The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-15
ONE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.
A Resident of Buffalo Who Shared I'm the
Famous Charge at Balaklaya.
RufaJo Exnrass

Buffalo Express.
Half a league, half a league,
Half d league onward;
All in the valley of death
Rode the six hundred"
In a modest little home on Tenth street lives
John Reynolds, once a soldier in the armies of
England, whose fame, in a sense, has been
spread the wide world over by the pen Of the
poet Tennyson. for it is his proud honor to have
been numbered with that mobile six hundred
who rode ''all in the valley of DEATH at the bat
tie of Balaklava. While conscious of the fact
that it was a hair-brained charge, yet. with that
wonderful taciturnity of the British soldier, Mr.
Reynolds does not think for q moment of the
dangers which were encountered. 1t was duty,
and that one word means all to the soldier of
Great Britain. He talks we'll and to the point,
and his calm, impassionate words carry convic-
ton with them by their evident sincerity. A
representative of this paper had a long converse
ton with Mr.. Reynolds lately, and some very
interesting facts regarding that immortal charge
were cleaned.
Mr.. Reynolds was born in County Longford,
Ireland, and resided with his parents, while a
child, in Manchester, Eng, for several years.
He entered the army when but a mere boy, in
1851, and served until 1861, not rising above the
rank of private. In 1854, when the Crimean
war began, he was at Exeter, in Devonshire,
with his regiment, which was the Eighth Hus-
sars, OF the cavalry. They were ordered TO the
scene of action, and Mr.. Reynolds was in the
great battles of Inkerman, Balaklava, the Aim
and the siege of SebastopoL On the day of
that historic charge there were in the Light
Brigade the remains of four regiments, and in
all they numbered, perhaps, 600. Earl Cardi-
gan was their commander. and, said Mr.. Rey-
nolds, The was a mad Drained fellow, and too
hasty by odds, or he would not have made the
charge. Lord Lucan, who was in ANA of
the cavalry, on the other hand, was cool and
collected at all times"
There had been much heavy firing all day, and
at the time the charge was made the Russians
naeunufpn fha hQipntC Of two hills Ra-
tween them ran a ravine or valley, and it was
through this that the gallant 600 rode. Mr..
Reynolds thinks the battery which was ordered
to be taken was about a mile from the Light
Brigade when the advanca was made. At the
time it was thought by ,he cavalrymen that
Earl Cardigan had asked for permission to make
the attempt to capture the battery, and that the
reply had come back to g. ahead if it seemed q
feasible undertaking. AS the commanding
officer was far away on another portion of the
field, 1T is not probable that the danger was ap-
preciated, save by those sturdy fellows who
knew what deadly work was before them.
Captain Nolan, who is supposed to have brought
the order, was killed directly after leaving Earl
Cardigan. Mr.. Reynolds knew Nolan we'll, and
says there never lived a better man and soldier.
When the squadrons began to move, it became
evident that some desperate exploit was about
to be undertaken; but with that grim disregard
Of death which characteriZes the soldiers of the
Queen, they went on and on until the guns were
spiked and the Russian gunners silenced for
ever.
1T was pretty hot work. said Mr.. Reynolds.
"as we were subject to a cross fire from all di-
~rections. On the hills around us were thou
sands of artillerymen, and their guns belched
forth death and destruction every moment.
Again and again Cossack and Russian troops
dashed against the brigade, but were as often
repulsed. However, these did but little more
than harass the Englishmen, for when these at
tacks were made the batteries were silenced, for
fear that Russians might be shot down in place
of the soldiers of the enemy. 1t was these bat
teries that did the fearful work, and tho balls
came like hailstones from all directions
When asked how many came out Of the charge
alive, Mr.. Reynolds said it was hard to say, as
80 many who were wounded recovered after
ward. Probably there were $50 on horseback
who returned to the English lines. The men
did not drop faster than in a general engage
ment, and Mr.. Reynolds thinks the three and a
half hours at Alma were far more bloody
than that famous ride to glory. AT the
Alma one could not take a step in any direc-
ton without treading upon the remains
of a man or horse. In the charge at Balakiava
it was purely a matter of capturing the battery
and then returning-if that were possible-and
the soldiers did not falter once. Mr.. Reynolds
knows that TennysonS poem has immortalixed
that days work, but like the true man of duty
he does not believe it was harder or more worthy
of than a hundred other fights
in which he served.
As trophies of the Crimean campaign he has
two large medals and four small bars of silver,
somewhat similar to the inarksman's badges of
the New York militia, which bear upon their
faces the words, 'Sebastopol, Inkerman. Alma
and Balaklava." These were given to the men
after the engagements. The first medal given
him had Turkish characters engraved on one
side and On the other a number of the symbols
of modern warfare. This was presented to the
soldiers on their arrival at the Crirea. The
other medal came when the war was over, and
it bears a profile of Victoria's head On one side
and on the other a design representing a Roman
soldier being crowned with laurels by a goddess.
Another medal, of which Mr.. Reynolds is very
proud, was given to him for services In the
great Sepoy rebellion in India, in 1857.
After the war was over the Eighth Hussars
were stationed for a time in Turkey in Asia, and
then returned to England. At Portsmouth they
passed in review before the Queen. and Mr..
Reynolds. among the others who had partici-
pated in the charge, had the proud distinction of
shaking her Afajesty's hand. He knew. Lord
Raglan. and says he was a delightful man to
talk with, and he was as easily approached as 3
child. year after the return to England the
Sepoy outbreak occurred in India, and the men
of the Eighth were dispatched to that far-off
land. During the seventeen months they were
ia India, Mr.. Reynolds says they had but two
weeks rest, but were Oh the move constantly.