Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-01-25
A FAMOUS CHARGE.
THE ADVANCE OF THE LIGHT
BRIGADEA AT BALAKIiAyA.
"A Graphic Description tho Charge
OF the Six Hundred by Russian
oMccr oil tho Battery
Tint Sustained It.

4nous charge OF tho British Light Bril-
sade, the noted "Six Hundred" at tho
battle of Balaklava in the Crimean war.
This terrible charge was the result of a
nllnder on the part of an officer in the
British army.
campaign OF tho rimea in IS j." snid tho
Colonelto Chicago Time, representa-.
tive, 81 was fresh from the university,
aud all the events of this, my first mill.
tary experience, made imperishable i'm.
pressions upon me. l remember the day
and incidents of Balaklava better per-
maps, than any other. The armies of the
'atles-English, French, and Turk
were forming in siege array on the
heights that commanded the city of Sc
vastopol and take the name of Balaklaya
from the suburban hamlet that lies ut
their base. Ours was the Grand Divi-
ision of the North under General Men
schikoff, and we had been pouring into
the peninsular, quarter of a million
strong, duringsthe past few days to re-
vlicye tho Division of the Balkan belea-
9guered in the city. 1t was. sublime
autumn morning, with tho sun breaking
through low mists, when our army be :
gan to move to the attack. l was IN the
artillery service, commanding the D, as
younker or sub-licutenant two guns of
'siS-piece battery. We were hit. nc virr &C.
as5fies daylight and. penetrating doiile in
u line of hills, we debouchod into tho
plain of Balaklava under glorious sun
burst. Our artillery, clearing the pass,
parted right and left to form with its
two hundred pieces huge crescent with
'extremites in advance. My battery
found position upon the extreme tip of
lnt a.,
poured horse aud fnot-with solidity
and brilfiancy that seemed the attributes
OF invincibility. EVERYTHING moved with
speed and precision. Wcopcucd in con.
cert along the line storm of shell un-
der which our huge troops of cavalry
quickly formed anil rode forward The
assault was we'll begun and it was n
gorgeous sight to SEQ that great projoc-
tile of horse and human flesh, with arms
and equipment that flashed with the ter
TOR of death, bearing onward. The
Turks In the outer trenches fed
almost without fire and the horse
men rode over their abandoned
works as though on grand review. The
advance had been pushed with blood.css
81. cess, and was about to enter thin
strip of timber at the very foot Of tie
ridge when there appeared, breaking
IRON this cover, two scattered troops OF
horse. l was attracted to the green
Jackets of the one and tho white hor.cs
of the other, and have since learned that
then saw for the first time the re-
doubtablc Enniskillenors and Scots
Grays. How quickly they concentcred
aud how we'll they struck our victory
selling columns history tells. saw
them, as glass in hand l stood ON bat
tory wnunu with , rrT &c e,,,oI-o
aud flash of circling steel within our
ranks. l beheld tremendous surge in
our formations, and saw the whole mass
rolled back and driven oil by the cheer
ing Gaels like cattle before the hcrdcr.
Great was our rage and disinay. An
hour OF artillery practice sue
-cccdcd, during which our command
crs were casting about for other
plans, whom we were attracted to n
movement of cavalry among the enemy.
AN advance was being made by red,
uniformed brigade numbering, Judged,
between five and six hundred men. We
concluded that this was division to
cover some serious enterprise and di-
-rcctcd u close look out to other quarters.
The cavalry had disappeared in depres
sion in tho ground and I was studying
the heights when I was surprised to see
the troops presently reappear over n
swell and still directly advancing. Cur
emotions were of pure amazement We're
the English, intoxicated by their success
of the morning, going to capture the
Russian army with forage party? Ev-
identity SO, for on they came once more
covered by dip in the plain. The
cannonading ceased on both sides and
there was that hush of bated audience
upon some moving scene. They wcro
still out of sight, but we could hear the
sdull strokes of their hoofs upon the
turf. Up they came Mt last and rs they
range, their bugles sounded the charge
and they broke from brisk trot into a
-gallop. They were gallant company,
that there was good blood in the set
.faces and hearts of oak under those
scarlet jackets. The order to fire ran
along the lines and personally icrked
the lock st ing of one of my pieces
without sighting. Our whole artillery
3fl6med-and .roared like a volcano. AS
my guns were run back to taut breech-
ing und more grape was rammed down
their smoking throats | leaped to
-caisson to see the havoc. 1t was awful.
"a third of the brigade had fallen, some
like stones, others plunging and with
ing with horrible wounds. The remain
der bore on with gathering speed. 1
found them too close in upon MY eleva.
ted position to depress my guns. A
second volley struck them with the same
frightfnl effect. The course of the shot
through them was marked by melt
ing Of horses and men and a
spray of shredded flesh and cloth
ing, while amid the Kissing of
the iron gale there was low,
harsh sound that I can ascribc
only to the rending of bones and tissue.
They passed 10 like coursers at the finish,
the horses reaching witkl lightning
strides and the men high in their stir.
.rups cheering and brandishing their sa-
bers. They passed within snow ball
range of me, and some of my men dis
;. charged their pistols and small arms
upon tho red ranks. Into the billow of
smoke that rolled from the heart of our