The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-10


AS it happened, a French battalion
the Seventh Leger, had just moved into
the gap along which the Russians were
coming. The Russian advance, as the
red caps of the French cleaned through
the gray mist, paused and the French
moved forward a few PAGES. Then 6
curious tremor ran along their front
and murmur rose in the ranks. The
men, apparently, were protesting
against an advance in line-one quite
opposed to French traditions A British
staff officer galloped to the front of the
line, and, with loud shouts, urged the
mass forward. Slowly the onward
movement was resumed. but the Brit
ish officer( struck by bullet, fell, and
the French once more paused; the for
nation began to crumble, the line
swayed backward. Lord Raglan and
his staff We're watching the scene, and
it is said that at this moment alone
during the whole fight, Lord Raglan S
face lost for an instant it's cheerful
calm. He had sent an aide-de-camp to
Pennefather to ask how the fight was
going on in the part Of the line he COM
manded. That officer, In all the rapture
of desperate fight, sent back the
cheerful message that everything was
going on we'll, the enemy's infantry
showed symptoms of retiring, and II a
few more troops could be sent to him
he would follow the enemy up and lick
them to the d! The blast of that
courageous message stirred the blood of
the somewhat respondent staff like the
note Of a bugle; Canrobert in particular
breaking out into EXPLANATIONS, "Ah,
quel brave gargon, quel brave homme;
quel bon general"
At this moment some 200 men of the
Seventy-seventh, led by Col. Egerton,
came up by fours, and at the double.
The men brushed roughly against the
flank of the retiring French battalion.
One of Egerton's captains demonstrated
with French officer, whom he found
retreating, and aided his remonstrance
by taking the French officer by the col
lar. "Mais, monsieur said the unhap-
ply Frenchman, pointing to the formid-
able Russian front, there are the Rus
sians!" The French still continued to
fall back, but Egerton's men,, falling
swiftly into line, opened a steady fire
on the Russian front.
| The decisive check to the Russian
column however, was given by small
body of the Fifty fifth, 100 strong, who
took the column on its flank, poured a
close fire into it at a distance so close
| that the flame of the muskets seemed
to scorch the gray mass, and then tore
its way into its entrails at the point Of
the bayonet. The Seventh Leger, too,
had been rallied, thrown into the for
| nation of column familiar to 1t, and
came forward with great resolution and
| the Russian attack on the western
crest fell back shattered.
| But meanwhile the great trunk col
umn of the Russian attack, 1000 strong,
| with a dense fringe Of skirmishers run
ming before it, was moving up from the
Quarry Ravine, and to oppose 1t were
some $50 men, the wrecks of several
regiments-the Fifty-1fth. Fifty-sev
enth, and Seventy-seventh-and less
than 1000 Frenchmen-the Seventh
Leger The French troops were young.
and of uncertain quality. In one mood
they deployed across the front of the
advancing Russians with a swift cool
ness altogether admirable, and main
tanned fire so close and sure that the
slaughter in the Russian ranks was
uTGdulul. buL Ill lHt lIltSINdl DblWtGll
the volleys, when busy reloading, the
young French soldiers were apparently
seized by the thought that the Rus
sian line, already so close, might deliv-
err a bayonet charge, and the mass be-
gan to change it's structure, to shrink
back, and then to fall back! Their Off
GERS made gallant attempts Ia rally
them. Pennefather, with his staff, gall
loped down to them, and in energetic
British French, punctuated 1t is to be
feared, by many oaths, exhorted them
to stand A French officer, his sword
high in air, a mere youth, ran out sew
eral PAGES in the front, a British officer
ran to his side, a third and fourth join
ed the group. Some voice called out in
French, Drums to the front" and
drummers and buglers ran out, and
sounded and screamed the pas de
charge and still the great battalion
swayed to and fro, undecided between
an heroic rush on the enemy or mere
ignobe flight.
Here again. as so often throughout
the battle the audacious and almost
absurd daring of a cluster of British
infantry changed the fortunes of the
day. Col. Daubeny found the flank of
the Russian column. The second in the
rear of the leading battalion it was in
the act Of deploying to its right, when
Daubeny, with his thirty men, charged
into the gap between the two battal-
ions. The jam was fierce-so close, in
deed that shot or bayonet- thrust for a
few seconds became impossible, and
Daubeny was cool enough to exchange
a half-laughing nod with Russian Of
ficer close to him, and pinioned, like
him, with the weight of the mass. But
the British infantry, by sheer strength
sometimes with stroke of fist, some
times with a murderous clutch at an
enemys throat-made space for them
selves, and the heroic thirty actually
fought their way through this body of
900 men, from flank to flank, half of
them dying in the effort. And it was
that heroic dash OF thirty British sold
iers through what may be called the
spine of the great Russian column
which broke it's strength, and froze into
powerlessness the attack at it's head |
The Seventh Leger by this time coming
bravely on again, the great trunk coll
umn swung back, broken and demoral- |
lied.
All through the day the Russians |
had an overpowerlng superiority in ar I
tillery fire and the roar of their 100 |