The Cause of the Charge of BalaclavaMorley, Thomas
History
The Cause of the Charge of Balaclava
Morley, Thomas
Balaklava, Battle of, Balaklava, Ukraine, 1854; Crimean War, 1853-1856; Morley, Thomas, 1831 or 1832-1906
Major Peel, 11th Hussars, was in charge of the command, consisting of
three squadrons viz., 8th Hussars, 11th Hussars, and 17th Lancers. Now
General Sir Drury C. Lowe, K.C.B., commanded the 17th Lancers. I was
sergeant of the rear guard. The main body were near the house
dismounted. The Land Transport Corps were at the gate the only entrance
leading into the house. The rear of the 17th Lancers were within 40
yards of the gate just around a bend of the road. The Russian Infantry
fired a volley into the Transport Corps I saw them running from their
wagons, some of them wounded. I formed a line across the road and
charged down to the Russians who had not time to reload. When they saw
us they jumped over a stone wall on the left of the gate into the steep
woods. We might have captured some of them but their fire had killed a
mule in one of the transport wagons, blocking up the gate. The remainder
of the wagons were in the road leading to the Woronzoff road which the
main body had to retire upon. I at once placed videttes upon the all the
roads. Sir Drury Lowe rode up to me and asked “where are the Russians?”
as I was watching the place where they had jumped over the wall. I told
him and he said “Come further back, they will shoot you. You have done
perfectly right.” There can be no exaggeration in this statement as Sir
Drury Low is still living. Sergeant-Major J. Nunnerly, late 17th
Lancers, was a sergeant with the squadron and aware of the occurrence, as
must be every survivor, in spite of Colonel Benson’s discrediting my
statement by saying he knew of no such occurrence.
I wish to repeat the statement in my former application that “I embarked
at the commencement of the war. I served under Lord Cardigan at Devna
and Yenebazaar at the time when disease prevailed to a great extent.
During the time I had the honour to be selected as Corporal of a letter
party stationed at Varna. The whole of the dispatches of the army were
at times conveyed by this party, and I was compelled in consequence of
the sickness of the men to ride day and night without any rest to set a
good example to the men under my charge and keep out of their minds that
too much fatigue would kill them.”
Allow me to add that this was Lord Raglan’s letter party and that I
continually reported at his headquarters to receive the dispatches. The
party consisted of myself, and Privates Wm. Purvis, P. Murphy, Burkemore,
and H. Gallimore. All these went into hospital with cholera and
Gallimore died. Wm. Purvis is still living at 105, Rutter Street,
Walsall.
In conclusion allow me to say that I served twenty-two years in the 17th
Lancers and Yeomanry. I have only one son old enough for army service
and he is Sergeant-Instructor in the British Army.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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