The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
In the following account I describe, to the best of my power, what
occurred under my own eyes, and I state the facts which I heard from men
whose veracity was unimpeachable. A certain feeling existed in some
quarters that our cavalry had not been properly handled since they
landed in the Crimea, and that they had lost golden opportunities from
the indecision and excessive caution of their leaders. It was said that
our cavalry ought to have been manoeuvred at Bouljanak in one way or
in another, according to the fancy of the critic. It was affirmed, too,
that the Light Cavalry were utterly useless in the performance of one of
their most important duties--the collection of supplies for the
army--that they were "above their business, and too fine gentlemen for
their work;" that our horse should have pushed the flying enemy after
the battle of the Alma; and, above all, that at Mackenzie's farm first,
and at the gorge near Kamara on the 7th October, they had been
improperly restrained from charging, and had failed in gaining great
successes, which would have entitled them to a full share of the laurels
of the campaign, owing solely to the timidity of the officer in command.
The existence of this feeling was known to many of our cavalry, and they
were indignant and exasperated that the faintest shade of suspicion
should rest upon any of their corps. With the justice of these
aspersions they had nothing to do, and perhaps the prominent thought in
their minds was that they would give such an example of courage to the
world, if the chance offered itself, as would shame their detractors for
ever.
[Sidenote: CHARACTER OF RUSSIAN LANDSCAPE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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