The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-04-30

- HVnangton HITLER, IN Chris
tS0n Union. -Fsf
THE LIGHT BRIGADE.
Another Graphic Description of the
Charge at Balaklava.
A survivor of the celebrated ride into the
jaws of death gives in the Boston Comnaerciai
charge: O 0
Lord Cardigan's eye glanced US over; then
squirting his horse forward a few PAGES he
said:
my men, we have received orders to ST
my Cd! my brother calculated. Then
grasping my hand, he said:
FIRED, my dear fellow, good-bye; we don't
Know Know wnat may happen God bless you; keep
What more he might have said was lost in
"'Charge?
! THE JAWS OF DEATH.
" went in at a trot; the trot changed to a
canter, and the canter to a gallop. Through
the lines l could see Lord Cardigan several
horse-lengths ahead riding as steadily as if he
was on parade. Now, to tell the plain truth,
-'-O0 w ASA ANO q SAO1U ulokduCc. d OI6
hundred PAGES, I felt terribly afraid. The
truth flashed upon me in a moment that we
were riding into a 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
ceen instructed to silence. said to myself,
enough for my brother to hear, and he an
swered and said:
There goes the frst!"
The hrst was Lord Lucan's aid-da-camp.
Capt. Nolan, who, after making a slight de-
tour, was crossing our left to join US in the
as my brother spoke.
my heart leaped into my mouth and l al
most shrieked with fear, but I restrained my
sell, and setting my teeth hard l rode on. A
moment later the rifle bullets from the sharp
shooters on the hillside began to whistle
about our ears. Saddles we're emptied at
every step. Then came the whistling shot
and the shrieking shell and tore through our
ssquadrons, mangling men and horses, plow-
ing bloody burrows through and through our
ranks. Then my fear left me. My whole
soul became filled with a 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-
gcther. The very horses caught the mad
spirit and plunged forward rs if impatientto
Lead us to our revenge aud theirs. At this
time there was notmuch to be seen. A heavy
dense smoke hung over the valley, but the
Hamlng mouths of the guns revealed them
selves to- eyes at every moment as they
belched forth their murjerous contents Of
shot and shell.
Nov a shot tore through our ranks. cut
ting a red line from fank to flank, then a she'll
plowed a n obllque and bloody furrow from
our right front to our left rear; anon a ri
cochetting shot rose over our front ranks, fell
into our centre and hewed its way to the rear.
making terrible havoc ia its passage. Oh!
that was aride. Horses ran riderless, and
men bareheaded, acd 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. X
Unto THE GATES OF HE11."
"Alone and in front rode Cardigan,
still keeping the same distance ahead. His
charger was headed for the centre of the bat
terry. Silently We followed him. Up to his
time neither my brother nor myself had re-
ceived the slightest scratch. Although we
were now 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 burst from us as we plunged
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
tire with passion. Only blood could quench
our thirst for revenge. We passed through
the battery like a 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-of cavalry. Our charge was resist
less. s0Ss
"The Russians fell before our sabres as
corn falls before the reaper. They seemed to
no lack of material to work upon. They
closed in upon us and surrounded us on
every side, but we hewed our way through
them as men hew their way through a virgin
forest, and only stopped when we reached
the bank of the TehernaYa river.
"Wheeling here we proceeded to cut our
way back again. On the return ride I was
assai]ed by gigantic Russian trooper who
made a strike at me- with his sabre. 1~partial-
Jy guarded it, but not wholly, and the next
moment felt a singing pain in my neck. It
passed in a moment, however, and l was
when heard my brother cry:
"'Ah! you would, would you2''sand the
Russian fell cleft to the chin.
I'VE cut our way through and once more
entered the fatal valley. When half way back
to our starting point a ann shot struck my
your" E. =
Tbs color-sergeant drained another glass;
when we formed up on arriving at our
starting-point, Lord Cardigan, with the tears
streaming from his eyes, said:
9 "tIt was not my fault my men, ~
'"And the men replied with one voice:
W are,ready to go in again my lord,if you
will lead u.s. q 8FR Etffls
j "Just then became dizzy. My scalp had
been lifted by the stroke of the. Russians
sabre, the skin of my cheek cleft across to my
upper lip, and 1 fainted from loss OF blood.
"When my time expired in the cavalry Ire
enlisted in this regiment. 1 am always proud
to hear myself called one of the six hundred.
b%ut--poor Jack! fill that glass again, Tom"
Thus ended the s~ergeant's story of the
famous charge. l.~,Tg7~l r,czr
"Dont wave your ears at me, you fab.
by-hearted, green-livered plug,n ex-