The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-12-12
NOBLE SIX HUNDRED.
Personal "reminiscences Of Colonel
John shakespeare.
A Survivor Gives Some New Points About
the Famous Charge Of the Light Bri-
gade-How Brave Men walked Into
the Jaws Of Death.

the jaws of Death.
Colonel John Shakespeare, retired
offlcer Of the British army, writes as fol-
lows to the London Standard:
The charge Of "The Light Brigade"
called "The Six Hundred" took place
October c5, 1854, and is still household
memory with us, though many years
have slipped by, and have been asked
by many to place on record some OCCUR
rences other than mere galloping, out
ting. thrusting and strong language,
all of which are very similar on like oc-
casions, and are often told in prose and
verse. Short and to the point is best
suited to what is required Of me. So to
begin my story:
Maude's horse artillery, with mo sec
ond In command, opened fire at day
light and kept in action until its ammu-
milton was exhausted, when it retired
few yards down hill and remained there
for awhile, screened from the Russian
shot and shell, with the hope Of giving
confidence to some wavering Turks.
Maude was seriously wounded by shell
bursting in his horse, and there were also
several casualties among officers, men,
horses and gun-wheels. Some Of our
field batteries soon arrived and contin-
ued the cannonade.
In the course Of an hour or so our two
brigades of cavalry and horse artillery
formed columns near the heights of the
plateau Of Sebastopol, when suddenly o
line Of cavalry, with supports in COL
umn, probably 5000, poured down the
grass slopes toward Balaklava, and
were gloriously defeated by our heavy
brigade of cavalry under General Scar
lett.
In the pause that followed deemed
1t desirable to learn what the Russians
were doing, and as the horse had rid
den was wounded by splinter of a
she'll, I mounted q baggage pony and
rode up the grass slope to near the crest
Of the now-famed valley, where teth-
cred him to a tent peg, and crept on
through the long grass until my tel
escope cautioned: Bewarel The brush
wood on the hills opposite was full Of
guns, and down the valley were troops
by thousands. Captain Charteris, one
Of Lord Lucan's aides-de-camp, now rode
by, but as he did not see me hailed
him with the information, when he re-
piled: 'The Light Brigade is ordered to
attack" and while we were speaking I
hove in sight, advancing and deploy-
ing at the trot and canter. There was
not time for warning, 80 I ran to my
pony, and getting back to the guns as
fast as he could carry me, brought them
up at full speed and placed them over
the ridge, where best able to aid the re-
mains Of the Six Hundred in their inev-
liable retreat.
At this time Lord Cardigan refined up
and told me what had happened, at the
same time pointing to long rent in his
cherry overalls made by Cossaclk Lam
Ger who had otherwise missed his aim.
Others rode or ran up to the guns.
Among the last was Captain Godfrey
Morgan, Seventeenth Lancers, now Lord
Tredegar, whose horse had been killed
and his helmet lost. However, he came
to me, sword in hand, and, speaking as
cool as he would on parade, said: ''Is
not this an awful business, Shakespeare
What shall I do?" My reply was:
"Quick; jump on gun timber, and go
to the rear with us, or to the front II we
go into action, when you may help fight
gun"
We must not forget the volley from
the Ninety-third Highlanders, which
emptied many Russians saddles near the
entrance to the village of Balaklava;
nor the attack on the Russian artillery
in the brushwood by the French cavalry
on white horses. can see them now,
80 conspicuous were they on tho hill. So
keen is memory formed on the battle
field that even now l fancy sec Nolan
and his horse lying dead, like many
others whose names I did not know.
OF my friend Charteris / have a re-
markable foreshadowing Of fate to re-
late. On the previous evening he and l,
while taking aquiet ride, saw signs Of
fight on the morrow, when he spoke
very gloomily of it being his last. My
saying: swell, we have been under fire
together pretty often, and yet here we
are again." did not cheer him. "No, 1t
would be his last" A round shot killed
him directly we parted on the ridge be-
fore named. AS the spot was debatable
ground my gunners buried him then and
there.
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