Morris tribune., 1885-02-25
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.
A Charge That Amazed the World JUST
Thirty Years Ago-The Light bri-
pade's Heroism at Balahiava.


It was thirty years ago that the earl
of Cardigan's light brigade made its
famous charge at Sebastopoi. A gen.
tleman who was on the staff OF an Eng
lish general, and who witnessed the
charge, gives the Rttsburg Dispatch this
description of it:
son Oct. 25, 1854, our eyes turned to
the heights of Balaklaya, on the pos
session of which depended the very ex-
istence of the allied forces. On that
day the Russians made desperate at
tack on our lines, to be as desperately
repulsed. Word was sent to headquar-
ters that the enemy, under cover OF
heavy fire from the forts, had left Sc
bastopol in force and was massing him.
self so as to threaten the safety OF the
heights. was at once sent with an
order for the cavalry and horse artillery
to move and be ready to assume the Of
fensive. They had not to wait long.
The Turkish lines were swept as by
whirlwind, and with our Mohammedan
allies the word was sauce qui peut.
The heavy cavalry on the right and the
light brigade on the left were advanced,
with the artillery in the center playing
game at long bowls. Meanwhile
Russian battery was ostentatlonsly
moved forward, whose well-served guns
promised to be embarrassing.
Lord Raglan, who did not know the
full strength of the foe, saw that this
obstacle must be removed; but whether
or not he also foresaw the necessity OF
first looking before the leap was taken
must be forever a mystery. The COM
manders of the cavalry brigades,
Lords Lucan and Cardigan, brothers
in-law, between whom no love was lost,
were waiting the word to engage, Lord
Lucan being the senior officer. To them
sped Capt. Nolan, a dashing huzzar.
Saluting the general, he said he bore an
-unwritten-from Lord Raglan
that the battery must be silenced and
the guns captured. Lord Lucan, man
so cautious as to have earned the nick
name Lord Look-on,' fearing to ex-
pose his small force to any ambushed
dangers, asked for more definite orders.
With slightly contcmptuous turn OF
the handsome lip, the aide-de-camp
pointed in the direction Of the battery,
and said:
"sYou see your enemy, my lord
Even the earl of Cardigan, impet-
uous as he was generally speaking,
looked at his commander in doubt as
to the works. But, owing to the un-
happy enmity existing between them,
neither would speak his thoughts, and
once more Nolan, impatiently waving
his sword, which he had tiercely drawn
from its scabbard, and pointing it to
the artillery, cried: ''Take the guns;
these are your orders!
1.-The crisis has arrived. No resource
| is left but to do as he bids. Acold nod
of assent from Lord Lucan. A pro-
found bow follows from Lord Cardigan.
Light division, 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 the braying of the trum-
pet, and the ringing cheer of the
'Heavies, the 4th and 18th Lights, 9th
| and 18th Hussars, the latter Lord Car
digan's own corps, conspicuous IN their
| cherry -colored trousers, and the 18th
| lancers, with ranks closed up and
squadrons dressed as evenly as if at a
| march past, trot forward down the
| slight declivity. At their head ride the
| gallant Nolan and the dauntlcss Cardi-
| gan-even in this supreme moment
with reckless laugh upon his face, as
he argues some point of war with his
brother hussar.
| The unmasked batteries are already
| belching forth shot and shell. The trot
breaks into a gallop, the gallop into a
furious, headlong charge. Already
| Nolan has fallen, cut down by grape
shot, the secret of the fatal day dying
| with him. The serried ranks show fire.
quent gaps as saddle after saddle is
emptied. Close up! Close up! Charge!
| is the unceasing cry, and in a shorter
time than it takes to tell the opening
| ranks of the foe disclosed to the doom
ed, but indomitable few, cannon to right
| of them, cannon to left of them, can
| non in front of them-and now cannon
behind them. On through the broken
Russian line pressed the noble army Of
| martyrs, their oriflamme, their brave
leaders flashing sabre, their support.
"With wild cheer and wilder leap
! the cherry-clad heroes fly over the guns
as lightly as they would over five.
barred gate on the hunting-ield, sab
ering the gunners as they leap. A
beardless boy, not yet II, holds fast to
| the colors he has sworn to carry to
death or victory and falls with the cry
MY mother will hear of thisH on his
dying lips, still grasping that banner
| in his hand.
"Far away, clear in front, with his
| aid-de-camp and few choice spirits
on his right hand and on his left-none
| ahead of him, raging like lion, fights
| as with forlorn hope, the leader and
commander of the Light brigade. He
bears a charmed life, and his brawny
arm is endowed with apower of slaugh-
ter that grows mightier every moment
from the meat it feeds on. Further
| and further he dashes on, cleaving his
| way with his blood-stained sword till
he reaches the last of the guns.
''Here, when he sees the end is not
yet, but that rank upon rank of cavalry
ind infantry, with heavy artillery in the
| rear, stretches out back to the city s
utmost bastion, he recognizes how use
less it will be further to tempt the fates
and fight one against hundred. Cool
ly and calmly, as if in Hyde Park, he
takes in the situation at a glance, and
gives the word to the trumpeter to
sound first the assembly then the re-
treat 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 summons.
A dozen only answer the call. Not one,
save Lord Cardigan, but is wounded
more or less severely, and his clothing
shows where lance or saber or ball had
plowed their way over his unscathed
flesh. Right about the little band turns,
leaving the boy trumpeter dead on the
ground behind them.
"The enemy, paralyzed by the shock
Of the charge, and fancying that the
whole British army supports the hand
full of braves, pauses in his murderous
work to cheer the 108 survivors who re-
turned slowly and sadly to the place
from which they came, having, from a