Year: 1868

received altogether in this fight less than fourteen
sabercus but he lived nevertheless lived observe,
to be returned slightly wounded and to find that his
name, though most warmly and persstently recon-
mended by scare kept out Of the public dispatches


Finally. torn through and through by the Three
Hundred, assailed on flank and front by the squad
saw preparing to support the charge OF scar
lett the Two Thousand Russian cavalry made ready
to fly:


LESS and less obstructed and less closely locked than
before the melley hrong that had been jammed INTO
a closely locked by the last charge OF the lnnsk-


ngs continued to heave slowly upward against the slope
of tho hill Presently the Russians who had hitherto
maintained their array caused or suffered their horses 70
back little The movement slight, but close fol-
lowed by signs. The ranks ysbly loosened In the
next instant, the whole column was breaking. In the
next all the horsemen composing 1t had dispersed INTO
one immense herd, and-s hanging together as closely
as they could without hinderance to their ght-Were
gaoplng up the hillside and retreang by the way they
had come"


We come now to the Charge of tho Light Brigade
When Scarlett's Three Hundred had put to flight the
Russian Two Thousand, Lord Raglan scanning from
the Hights of the Chersonese the whole ground saw
that the moment had come to recover the Causeway
Hights and the captured English guns His infantry
had not yet found its way to the held but he
Judged that the thin line of Russians which held the
redoubts would prove soft to the touch even OF
cavalry. OF the cavalry under Lord Lucan's orders
there was still the light Brigade and portion OF the
dragons which had not been in action. Lord Rag
Ian sent to Lord Lucan this written order:


"Cavay to advance and take advantage of any oppor
tunty to recover the Hghts. They will be supported by
the infantry which have been ordered to advance on TWO
fronts"


This clear and peremptory direction Lord Lucan
- 10 ITa Brigade
few hundred yards, halted it, and waited Precious
moments were passing Lord Raglan, watching
from his hight in vain to his order obeyed beheld
the enemy plainly meaning to profit by the delay,
and carry away the guns he had captured in the re-
doubts Horses with lassO-tackle were sent by the
Russians up the causeway TO drag away the trophies
Lord Raglan resolved to dispatch another order. lie
dictated to Gen. Airey these words:


"Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly
TO the front and try to prevent the enemy carrying away
the guns. Troop OF horse-artillery may accompany.
French cavalry is on your left Immediate


eignedJ r. ArRET."


Could an order be plaineri Yet this is the order
an order in wrting-which Lord Lucan chose so to
misconstrue as to bring on the disaster the ruinous
and brilliant disaster"-to the Light Brigade.
| He who bore this order from Lord Raglan TO Lord
Lucan was Capt. Nolan-a name imperishably
associated with the sad and glorious history of this
| day.


without having had their Observance quIckened,
at the time, by any forebodng sentiments, men
still remember how swiftly the messenger sped
on his errand. That acclivity Of some 700 or 800
feet which divided our Headquarter staff from tho
plain Iof Baacava below was OF lust such degree
of steepness that while rider Of merely ordinary eX-
pereuce and boldness would like to go down t at a
high rate Of speed and while few OF those going slowly
would refrain from somewhat easing the abruptness
Of the path by less zgzag descent the ground
still was PERCEPTIONS 10 defy the rapid purpose
OF n horseman who had accustomed himself, In such
things to approach the extreme OF what is possible The
special skill gained by such trials with the bodness
needed for using IT, Nolan had In full measure; and he
was armed with cogcAt words for the man whom he had
brought himself to condemn the obstrucor Of cavalry
enterprise Straight swift and misunderstanding as 1t
wcre prcy-ho swooped angering down into tho
plain where Lord Lucan aud ms squadrons were posted


Between the sending of these two orders, thirty or
forty minutes elapsed. Let us try without the help
of plan, which would show tho position at glance,
and puts Lord Lucan forever in the wrongto under
stand the position.


We will put everything ont Of view except the
ground which inclosed the pathway Of the Light
Brigade. The ground oyer which it actually rode
was called the North Valley, extending mile and
quarter in length from east TO west On the south
side of It, the valley was bOrdcred by the Causeway
Hights over which a road passed and which with It's
three redOubts and their guns bad been captured and
still was held by the Russians. They held it with
infantry and with guns On the north side the val
ley was bordercd by the Fedioukno Hills, and they
ao were in the possession Of the Russians with ill.,
fantry and guns Between the two ranges thus each
of them inviting attack, there uhappily lag asmooth
valley, which offered itself TO those horsomen who
might either be weary of fe OF compelled by
l., aalf f-1a gtTug N
On tho east of the valley Russian battery of twelve
gnns was I'm position On the west. out OF range and
waiting orders, was drawn up the Light Brigade un-
der the Earl of Cardigan. Therefore, here was a
valley, obong in shape, q mile and quarter IN
length the hills on two sides and ono end OF 1t
crowned and covered with the enemys guns and
troops.


If words have any meaning. Lord Raglan's orders
TO the cavalry taken together-or taken singly,
meant: Advance along the Causeway Hights-the
south border of the valey-and reoapture the English
guns in possession Of the enemy" Lord Lucan, In a
dispatch addressed to Lord Raglan Oct. 27two days
only after the battle-admits and demonstrates that
he 80 understood it. He writes Being instructed
to make rapid advance to our front TO pr1eRt ne
enemy carrying array the guns lost By the Turkish troops
in the morning, ordered, &c"


To obey that order, to advance with the Light Bri-
gade along the CauseWay Hgnts against the hehu VI
the slender Russian column that held them subject to
no fire except such as that slender head OF column
could dever-was q feasible and fit task for cavalry
TO attempt. All agree on that.


But what happenedi When Lord Lucan read the
second order he broke ont in angry criticism against
it: seeing he declares its mpracticabilIty for any
useful purpose whatever and the consequent great
necessary risk and loss to be incurred" When he thus
passed hostile judgment on the order Of his com
mander to whom the whole field of battle was open,
L a.d L .,nn1, .tonh ON a snnt ,nhancn hn cnnld geo