Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1879-05-31
BALAKLAVA.
CHARGE or THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

JHdRGE OF lIlE LiGHI DhlGJDE.
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 a few
PAGES, he said
"My men, we have received orders to
silence that battery"
"My God" my brother calculated.
Then grasping my hand, he said:
"Fred, my dear fellow, goodbye; VIC
don't know what may happen. God
bless you--keep close to me-"
"What more he would have said was
lost in Lord Cardigan's ringing shout
"Charge p
We went into trot the trOt chang
cd to canter, and the canter to gal
lop. Through the lines | could see Lord
Cardigan several holse-lengths ahead,
riding as steadingly as if he was on pa
rade. Now, to tell the plain truth, when
we had ridden short distance, say one
hundred PAGES, l felt terribly afraid.
The truth flashed upon me in a minute
that we were riding into position that
would expose us to fire on both TANKS,
as well as the fire from the battery in
front of us, which we had been instruc-
ted to silence. l said to myself, this is
q ride to death ? but | 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-
comp, Captain Nolan, who, after 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 leapcd into my mouth and |
almost shrieked with fear, but restrain
ed myself and set my teeth hard and
rode on. A moment later, and the rife
bullets from the sharp-slfooters on the
hillside began to whistle about our ears.
Saddles were emptied at every step.
Then came the whistling shot and
shrieking shell, which tore through our
squadrons, mangling men and horses,
ploughing bloody furrows through our
rands. Then my fear left me. My whole
soul became filed with thirst for re-
venge, and l believe the same spirit an
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 plung-
ed forward rs if impatient to lead us to
: our revenge and theirs. At this time
there was not 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 she'll
Now shot tore through our ranks,
cutting red line from flank to flank,
then shell ploaghed an oblique and
bloody furrow from our right front to
our left rear; anon recocheting shot
rose over our front rank, fell in our cen
ter and hewed it's way to the rear, max
ing terrible havoc in its passage. Oh /!
that was ride. Horses ran riderlcss,
and men, bareheaded and splashed with
the blood of their comrades, pressed
closer and closer and ground their teeth
harder, and mentally swore a deadlier
revenge as their numbers grew smaller.
Alone 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 my brother nor
myself had received the slightest scratch
although we were separated by several
files. We reached the battery at last.
Up to this time we had ridden in silence,
but what yell burst from us as we
plunged in among the Russian gunners
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. They had set us on fire with pas
sion. 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 one of them lived to tell the
tale of that ride. Out of the battery
and into the brigade-an army it was
of cavalry. Our charge was relistless.
The Russians fell before our sabres like
corn before the reaper. They seemed to
have no power of resistance. And there
was no lack of material to work upon
us and surround us on every side, but
we hewed our way through them as men
hew their way through virgin forest,
and only stopped when we reached the
banks of the Torhernaya river.
Wheeling here we proceeded to cut
our way back again. On the return ride
l was assailed by gigantic Russian
trooper who made a strike at me with
his saber. | partially guarded it, but
not wholly, and the next moment felt a