The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-05-16
THE LIGHT BRIGADE.
The Famous Charge of the Regiment at
Bali.klaVa.

The Famous Charge of the Regiment at
BalisklaVa.
A survivor of the celebrated ride into
the jaws of death gives, in the Boston
COMMERCIAL Bulletin, the following
graphic picture of the charge:
Lord Cardigan's eye glanced us over
then squirting his horse forward few
PAGES, he said:
MY men, we have received orders To
silence that battery
MY Cdr my brother calculated.
Then grasping my hand, he said:
Fred, my dear fellow, goodbye; we
don't know what may happen. God
bless you; keep close to me-
What more he might have said was
lost in Lord Cardigan's ringing shout of
"'Chargen
1--WE went in ut II trOt the trot changed
To "a canter, and the canter to gailOp.
Through the lines | could see Lord Car
digan several horsc-lcngths ahead riding
as steadily as if he was on parade. Now,
to tell the plain truth, when we had rid
den u short distance, say one hundred
PAGES, felt terribly afraid. The truth
flashed upon me in moment that we
were riding into a position that would
expose us To IL fire on both TANKS, as well
as the fire from the battery in front of
us, which we had been instructed to ST.
lence. | said to myself, This is a ride
to DEATH but said it loud enough for
my-brotheT to hear, and he answered and
said:
"'There goes the firstr
"The first was Lord Lucan'S abide
camp, Captain Nolan, who, after making
Il slight detOur, was crossing our left to
join us in the charge. The cannon ball
had just cut him in two as my brother
spoke.
"My heart leaped into my mouth and
1 almost shrieked with fear, but | re-
strained myself and setting my teeth
hard rode on. A moment later the bull
lets from the Sharp-shooters on the hill
side began to whistle about our ears.
Saddles were emptied at every step.
Then came the whistling shot and the
shrieking shell and tore through our
squatlrons, mangliHg men and horses,
ploughing bloody burrows through and
through our ranks. Then my fear left
me. My whole soul became filled with
Il thirst for revenge, and believe the
same spirit animated every man in the
ranks. Their eyes flashed and they
ground their teeth and pressed closer to
gether. The very horses seemed to catch
the mad spirit, and they plunged forward
as if impatient to lead us to our revenge
much to be seen. A heavy dense smoke
hung over the valley, but the flaming
mouths of the guns revealed themselves
to our eyes at every moment as they
belched forth their murderous contents
of shot and shell.
"Now n shot tore through our ranks,
cutting n red line from flank to flank,
then shell plowed an oblique and bloody
furrow from our right front TO our left
rear; anon a ricochatting shot rose over
our front ranks, fell into our center and
hewed its way to the rear, making terri
BILE havoc in IS passage. Oh! that was
a ride. Horses ran riderless, and men
bare-headed, and splashed with the blood
of their comrades pressed closer and
closer and ground their teeth harder,
and mentally swore deadlier revenge
as their numbers grew smaller.
"Alone and in front rode Cardigan
the same distance ahead. His charger
was headed for the center of the battery
Silently we followed him. Up to this
time neither my brother nor myself had
received the slightest scratch, although
we were now riding side by side with
cOmrade who at the start were separated
from us by several files. We reached the
battery ut last. Up TO this time we had
ridden in silence; what a yell burst from
us as we plunged in among the Russian
gunners. Well would 1t have been with
them if they had killed us all before we
reached them. They had done too little
and too much. They had set US on fire
with passion. Only blood could quench
our thirst for revenge. We passed
through the battery like whirlwind, sa
boring the gunners on our passage.
don't believe one of them lived to tell
| hn a of hot rid lRtf nf fl,ah a4
and into the brigade-an army it was
of cavalry. Our charge was resistless
'"The Russians fell before our sabres as
corn falls before the reaper. They seem
ed to have no power of resistance. And
there was no lack of material to work
upon. They closed in upon us and sur
rounded US on every side, but we heweG
our way through them as men hew theil
way through a virgin forest, and only
stopped when we reached the bank o.
the Tehernaya river.
'Wheeling here we proceeded to cut
our way out again. On the return ride ]
was assaulted by a gigantic Russian troop
er who made at me with his sabre
/ partially guarded it, but not wholly, anG
the next moment felt a singing pain il
my neck. 1t passed in a moment, however
and was about TO make short work o.
the trooper, when heard my brother cry
"'Ah! you would, would you ? and tht
| Russian fell cleft to the chin.
ave cut our way through and ono,
more entered the fatal valley. Wher
half way back to our starting. point
cannon shot struck my brother and be
headed him. Tom, ali, thank your
The color sergeant drained anothe
glass,
"When we formed up on arriving a
our starting point, Lord Cardigan, Will
the tears streaming from his eyes, said
sit was not my fault, my men,
"And the men replied with one voice
awe are ready to 60 in again, IN,
lord, if you will lead u.s.
"Just then became dizzy. Ny scall
had been lifted by the stroke of the Rus
slams sabre, the skin of my cheek clef
across to my upper lip, and l fainte,
from loss of blood
"When my time expired In the cavalr
re-enlisted in this regiment l am a
) ways proud to hear myself called one O
J the six hundred, but-poor Jackl FIJI
that glass again, Tom"
Thus ended the sergent's story of tn
/ famous charge.