Wichita eagle., 1888-12-21
THAT FAMOUS CHARGE.
TIE LIGHT BRIGADE's AWFUL COUR-
AGE AT BALAKI-AVA.

AGE AT BALAkL-AvA.
Graphic Description of the Charge by
q Russian Officer of the Battery That
Sustained It-Gunners Silenced in Ad-
miration.
Col Nicholas Wampler, a Russian gentle
man, formerly in the cars army and diplo-
matte service, but now resident of Balti-
more, was interviewed by Chicago Times
reporter, and among the interesting things
he said was the following description Of the
! famous ''charge of the Light Brigade"
| It was a sublime autumn morning, with
the sun breaking through low mists, when
our army began TO move to the attack. was
! in the artillery service, commanding then, as
| younker or sub-lieutenant, two guns Of six
piece battery We were moving before day
/ light, and, penetrating a deile in line Of
/ hills, we debouched into the plain Of Balak-
lava under a glorious sunburst We could
see the enemys pickets and here and thers
a mounted vidette retreating before US, and
as the fog lifted we beheld the smoke Of
/ the bivouacs that marked the hostile posi-
I ton along the heights. Then speedily came
I the other smoke as their ordnance opened the
majestic prelude of the battle. Our artillery,
clearing the pass, parted right and left to
form with its 200 pieces huge crescent with
extremities in advance My battery found
position upon the extreme tip OF the left
spur. Between us the army poured-horse
and foot-with solidity and brilliancy that
seemed the attributes of invincibility. Every
thing moved with speed and precision. We
opened In concert along the line storm Of
she'll under which our huge troops of cavalry
quickly formed and rode forward The as
sault was well begun, and it was gorgeous
sight to sea that great projectile Of horse and
human flesh with arms and equipment that
flashed with the terror Of death, bearing on
ward. The Turks in the outer trenches fed
almost without fire and the horsemen rode
over their abandoned works as though on
grand review.
THE GREEN AND THE GREY.
The advance had been pushed with blood
less success and was about to enter thin
strip Of timber at the very foot Of the ridge
when there appeared. breaking from this
cover, two scattered troops Of horse. l vas
attracted to the green jackets of the one and
the white horses of the other, and have since
learned that then saw for the first time the
redoubtable Enniskilleners and Scots Greys.
How quickly they concentered and how well
they struck our victory Selling columns his
tory tells. | saw them, as glass in hand
stood on a battery wagon, vanish with puff
of smoke and flash of circling steel within
our ranks. beheld tremendous surge in
our formations and saw the whole mass rolled
back and driven of by the cheering Gae,s
like cattle before the herder. Great was our
rage and dismay. An hour of artillery prac-
tice succeeded, during which our command
ers were casting about for other plans when
we were attracted to q movement of cavalry
among the enemy. An advance was being
made by red uniformed brigade number
ing, judged, between five and six hundred
men. We concluded that this was division
to cover some serious enterprise and d.
rected close lookout to other quarters
The cavalry had disappeared in q depres-
sion in the ground
THAT AWFUL SLAUGHTER.
l was studying the heights when l was SUI
prised to see the troops presently reappear
over a swell and still directly advancing.
Our emotions were of pure amazeInent
Were the English, intoxicated by their sue
cess of the morning, going to capture the
Russian army with a forage party? Evi.
IDENTIFY so, for on they came, once more Gov
cred by Il dip in the plain. The cannonadirg
ceased on both sides and there was that hush
of bated audience upon some moving scene.
They were still out of sight, but we could
hear the dull strokes of their hoofs upon the
turf. Up they came at last, and as they
hove i'll view, now within scannister
range, their bugles sounded the charge
and they broke from a brisk trot into
a galop. They were gallant COM
pany, truly, and it was visible even',,to me
that there was good blood in the set faces
and hearts of oak under those scarlet Jackets
The order to fire ran along the lin, and |
personally jerked the lock string of one Of
my pieces without sighting. Our whole ar
tillery famed and reared like volcano. As
my guns were run back to q taut breeding
and moro grape was rammed down their
smoking threats leaped TO caisson to see
the havoc. 1t was awful A third of the
brigade had fallen, some like stones, others
plunglng and writhing.wit horrible wounds.
The remainder bore on with gathering speed.
l found them too close in upon my elevated
position to depress my guns A second volley |
struck them with the same frightful effect.
MELTING HORSES AND MEN
The course of the shot through them was
marked by melting Of horses and men and /
a spray of shredded flesh and clothing, while |
amid the kissing of the iron gale there was
a low, harsh sound that can ascribe only to I
the rending Of bones and tissue. They |
passed us like coursers at the finish, the !
horses reaching with lightning strides |
and the men high in their stirrups |
cheering and brandisbing their sabers |
They passed within snow ball range of |
me and some of my men discharged their |
pistols and small arms upon the red ranks. /
Into the billow of smoke that rolled from the |
heart Of our position they flew and there |
came sudden check to the firing as though .
the cannon had been throttled The shock OF .
direct conflict ensued but in few minutes
the broken remnant of the troops reappeared, |
forced back by the hopelessness of the at
tack. There was some firing upon the brave
fellows as they retraced their corpse strewn |
path of glory, but my battery took no part |
in it We felt great admiration for the troops,
but never understood, as no one else, be-
lieve, the purpose of the maneuver.