Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-06-15
Balaklva.
SOME INCIDENTS OF THE GREAT CHI.

SOME INCIDENTS OF THE GREAT CHARGE.
To correspondent Of the Cincinnati
Gazette Mark King, now an iron worker
in Irontown, Ohio, has given the follow
ing description of the charge at Balaklva
in which he took part:
"Well, young man, cant describe ii
in very fine way, but will do the best
can. You see, | was the servant OF Col
James Brown, and though the servant of
an officer does not have any picket duty to
perform while in camp Or in a fort. he has
to take part in all the fights. The British
army we're In possession of the three bat
teres situated on bluff, one above the
other, and the brigade composed part of
their support. As we sat in our saddles
that morning watching the progress of the
battle before us. and saw the redoubts taken
by the Russians, the order came to ad-
vance, 1t was delivered by Captain Nolan.
Being the servant of an officer | was near
the commander when the order was delv-
cred. distinctly heard Lord Cardigan
say, My God, how can we do itp' Then
came the reply: There is the order, there
are the men. and there are the batteries >
Nolan also said, l will GO We were
then ordered by Lord Cardigan, who led
us, to charge. We had 10 ride perhaps
mile across marshy ground, under fire
all the time, before we reached the bluff
on which were the batteries. But we
went tell you, and went like the wind,
the mud from the marshy ground flying up
behind us in perfect shower. Not a shot
WAS fired until we reached the first battery.
which we rode right over, firing our large
horse pistols AS we went. OF course we
did not have time to reload them, and we
grabbed our short swords, which were
made secure by n loop of leather over our
wrists. On all sides we could see our men
falling like grass before moving machine.
but on we went not daring to show the
least cowardice, for we well knew that the
rule among the Britishers was to shoot the
first man who showed the white feather.
Reaching the second battery, the worst
part of it came, for there it was regular
hand to hand fight with knives. But we
went through them cutting and slashing
on this side and on that. killing the gun
ners and other soldiers like 80 many sheep
while the blood flowed almost like water
down the slope. After taking the second
battery we were going for the third, but
lduhS Woto 81 tilluHcu Out thbJ IL WAS
too much for US. and we wheeled around,
retreating past the firsttwo batteries, which
we're instantly manned by reinforcements
from the Russians. Hastily gathering our
men together,t the order was given to charge
again which we did, taking the batteries the
second time, but again failing to take the
third.
Then we were ordered to retreat, which
we did, riding down the hill at breakneck
speed, trampling the dead and wounded
under the horses feet, and killing all who
came in our way. Reaching the place
from which we had started, what few men
were left were faced about. and raising
their caps gave cheer that could be heard
for mile, while the soldiers on all sides
of US cheered with all their might When
we went into that charge we had about
six hundred or six hundred and fifty men,
and we brought out about one hundred and
fifty or one hundred and sixty"
What was thought of the order when
it was received, Mr.. KingP"
Well, everybody thought it was mis-
take. To us it seemed impossible TO even
ride across the plain without all being
killed, for the plain was being swept by a
perfect hurricane of bullets"