GENERAL BAKER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 176, 24 August 1878, Page 4

GENERAL BAKER.

At the famous Savage Club dinner, after Baker's health had been drunk, Captain Fred. Burnaby, author of tbe " Ride Through Khiva," made tho following speech in replying to the toast of " The Visitors." After thanking them for the compliment, he said : Perhaps it may be permitted to one who had the honor of beiog present when one of the most glorious deeds tbat has ever been mentioned ia military annals was performed under tbe leadership of General Biker, to say a few words about him, It was a cold grey morning, oa the first day of 1878, when tbat distinguished officer found himself in command of a very small force of 2,400 men, protecting tbe retreat of the array of Chakir Pasha. Against him were 30,000 men of theßussian Guard, the choicest soldiers of the Czar. The sun was just rising, when a soldier on outpost duty came galloping in with the news that the enemy were advancing to attack. General Baker had asked for reinforcements the previous day and they had been refused, the answer being that it was impossible to give them. He had again written for them, the only answer was " You must hold on," and the last information we had from the commanding officer was that 30,000 Russians were advancing to attack us. I need hardly tell you what were the feelings of individuals there who, like myself, bore no part in the military proceedings, but were simply spectators. It seemed to me that the odds were not merely a guinea to a shilling, but a shilling to thousands of pounds. The only man tbere who was perfectly cool and calm, perfectly cool and eelf-possessed, was the man who bad made up his miud the night before to hold out until every soldier there, including General Baker,

waa dead. We saw them coming on, their long lines extending from right to left, advancing along the road, and covering our snow-capped ground. They came closer ; they brought seventeen guns against ou r position, where we had but seven, and those small ones. They came on, and when they were within 400 or 500 yards, the whole Russian Guard broke nut with one uoanimous cheer of "Hurrah!" We hpard their cheer as they closed around our position, overlapping us to the right and left, advancing against our centre. We feared wo should be forced to retreat, when General Baker turned at that moment to his trumpeter, and said, " Sound the Turkish cry — the cry fo God ! " Theu, as if from ons throat, thfre re-echoed through the mountains the shout of ihe 2.400, " Al!ah-il-Aliah ! " It was a grand feeling at that moment—a sensation worth living for — to hear those men, poor raw levies at the time, cheering back in defiance of those 30,000 warriors, tho choicest troops of the Czar. General Bttker had sent again to ask if it were possible to give him reinforcements, and the answer came baek: — "You must hold on; the whole safety of the army depends on you." At that moment we saw our left retiring, driven back to the crest of another bill, and it was absolutely necessary tbat General Baker should retire his right from the vicinity of the rapidly advancing enemy. This was an exceedingly difficult military operation, yet it was performed with the greatest accuracy and care of the men. Between eleven and twelve, just a. the sun was at its height, the Russians rested for an hour. General Baker eeut his aide-de-camp to inquire if he could not have reinforcements or, at least, two or three guns. The message tbat came back was — " General, all is lost ! Chakir Pasha haß retired, and has deserted you. You must fall back." Now came t!in selfpnssessi -n and the generalship of a true commander. Nin- ty-nine men out of tt hundred would have thought all was lost, but our general said, "No; my orders have been to bold the position, and until every man is killed, I will remain here." The day wore on, and the Russians again gathered to the attack. Gfnenil Baker stood there looking at his watch. Would that day ever finish, or would (he sun ever go down ? While we looked at our watches, the Turks looked at the great clock of nature hung high in the distant horizon. Again the Russians came on in dense columns to assail our last line, but s'ill General Baker remained afc the hsad of his troops, exposed to the hail of bullets, standing in the most dangerous position, encouraging his men. He had confidence in his men, and I must say the Turks had confidence in their General. It was 5 o'clock, and the sun was going down, when the Russians again attacked us. Ifc was a critical moment. We could see the infantry and guns of Chakir Pasha hurrying along in retreat, and if the Russians had succeeded in breaking our thin line, the whole of the force must have been lost. The Russians could see them also, and they advanced cheering — no. now 30 000 men, for they had lost more than 2000 men in the fighting. Again their cheers were met with the Turkish cry. The Russians came up the hill broke afc the continuous fire, and then the Turks, as they retired, charged down, and drove them into the village below. Ali was over, the day was won, and slowly the general retired down e plain. There he reviewed . his small force, smaller now than ever, for some one-t; .ird had bit the dust. But the rest cheered as pluckily as ever, and were only disgusted that they had to leave their position. General Baker addressed a few words to the men, telling them how bravely they had fought for Turkey and the Sultan ; but they replied with one voice, " Ifc is not we who fought well ; ifc is you, our general. Ifc is not our bravery that has carried us through, but your skilful generalship."