THE "SIX HUNDRED."

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 100, 3 October 1877, Page 3

THE "SIX HUNDRED."

The following description oi the charge of the Six Hundred at Balaklava is given mHa story m the " Scottish American," entitled " One of the Six Hundred": . Edcoiliiig before the glorious I charge of our Heavy Brigade,- the Russian horse and foot had retired into a narrow gorge at the head of the long green valley. There 30 pieces of cannon Were; in position, and m rear 1 df thdnl were formed six solid (JQlumns of Cavalry and six of infaritryj while other dense masses occupied- the slopes beyond. Notwithstanding this formidable array j m an almost unassailable position, a message was received by Lord Lucan from Captain Lewis Edward Nolan, of the Fifteenth Hussars, undoubtedly one of the bravest of the brave, to the effect that the Light Brigade was to carry those 30 pieces of cann on. Another account says that he simply pointed to the guns with his sword and said, "We should take them," and that the motion was taken for an order. Ere many minutes were passed poor Nolan paid the full penalty of this misconception or error m judgment, if error it was. Perilous, rash and desperate though the attempt, Lord Lucan reluctantly ordered the Earl of Cardigan to advance with his brigade, and cheerfully we obeyed the startling order. We numbered only six hundred and seven horsemen, officers included. Each officer took up^the words m succ'ession — " The brigade will advance. First squadron, march, trot, gallop !" And then for the first time, .as I led my squadron on, did' I4)ecome aware how thirsty we unconsciously become when under fire. My lips were quite baked, yet the morning air was moist and 1 cool. We had before us a mile and a, half to gallop over level and ope"n ground, encumbefed here and there by the dead and wounded men and horses of the previous encounter ; but these we swept over iri , our advance towards where the black and grim artillery stood, with round and gaping muzzle(s,--before the solid array of Kusslan horse and fopfc 2 * those dark columns m ldng gray capotes, rtll cross-belted, with fixed bayonets glittering m the sun ; those darker and less distinct clouds of horsemen, whose forest of lances, ' sword-blades, and brighter appointments, glittered and flashed from among' their unnumbered masses. On and on we rode, and faces lushed red, and hearts beat wildly— while the Earl, brave as every Englishgentleman, should be, with. . all his -fault of temper — lead us on with brandished sword. Every hand was firm on the bridle, every grasp was firm on sword, every knee was was pressed to the Baddle flaps, every rowel was tinged with blood ; 6d holster to holster, boot to boot, the squadrons were pressing on. " Charge ! " escaped me, almost before the time, and then the maddened horses rushed on at-f ull speed, with long invigorating, strides. Our lances wer"e all unslung and m the rest; the banneroles fluttering before the horses' heads and outstretched necks', from which the manes were floating backward, like smoke. We were soon within the line of fire. Like the thunder of heaven the park artillery shook the air, . as cannon, mortars, and rifles opened like* a firery hell on' front and flanks at once. An iron shower of round shot and grape, shells and rockets, with a tempest of conical rifle bullets, whizzed past our ears, or tore through the horses and men, and down they went on right and left at every stride* Struck on the breast by a shell the gallant Nolan fell back on his saddle with a wild and harrowing cry, as his horse, swept round and bore his- body to the rear, with his feet still m: the' stirrups, vindicating, even m death, his reputation as one of England's noblest horsemen. Man after" man*, horse after horse r are now going down, thick and fast, and shrieks arid prayers and curses rise* together to Heaven ; but the rest close m from the flank/ and firmer, denser,- wilder,- and more resolute than ever, we ride the race 1 of death ! On, sSnd on yet, speeds snorting, lances rising and falling,' pennons fluttering, and sabres flashing, m the sunshine; " Steady, lads, steady !" cried Lionel Beverley, as as another shower' of grape tore through the squadrons, and many HSore went down,- though' some of i\e horses remained riderless m the ranks, and galloped mechanically on. For a moment, amid the' confusion, I saw the 1 Colonel for the last time", as he led vs — =that noble' heart, that polished gentleman and gallant lancer. He wafs deadly paley he was mortally wounded m the left side. His life blood was ebbing j but his sword was still uplifted, and a light was flashing iir his eyes, which already could see "the glories and. the terrors of the unknown world." " Close up gentlemen and cpnirade»! Keep your

horses well m hand ; but spur on — charge and charge home ! Hurrah !" A ball hummed past — a twenty-four pound shot, apparently — and where was Lionel Beverly? Doubled vp } a dead and ghastly heap, under a dying and mangled charger. The next who fell was my friend Wilford. If he waa somewhat of A dancl/ m England, there was no want of pluck m him here. Leading his troop he fell close by me, and I leaped my horse over him as he rolled pavst, clutching a mouthful of grass and earth, his features awfully convulsed, and his limbs trembling m their death agony. Poor Fred "Wilford ! On aild on yet! Many a familiar face is gone now ; the gaps . are fearful, and men who were on the flanks now find themselves m the centre. On we still gallop towards that mouth of fire — oilj and fear- ! lessly. The best blood df the three ' kingdoms is m our ranks, all well and nobly mounted : the flowe"rof our gaTtdnt cavalry — on yet like a" whirlwind, the hearty British "Hurrah! hurrah ! hurrah !" riuginginour ears ; the heart's bldod seemed mounting to the brain', andiiow we are upon them ! - Now the* red flashing muzzles of* the cannon are passed ; the gunners are throwing themselves under the wheels and timbers, where we cut the"m down and spear or pin them to the' turf. Others -are rushing for shelter to their squares , of infantry, tinder, whose rifles they lie flat and securely^ while sheets of lead are tearing through us! Oh, the superlative bitterness of that moment, when with all our horses blown, I look back and see that we are without supports T The guns are taken— th& gunners almost annihilated ; our horses are breathless. We have no aid, and no resource but to ride back, under such a concentrated fire ad troops were never before exposed to. " It's all vp — threes about — retire ! " A single trumpet feebly gives the call, andawaywego. Shot, m the heart perhaps my Arab steed sank down gently beneathjmej but I received a severe blow from something, I know not what, the splinter of a shell, probably, which crushed my Lancer cap, and almost stunned me. I must' have remounted myself mechanically, for when we hacked our way back and reached the rear I was riding a bay horse of the Eleventh Hussars, the saddle, and holsters of which were slimy withjblood. The horse fell with me soon after, as it had been diseinbowled by a grape-shot. Of all these glorious regiments who formed the Light Brigade there came back but 198 men; many of these were wounded and many dismounted ; and when the rolls were called over at nightfall, it was found that 157 were dead, 119 were wounded, and that 330 fine horses were killed, leaving more than)l3o dragoons Unaccounted for. I bad not the heart to number the 40 men who represented the two squadrons which followed Lionel Beverley. There, on the green sward of that 'Valley of Death, lay our gallant colonel, cut m two by a round shot ; Travers, torn to pieces by a grape shot ; Scriven, slain by three lance wojinds ; Howard, '" the only son of his mother, and she was a widow ;" Frank Jocelyn, our old sergeantmajor, and an incredible number of others killed. : The flower 1 of our lancers were these, and Among them my faithful follower, Pitblade, with a rifle bullet m his leg. Hot, breathless, "stiff, sbr"e and covered with bruises, I now discovered m the melee — though I was unconscious of having struck a blow — there were, at least 20 notches m the blade of my sword, that I had received three," very severe lance prods, two sword cuts, and that my uniform was torn to rage. When we halted to girth up I threw myself on the rich grass of the valley, a*nd, taking off my battered lancer cap, felt the cool breeze most grateful as it came front the distant sea. Then I buried my face among the verdure 1 , less for coolness than from excess of weakrietß's, afnd to 1 hide the sbTrow that e'ensmned me for the' losses we' had sustained. From a' distance csme the cheers of the Heavey Brigade, avenging us and completing the work we 1 hala begun. Then the fierce" excitement — the devil thalt had possessed me — passed away, and I thotfght only oi the dyirig" and the", dead.