The British Expedition to the CrimeaRussell, William Howard, Sir
History
The British Expedition to the Crimea
Russell, William Howard, Sir
Crimean War, 1853-1856
Through the clouds of smoke we could see their sabres flashing as they
rode between the guns, cutting down the gunners as they stood. We saw
them riding through, returning, after breaking through a column of
Russians, and scattering them like chaff, when the flank fire of the
batteries on the hill swept them down. Wounded men and dismounted
troopers flying towards us told the sad tale. At the very moment a
regiment of Lancers was hurled upon their flank. Colonel Shewell, of the
8th Hussars, whose attention was drawn to them by Lieutenant Phillips,
saw the danger, and rode his few men straight at them. It was as much as
our Heavy Cavalry Brigade could do to cover the retreat of the
miserable remnants of that band of heroes as they returned to the place
they had so lately quitted in all the pride of life. At thirty-five
minutes past eleven not a British soldier, except the dead and dying,
was left in front of these Muscovite guns. The Heavy Cavalry, in columns
of squadrons, moved slowly backwards, covering the retreat of the broken
men. The ground was left covered with our men and with hundreds of
Russians, and we could see the Cossacks busy searching the dead. Our
infantry made a forward movement towards the redoubts after the cavalry
came in, and the Russian infantry in advance slowly retired towards the
gorge; at the same time the French cavalry pushed forward on their
right, and held them in check, pushing out a line of skirmishers, and
forcing them to withdraw their guns.
Captain Nolan was killed by the first shot fired, as he rode in advance
of the first line. Lord Cardigan received a lance thrust through his
clothes.
While the affair was going on, the French cavalry made a most brilliant
charge at the battery on our left, and cut down the gunners; but they
could not get off the guns, and had to retreat with the loss of two
captains and fifty men killed and wounded out of their little force of
200 Chasseurs.
The Russians from the redoubt continued to harass us, and the First
Division were ordered to lie down in two lines. The Fourth Division,
covered by the rising ground, and two regiments of French infantry which
had arrived in the valley, followed by artillery, moved onwards to
operate on the Russian right, already threatened by the French cavalry.
The Russians threw out skirmishers to meet the French skirmishers, and
the French contented themselves with keeping their position. At eleven
A.M., the Russians, feeling alarmed at our steady advance and at the
symptoms of our intention to turn or cut off their right, retired from
No. 1 redoubt, which was taken possession of by the allies. At fifteen
minutes past eleven they abandoned redoubt No. 2, blowing up the
magazine; and, as we still continued to advance, they blew up and
abandoned No. 3 at forty-five minutes past eleven; but, to our great
regret, we could not prevent their taking off seven out of nine guns in
the works.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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