Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-04-30
The Light Brigade.

A survivor of the celebrated ride into
the jaws of death gives. in the Boston
CommerciaI Bulletin, the following graph
ic picture of the charge:
Lord Cardigans eye glanced over us :
then squirting his horse forward few
PAGES. he said:
lence that battery.
My God! my brother circulated. Then
grasping my hand, he said:
Fred, my dear fellow. good by; we don't
know what may happen. God bless you !;
keep close to me-
What more we might have said was lost
in Lord Cardigan's ringing shout of,
Charge
We went in at "a trot; the trot changed
to II canter, and the canter to Il gallop
Through the lines could see Lord Card
gan several horse-lengIhs ahead, riding as
steadily as if he was on parade. NV, to
tell the plain truth, when we had ridden II
short distance, say one hundred PAGES,
felt terribly afraid. The truth flashed
upon me in Il moment, that we were riding
into position that would expose us to II
fire on both fl INKS, us well us the fire from
the battery in front Of US, which we had
been instructed to silence. | said to my
self, this is ride to death! but | said il
loud enongh for my brother to hear, and
he answered and said:
There goes the first!
The first was Lord Lucan's aid de- camp,
Capt Nolan, who, after making a slight
detour was crossing our left to join us in
the charge. A cannon ball had Just cut
him in two as my brother spoke.
My heart lcaped into my mouth and
almost shrieked with fear, but | restrained
myself, and setting my teeth hard | rode
on. A moment later tie rifle bullets from
the sharp-shooers on the hillside began to
whistle about our ears. Saddles were
emplied at every step. Then came the
whisling shot and the shrieking shell and
tore through our squadrons, mangling
men and horses, plowing bloody furrows
through and through our ranks. Then my
fear left me My whole soul became filed
with 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 together.
The very horses caught the mad spirit and
plunged forward as if impatient to lead us
to our revenge and theirs. At this time
there was not much 10 be seen. A heavy
dense smoke hung over the valley, but the
flaming mouths of the guns revealed
themselves to our eyes rs they belched
forth their murderous contents of shot
and shell.
Now II shot tore through our ranks,
cutting red line from flank to flank, then
II shell plowed an oblique and bloody fur
row from our right front to our left rear {;
anon u ricochelting shot rose over our
front ranks. fell into our center and hewed
its way 10 the rear, making terrible hovoc
in its passage. Oh! that was a ride.
Horses ran riderless. and men bareheaded,
and splashed with the blood of their COM
rades, pressed closer and closes and
ground their teeth harder, and mentally
swore deudlier revenge us their numbers
grew smaller.
Alone and in front rodc Cardigan, still
keeping 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 or myself
had received the slightest scratch, although
we were now riding side by side with
comrades who ut the start were separated
from us by several files. We reached the
battery at last. Up to this time we had
ridden in silence. but what n yell bust forth
AS we plunged in among the Russian gum
nors! Well would it have been for them if
they had killed us all before we reached
them. They had done too little and too
much. Only blood could quench our thirst
for revenge We passed through the battery
like whirlwind, sabring the gunners on
our passage. l don't believe one of them
lived to tell the tale of that ride. Out OF
the battery and into the brigade-an army
it was-oi cavalry. Our charge was re-
sistlcsS