Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-11-02
THE NOBLE SIX HUNDRED.
October 25th at SebastOpoI in 1854,
Described by a STAFF officer,
Grs Who Took Part in TIE Glorious Charge
al Balaklaya Recalls the Memorable
Scenes Of Thirty Years Ago.
Tie DAY Before the Battle.

equally, though Sgreeably, disappointed.
They had looked for an immediate pursuit,
and in their rapid retreat up the Hstcha
river had passed on pellmel, in mOmeuIary
expectation Of being attacked by our csyal.
~ and horse artillery, in which case their
whole army must have been cat TO pieces or
made prisoners. Bet owing to lack Of
dash on the part Of the French commander,
who was geaersliSsimo Of the allied forces,
they were Suffered TO escape into Se6asloPOl
which, at that time, vas comparatively I'M
defended, especially from the sea 'front.'.
Three days sAerward, under the very eyes
of the allied fleets, the mouth of the hsrbor
was blocked up BY the sinking Of seven
Russian ships Of war, and ali entrance on
the part Of our ships forbidden.
On the and side, the Northern portion
of Sebastopol was at their mercy. But,
instead Of pushing forward and carrying it
By assault the flank march to Balaklays--
a very skilifHl, bat very fsUguing and IN
necessary piece Of generalship-was under
taken and successfully carried out, though
the cholera, worse foe that the Russians,
was decimstiug the allied forces and
literally strewing the line Of march with
eorpses. SebastoPol was kept on the right,
and thus the fort of Balaklaya was secured.
On the other hard, through this delay, the
enemy had more than timely notice Of our
advance, and was thereby unable to run
up those historical esrth-works, which were
in reality stronger than the granite forts
themselves. By the 18th Of October, a
month and three days after the battle Of
lie Alma, combined attack was made on
:Sebastopol 10y sea and land, but the naughty
Black Sea frontier dcGed her assailants
Nothing remained but to invest the strong.
bod, 8 task for which we had not nearly
men enough
The scene Of the Struggle.
TN October - the scene of the struggle
wss foe the noace changed. From the
front. mems eyes turned to the heights Of
Ba!aklavs, on the possession OF which de-
pended the very existence Of the allied
forces On that day. therefore. Just thirty
wear sgo this day the Russians made q
desperate attack on our lines, to be rs deS-
perstely repuised. Well do | remember
that morning. | was or the staff Of General
-, and as such out Of the wav Of the
brunt of the battle. or rather, series Of
battles. Word was sent 70 headquarters
that the enemy under cover Of heavy tire
lrou, the forts. had lets Sebastopol in con
sidersLle force and WIS maSsing himself 30
- TO threaten the safety Of the heights. |
was at once sent with ar order for the cayal-
" and horse artillery to move and DC ready
10 assume the offensive. They hS9 no: to
wait long The Turkish lines were swept
as by whirlSird, and with our MOhamme-
dan allies the word was Saprc gui pcWG The
heavy cavalry on the right and the Light
Brigade on the left were advanced, with
the artillery in the centre playing q game
at low bowls Meanwhilea Russian battery
was ostontatiously moving forward, whose
weIlseryed guns promised to he exceeding
~ embarrassing. Lori Raglan. who did
not know the iull strength Of the foe, saw
that this obstacle must be removed, but
whether or no! he also foresaw the necessity
of FIRST looking before the leap was taken
must he foreyera mystery. The command
ers Of the cavalry srigades, Lords Lucan
ard Cardigan, brothers.in-laws, between
whom no love was lost were waiting the
wocd to engage. Lord Lucsn being the
senior officer. To them sped Captain Nolan,
a dashing hussar, who had written treatise
on the omnipotence of cavalry and was,
therefore, not unwilling to put his theories
to the test. Saluting the General, he said
he bore an decentralization Lord
Raglan tina: the battery must be silenced
and the guns captured Lord Lucan, a
man 30 cautious as to have already earned
the nickname of Lord Lookon, feared 70
expose bis small force to any ambush dan
GERS. asked for more definite orders.
With q slightly contemptuous turn Of his
handsome lip the aid,decamp pointed in
the direction Of the battery aud said:
You see Your Enemy, Ny Lord"
nyeu the Earl of Cardigan, impetuoas as
he was, generally spesking-sO impetuouS
as to have been decorated with the annexed
title of Lord Chargeagain looked at his
commander in doubt as to the words. But,
owning to the unhappy enmity existing
between them, neither would speak his
thoughts, and once more Nolan, inpatient
II waived his sword, which he had 6srcely
drawn from its scabbard, and pointing it to
the artillery. cried: Take the guns; those
are your ordersP
The crisis has arrived. No recourse is
left bat to do "a he bids \ cold nod OF as
sent from Lord Lucau. A profound bow
follows from Lord Cardigan. Light Diyis-
ion. forward, charge breaks FROM his lips.
An echoing cheer is the reply from 6OT
throats, as with clsng of scabbsrd and rat
tie of bride and bit, and the brayiug of the
trumpet and the ringing cheer Of the
"Heayies,' the Fourth and Thirteenth
Lights, the Eighth and Eleventh HussarS,
tho latter Lord Cardigans own corps, CON
.spicu0Us in their cherry-colored trousers.
and the Seventeenth ("Death or Glory
lancers, with ranks closed up and squad.
rons dressed SIS evenly IS il AZ a march
past. srOt iorwsrn down the slight 6ecGyiIy.
At their head rode the gallant Nolan and
the dsantless Cerdigsn-eyen in this su-
prems moment with reckless laugh upon
his face, as be warmly argues some point
of war with his brother hussa- The war
horses Of the "Heavies," their necks clothed
in thunder seemed to devour their hearts
WIZ tActOdSAhS W JOlu III kuc NucVuhl AIANi
praneing and paving the turf Is il they fam
wOald swallow the ground in their fierce.
ness and rage Amid the blsre Of the trum.
pets add shril sbove the commingled vol.
ley Of cheering and Of cannon. they smell
the battle sfar OF and are msddened be-
cause they cannot be Of it.
The Terrible Charge.
Twas listening fear and dumb amaze
ment all Can that handful OF men really
be in earnest in their paradel Do they
not see before them the Russian army in
position, backed by one of fhe mightiest
fortaEces the world has ever seen? Those
now unmarked batteries already belching
forth shot and she'll. are they hidden from
their gazs2 1t seems so. and onward to
their death ride the noble six hundred, -
The trot breaks into a gsllop, the gallop
into furious, hesdlong charge. Already
Nolan has fallen, cut down BY grape-shot.
the secret ofthe fatal day dying with him