Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-19

ROIe the SIX nunufeu.
Cannon to right OF them,
Cannon to left OF them,
Cannon In front OF them,
YOlley'd aud numbered.
A survivor of the celebrated ride into
the laws of death gives the following
graphic picture of the charge:
Lord Cardigan's eye glanced US over,
then squirting his horse forward lew
PAGES. he said:
My men, We have received orders
to silence that battery.
my Cd 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:
'Charyep
ave went at a trot; the trot changed
10 a canter, and the canter to a gallop.
Through the lines could see Lord Car
dipan several horse-lengths ahead, riding
as steadily as il he was on parade.
Now, to tell the plain truth. when we
had ridden short distance, say one
hundred PAGES, | felt terribly afraid.
The truth flashed upon me in moment
that we were riding into position that
would expose us 70 fire on both TANKS,
as well as the fire from the battery IN
front of us, which we had been instruct
ed TO silence. i said TO myself: This
is a ride to DEATH but l said it loud
enough for my brother to hear, and he
answered and said:
There goes the first"
The first was Lord Lucan's aid-de-
camp, Captain Nolan, who, after making
a slight detOur, was crossing our lett 10
ioin US in the charge. The cannon ball
had Just cut him in two as my brother
spoke.
"My heart leaped into my mouth
and / almost skrieked with lear,
but L restrained myself, and
setting my teeth hard l rode on.
A moment later the rifle bullets from
the sharpshoOters on the hillside began
10 whistle about our ears. Saddles
were emptied at evers step. Then came
the whistling shot and shriekeng shell,
and tore through our squadrons, mang-
ling men and horses, blowing bloody
burrows through our ranks. My whole
soul became filled with thirst for re-
yenge, and believe the same spirit AMI
mated 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 ii impatient TO lead
US 10 our revenge and theirs. At this
time there was not much to be seen. A
heavy dense smoke hung over the val
lev, 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 she'll.
"Now a shot tore through our ranks,
cutting red line from flank TO flank,
then a shell plowed an oblique and
bloody furrow from our right front TO
our left rear; anon ricOchetting shot
rose over our front ranks, fell into the
center, and then hewed its way TO the
rear, making terrible havoc in its pas
sage. Oh! that was a ride. Horses ran
riderless and men bareheaded, and
slashed with the blood OF their comrades
pressed closer and closer, and ground
their harder, and mentally swOre a
deadlier revenge as their numbers grew
smaller.
"Alone and in front rode 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 by brother nor
myself had received the slightest
scratch, although We were riding side
by side with comrades who, at 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 a yell bust from us as we plunged
i'm among the Russian gunners. Wen
would il have been with them il 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,
sabering the gunners on our passage. L
don't believe that one of them lived to
tell the tale of that ride-over the bat
terry and into the hrigade-an army 1t
was-of cavalry. Our charge was resist
less.
'The Russians fell before our sabres
as corn falls before the reaper. They
seemed To have no power OF resistance.
And there was no lack OF material TO
work upon. They closed in upon us,
but We hewed our way through them as
men hew their way through virgin
forest, and only stopped when wereach-
ed the bank of Tchernaya River.
Wheeling here, we proceeded to cut
our way back again. On the return l
was assailedb by agigantic Russian troop
er, who made strike at me with his
sabre. l partially guarded 1t, but not
wholly, and the next moment telt
singing pain in my neck. 1t passed in
a moment, however, and was about TO
make short work of the trooper, when l
heard my brother cry:
",Ahl YOU would, would your and
the Russian fell cleft 10 the chin.
ave cut our way through and once
more entered the fatal valley. When
| half way back TO our starting point u
cannon shot struck my brother and be-
headed him. Tom, ah!-thank you.
The color sergeant drained another
glass.
when we formed on arriving at our
starting point, Lord Cardigan, with tears
streaming from his eyes, said;
"It was not my fault, my men,
"And the men replied as with one
voice:
"sWe are ready to 90 in again, my
lord, if you win lead US.
Just then became dizzy. My scalp
had been lifted by the stroke OF the Rus
/ slams sabre, the skin OF my cheek cleft
across to my upper lip, and L tainted
from the loss OF blood.
when my time expired in the caval-
~ | re-enlisted III this regiment am
always proud TO hear myself called one
OF the Six Hundred but-poor Jack!
Fill that glass again, Tom