Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-02
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.


A Charge that Amazed the World just
Thirty Years AgO-The Light Brigade's
Heroism at BalaklaYa Described by
One Who Saw Them Do and Die-''It
Was Magnificent but 1T Was Not War"
PITTsBURG, Oct. 25.-It was thirty years
ago to-day that the Earl of Cardigan's
light brigade made its famous charge at
Balaklaya, near SebastopoI. A gentle
man who was on the staff of an English
General, and who witnessed the charge,
gives the Dispatch this description of it:
ION Oct. %, 1854, our eyes turned to the
nelgnts OF BaIaklaya, on the possession of
Wnlch depended the very existence of the
alIled FORCES. On that day the Russians
made desperate attack on our lines, to
De as desperately repulsed. Word was
sent TO headquarters that the enemy, IN
ger cover OF a heavy fire from the forts.
nad lett Sebastopol in force and was mass
ing himself so as to threaten the safety of
the heights. L was at once sent with an
order Tor the cavalry and horse artillery
TO move and be ready to assume the often
siVe. Ihey had not to wait long. The
turkish lines were swept as BY a Whirl-
wind, and with our Mohammedan allies
the word was sauce qtti peut. The heavy
cavalry on the right and the light brigade
on the lett were advanced, with the artil-
lery in the centre playing a game at long
bowls. Meanwhile a Russian battery was
ostentatiously moved forward, whose
Well-serYtd guns promised to be embar-
RAISING.
Lord Raglan, who did not know the
tull strength of the foe, saw that this OBJ
stacle must be removed; but whether or
not ne also fOresaw the necessity of first
looking before the leap was taken must
be forever mystery. The commanders
Of the cavalry brigades, Lords Lucan and
Cardigan, brOthers-in-law, between whom
no love was lost, were waiting the word
to engage, Lord Lucah being the senior
officer. To them sped Capt. Nolan, dash
ing hussar. Saluting the General, he said
he bore an Order-unwritten-fr Lord
Raglan that the battery must be silenced
and the guns captured. LCrd Lucan, a
man so cautious as to have earned the
nickname Lord Look-on,' fearing to eX-
pose his small force to any ambushed dan
gers, asked for more definite orders. With
slightly cOntemptuOuS turn of his hand
some lip, the ald-de-camp, pointed in the
direction of the battery and said:
gu see your enemy, my lord
EVEN the Earl OF Cardigan, impetuOus
as he was, generally speaking, looked at
his commander in doubt as to the words.
But, owing to the unhappy enmity exist
ing between them, neither would speak
his thoughts, and once more Nolan, impa-
tiently waving his sword, which he had
hercely drawn from its scabbard, and
pointing it to the artillery, cried: Take
the guns; these are your OrderSv
The crisis has arrived, No recourse is !
left but to do as he bids. a cold nod of /
assent from Lord Lucan. A profound bow |
follows from Lord Cardigan. Light Di- |
vision, forward, charged breaks from his /
lips. An echOing cheer is the reply from |
Coz thrOats, as with clang of scabbard and /
rattle Of bride and bit, and tie Drawing /
OF the trumpet, and the ringing cheer of /
the 'Heavies,' the Fourth and Thirteenth /
Lights, the Eighth and Eleventh Hussars, /
the latter Lord Cardigan's own corps, /
conspicuous in their cherry-cOlored trOu- /
sers, and the Seventh Lancers, with ranks !
closed up and squadrOns dressed as evenly /
as II at a march past. trOt forward down /
the slight decliYity. At their head ride
the gallant Nolan and the dauntless Car
in this supreme moment with /
a reckless laugh upon his face, as he ar
CUES some point of war with his brother
1ussar.
The unmasked batteries are already
belching forth shot and shell. The trot
breaks into gallOp, the gallop into fl-
rious, headlOng charge. Already Nolan
has fallen, cut down by grapeshot, the
secret of the fatal day dying with him.
The serried ranks show frequent gaps as
saddle after saddle is emptied. CLOSE
up! Close up! Charged is the unceasing
Try, and in a shorter time than it takes to
tell tie opening ranks Of the foe disclosed
70 the doomed but indOmitable few, can
non to right of them, cannon to left Of
hem, cannon IN front Of them-and now
cannon behind them. On through the
broken Russian line pressed the noble |
army OF martyrs, their Orifiamme. their
rave leaders, flashing sabre, their sup
,ort.
w lt2 q wild cheer and a wilder leap,
he cherry-clad heroes fly over the guns
Is lightly as they would over fiye-barred !
rate on the hunting field, sabring the gun
lers as they leap. A beardless boy, not !
-et L., holds fast to the colors he has
worn 10 carry to death or victory and
alls with the cry My mother will hear OF
his! on his dying lips, still grasping that
,anner in his hand.
Ear away, clear in front, with his aide
le-camp and few choice spirits on his
light hand and on his left-n0ne ahead of
In, raging like lion, fights, as with q
orlorn hope, the leader and commander
# the Light Brigade. He bears charmed
ife and his brawny arm is endowed with
power of slaughter that grows mightier
very moment from the meat that it feeds
IN. Further and further he dashes on,
,leaving his way with his blood-stained !
sword till he reaches the last of the guns. |
'Here, when he sees the end is not yet,
)ut that rank upon rank Of cavalry and
Infantry, with heavy artillery in the rear,
stretches out back to the city's utmost |
)astiOn, he recognizes how useless it will
De further to tempt the fates and fight one
against a thousand. Coolly and calmly,
Is if in Hyde Park, ne takes in the situa-
ion at a glance and gives the word to the
to sound first the assembly |
hen the retreat A bullet crashes
through the boys hand as he raises his
trumpet to his mouth, but, StOic-like. he
makes no sign. Clear rings out the sum
mons. A dozen only answer the call. Not
me, save Lord Cardigan, but is wounded /
more or less severely, and his clothing
shows where lance or sabre or ball had |
1lowed their way over his unscathed |
lesh. Right about the little band turns, 1
eaYing the boy trumpeter dead on the
ground behind them.
"The enemy, paralyzed by the shock of
he charge, and fancyiug that the whole
British army supports the handful of !
braves, pauses in his murderOus work to
,heer the los survivors who returned |
slowly and sadly to the place from which /
hey came, having, from a military stand |
point, achieved nothing, yet covered with
/ deathless, fadeless wreath of glory. 1T
vas magnificent said Gen. Bosquet, but
{ was not war;"
PRETTY PHILADELPHIA GIRLS.