
gathered in one fleeting moment
| from the sight of Staft-officer's hat,
the Russian officer chose Elliot fol
his adversary, and was going to
make his first thrust, when along the
other side of him, rushing close past
the elbow of his bridle-arm, General
Searlett swept on without hindranee,
and drove his way into the column.
ut was by digging his charger
right in between the two nearest
troopers before him that Scarlett
L. s,,I II