Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-02-17
SURVIVOR OF THE FAMOUS SIX
HUNDRED TELLS HIS ExPERI-
ENCE RIDING INTO THE JAWS
OF DEATH"
(From Harper.s Magazine.

was In the front rank, and from the
first 1t looked like a stiffish piece of
work--but, bless Lord, ye! we didn't
have any real idee till we was we'll
under way. Then it came to us, for
we saw what we had started to do.
\ "And l said to my mate on the
right of me, Well, Bill, I'd rather be
shot in front than stabbed behind! l
didn't really mean to say anything, 1
suppose, an it was just by way o.
speaking. But, anyhow, remember
that / said, We'll, Bill, I'd rather be
shot in front than stabbed behind
But like enough he didn't hear me,
for didn't speak up loud, being In
the ranks in charge. Those were
the only words / said as we went
down in the charge, but l remember
that a little prayer came to me, and
found myself a-saying of it to my
self as we went on.
~ don't krow just how far it was
down that valley, but it must have
been close on to a mile and a half.
But maybe I'm wrong. Anyhow, 1t
was a goodish distance, and the val
ley seemed to narrow down at the
end where We was charging at, and
we went down it like water down
funnel. And still, not hard gallop,
for Lord Cardigan out there in front
wouldn't let his horse go too fast, it
being long way we had to charge,
and of course the brigade behind him
couldn't go faster than the pace he
set.
"There was batteries on our right
blazing down at us, and batteries on
our left blazing down at us, and bat
teries right in front, and I felt in my
face the bits of rock or pebble thorwn
up by the shot hitting on the hard
ground.
II was in the front rank, and
saw that behind us dragons came
the lancers, and I remember think
ing 1t queer that they had put us
swordsmen to charge in front of Ian
GERS. ! don't know why thought of
tit just came to me in flash that
1t was queerlike.
"All the time was the terrible
plunging fire from the batteries on
the hills at our sides, and there were
cannon blazing away In our front,
and there we were, with our men
falling, and the order, Close up!'
Close up!' coming all the time from
the officers, and We kept closing up
NJ
ting louder and the smoke thicker
and our ranks getting thinner. And
many was the riderless horse that
had joined us and was galloping right
on in the charge.
'"There wasn't anybody wanted to
turn back. / don't suppose anybody
thought of such thing. There was
our general going on ahead Of us,
and the other officers, and Of course
there we was all going on, too. All
We wanted to do was to get at the
Rooshans.
"Shot and shell plunging, men
falling-riie bullets, grape, round
shot and shetland l was squirting
my chestnue fierce, and I suppose
was yelling, and I know that all I
wanted to do was to get right there
at the end Of 1t with the rest Of us,
when all at once / went over my
horses head.
II fell clear, but even while l was
in the air-or at least it seems so to
me now-the thought came to me
that there was I, an English-born
dragoon Of four years service-for l
listed in '50-disgracing myself and
the regiment by being thrown. But
in minute I knew 1t was my horse,
for she was killed, and in falling had
pitched me. A fine horse she was:
she was my best friend; and there
she laid, blowed open by shell.
81 got to my feet and looked
ahead. Everything was wild and
smoky, with great Hastings, and I
tried to catch a horse that ripped
past me, and then I tried to run
ahead and get at where our men were
gripping with the enemy.
''Men falling, pitching off in all
sorts Of ways, and other men, like
me, on their feet, and wounded
horses screaming and kicking. Aw-
full, the noise wounded horse
makes, but it's the kicking that's the
worst, for 1t lashes out in every direc-
tion with it's hoors, and many
wounded man was kicked as he was
trying to get up or to crawl away.
II could just make out what my
comrades we're doing lust in front of