Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-03-14

NEW YORK. Feb. a.-The following poem
made its first appearance in London this morn
ing and has been sent by cable to the New
York Independent, and will appear in its issue
tomorrow. 1t is entitled, "The Charge of the
The charge of the gallant three hundred,
The heavy brigade;
Down the hill, down the hill, thousands Of
Russians,
Thousands of horsemen drew to the valley
and stayed.
For Scarlet and scarletts three hundred were
riding by,
When the points of the Russian lances,
Broke in on the sky;
And he called LEFT wheel in to line" And
They wheeled and obeyed
Then he looked at the host that had halted,
He knew not why
And he turned half round and he bade
His trumpeter sound
ITO the charge" and he rode on ahead,
As he waved his blade
To the gallant three hundred, whose glory
"Foliow. and up the hillw
Up the hill, up the hill followed the Heavy
Brigade.
The trumpet, the gallop, the charge, and
The might of the fight
Down the hill slowly, thousands Of Russians
Drew to the valley, and halted at last on the
height,
With wing pushed out to the left and wing
to right;
But Scarlet was far on ahead, and he dashed
up alone,
Through the great slope of men;
And he whirled his sabre. he held his own,
Like an Engiishman, there and then;
And the three that were nearest him followed
with force,
Wedged themselves between horse and horse,
Fought for their lives in the narrow gap they
had.
Four amid thousands; and up the hill, up the
hill
Galloped the gallant three hundred, the Heavy
Brigade.
III.
Fell like cannon shot,
Burst like thunderbolt,
Crashed like q hurricane
Broke through the mass from below,
Drove through the midst of the foe,'
Plunged up and down to and fro,
Rode. flashing blow upon blow,
Brave Inniskillings and Greys;
Whirling their sabres in circles Of light,
And some Of us all in amaze
Who were held for awhile from the fight
And were only standing at gaze,
When the dark muffled Russian crowd
Folded its wings from the left and the right,
And rolled them around like cloud
Oh! mad for the charge and the battle were
we,
When our own good red coats sank from sight,
Like drops of blood in dark gray sea;
And we turned to each other, muttering all
dismayed;
Lost are the gallant three ehundred-the Heavy
Brigade!'
But they rode like victors and lords,
Through the forest of lances and swords;
In the heart of the Russian hordes,
They rode. or they stood at bay;
Struck with the sword-hand and slew;
Down with the bridle-hand drew
The foe from the saddle, and threw
Under foot there in the fray;
Ragged like storm, or stood like a rock
In the wave Of a stormy day;
Till suddenly, shock upon shock,
Staggered the mass from without;
For our men galloped up with cheer and q
And the Russians surged and wavered and
Up the hill. up the hill. up the hill, out of the
field,
Over the brow and away.
".
Glory to each and to all and the charge that
they made!
Glory to jail the three hundred, the Heavy
Brigade!
note appended to the poem states 1.-THE
three hundred Of the Heavy Brigade who made
this famous charge were the Scott 8 Greys and
the second squadron of the Inniskillings the
remainder of the Heavy Brigade subsequently
dashing up to their support. The three were
Elliott. Scarlett's aide-de-camp, who had been
riding by his side, and the trumpeter and She
cog, the orderly, who had been close behind
him."