Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-03
1ENNYsON'S POEM D|MMED GLORY
OF The HEAVY BRICADE'S CHARGE
In the Battle Of BaIaklava the Successful Charge of the Heavy
BRIGADE Has Been 0vershadoWed BY the Light Bri-
a qade's Ride to Death.
From the Kansas city Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
Lost. one and ALL. were he words nut
tered in our disnay;
But they rode like victors and lords,
Through the forest OF lances and sword
n the heart OF the Russian hordes
Struck with the sword hand and slew,
Down with the bride hand drew
The foe from the saddle and threw
underfoot there in the fray
Ranged like a storm, or stood like a roci
In the wave of a stormy: day:
TIL suddenly shock upon shock
staggered the mass from without
Drove 1t In wild disarray,
For our men galloped up with the cheel
and a shout,
And the foemen surged, and wavered, and
reeled
Up the hill, up the hill. up the hill, and
out of the field,
And over the brow and away.
Glory to each and oil, and the charge thai
Glory to all TIE 800, and all the Brigade.
Last stanza Of T%ennyson's THE Charge
OF the Heavy Brigade"
Tennyson's stirring poem immortal
izing the charge of the British light
cavalry at the battle OF Balakiava has
caused another heroic incident of that
fight to remain almost unknoWn--the
charge of the Heavy Brigade.
Lady Buffers painting. Scotland
Forever!" is all that has kept the
memory Of the heavy horsemen alive.
Tennyson described the charge in
verse. but 1T fell SO far short of the ex-
c%ellence Of "The Charge of the Light
knows 1.-THE Charge of the Heavy
BRIGADE"
Early In the fighting of October 25,
1854. the Turkish infantry was driven
from a line of redoubts. Lord Raglan.
the British commander. sent word to
Brigadier General Scarlet. command
ing the heavy cavalry, to move eight
%gquadrons to support.
General Scarlet took two squadrons
from each of four regiments-Scots
Ereys, IEnnisliillen Dragons, Fifth
Dragon guards and Fourth Dragon
guards--and started across the valley.
Tho nature Of the terrain forced the
column to divide Immediately. Cen
eral Scarlet. with the Scots Greys and
took a road to the left. nearest the
Russian position. The other Ennis
killen squadron and the Fifth ORA
gOons We're on a parallel road a half
mile or SO away. The Fourth Ora
goons lRoyals) were late in starting
and were designated as rear guard.
Scarlet and his three ~squadrons
were hardly out of camp when a sharp
eyed trooper reported lances on the
crest of a ridge. a few hundred yards
to the colemn's left flank. That Rus
sian cavalry could penetrate so close
to IN English amp without discov-
cry did not seem possible to General
Scarlet. but in a moment any doubt
was removed. A troop of Cossack
fancers galloped into sight. halted. and
q moment later a veritable wave of
them appeared.
The Scotch and Irish cavalrymen
strotted -unconcernedly in front of the
rnrtdly appearing Russians, until more
than 10 times their number had APP
pearcd. The three s%auadrons had a
strength OF 400 men. The Russian ac-
counts OF the fight say their force was
3s5aa strong.
The Russian force prepared for bat
tie immediately. 1t spread out like a
pair OF shears and began to trot down
TIC slope General Scarlet did rot
hesitate. He dispatched an aid to ac-
quaint his other squadrons of the diff
fieulty. II wheeled his three squad
rolis Into line for a charge.
Are you. right in front?" he called.
Yes, sir!