The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-06-07
OF THE MOST
FAMOUS CAVALRY CHARGE
Ellis Cutting, Who Rode With the
Light Brigade, Lives at Cedar
Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids, Ia, May 5.-(Asso-
ciated Press Mail Service)-Ellis Cut
ting of this city. rode into the valley
of death with the immortal six hun
dred.
Sitting at his home here this man
who rode "into the jaws of death,
into the mouth of hell,'' recalls the
charge of the Light Brigade at Bala-
klava in the Crimean War. He saw
Capt. Nolan. suave young aide-de-
camp of the British commander, Lord
Raglan, dash up and hand Lord Lucan,
cavalry commander, note. Mr.. Cut
ting, then a 17-year-old British troop
er, did not know what the note con-
tanned. History says it contained
these terse orders:
"Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry
to advance rapidly to the front and
try to prevent the enemy carrying
away the guns-French cavalry is on
your left
Cutting saw his commander thrust
that note into his glove before its
bearer rode away.
Forward, the Light Brigade"
The command rang. There was a
flash of sabers. Down into the valley
dashed the line of British horsemen,
to certain destruction.
Cutting, who for forty-fve years
was a railroad employe at Iowa Falls
and Cedar Falls, retired two years
ago and is now making his home in
this city. He is now 85 years old and
was seventeen when he enlisted in the
Eleventh Hussars of Her Majesty,
Queen Victoria. Mr.. Cutting believes
he is among the last, if not the last, of
the men who were immortalized by
Tennyson.
He vividly recalls the charge. He
says he saw nothing, knew nothing,
heard nothing but felt within him the
insane urge that drove him forward
| with furious desire to bury his saber
| in a Russian breast.
"The Light Brigade" Mr.. Cutting
says, "was composed of the Fourth
and Thirteenth Dragons, the Eighth
and Eleventh Hussars and the Seven
teenth Lancers. 1t was commanded
by Lord Cardigan. The men wore red
trousers and blue jackets which gain
ed for them the name 'Cherrylegs.'
"The brigade had been lying mac
tive during the progress of the fight
ing until the order to charge came.
The battle had hardly begun until it
was over Blindly few stragglers,
clambering over moaning comrades,
struggling through heaps of dead and
dying, horses and men in death
throes, pools of blood. fought their
way to the rear of the line"
Mr.. Cutting disagrees with history
as to the number who returned. He
says there were only six.
He was asked what was the secret
of the futile and merciless command.
Cutting said Lord Raglan denied to
Lord Lucan that he had ever given the
order to charge, and that then Lord
Lucan pulled the order from his glove
where he had tucked it.
as that your handwriting Lord
Lucan asked.
Mr. Cutting does not know what the
reply was, but for ten minutes he
saw them engaged in a battle Of
words. He believes Lord Raglan gave
the order in good faith but that In
stead of rushing in the cavalry, the
infantry should have been sent In to
maneuver.
After the Crimean war, Mr. Cutting
went to India with the British troops
and passed through the mutiny. III
marched from Delhi to Lucknow and
fought In that famous siege. Once be
, was wounded. He passed through
Egypt and was IN active service IN
South Africa in 1857. In June 1851
he received his discharge from tht
British army, and In 1872 he came q