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    Interesting Episodes In The March, Durin...

    An Incident in the Reserve . —When the fourth division first heard the roar of cannon it was at some twelve miles' distance from the scene of action . Double quick march was instantly commanded , and when at length it hecame necessary to take a moment ' s repose , the sick and exhausted were ordered to step out of the ranks . Although the whole division might have been comprised under the latter category , but one man presented himself , and a drop of brandy having refreshed Mm , he retook his place . " When at length the division arrived on the field the action was over , but that hy no means detracts from the meed of praise it has earned .

    Cannon and Prisoners . —Three cannon ( brass 32-pounders ) fell into the hands of the British . Two general officers were taken prisoners—one in the redoubt by the 77 th , the other after the action by Captain Richards of the Artillery . One was sent on hoard the Britannia , the other on board the Agamemnon , and an officer of the latter ship-states that a " pretty specimen of a general he is . He is more distressed about the loss of his uniform coat and epaulettes than anything else , and is constantly -worrying about tfcem , and repeatedly has asked for a flag of truce to be sent to Sebastopol for his things . "

    Menschikoff ' s Carriage . — Prince Menschikoff ' s carriage and coachman were taken , and have been sent to Constantinople ; the former is publicly exposed at Tophane . In the carriage were found the full particulars of the English army , their strength , & c , showing how well the spies in the English camp must have done their treacherous work . Menschikloff ' s Opinion of English Soldiers . —In part of a despatch found in . his carriage Menschikqff says : —" Although the English are invincible at sea , they are not to be feared on land ; but the French ¦ wi ll cause a heavy struggle . The allied armies are not , however , to be feared , as the fortified camp can ¦ withstand any attacking force three weeks , and certainly half as long as Sebastopol itself . " '

    Menschikoff Uearlt a Prisoxer . ^— It is confidently reported that Menschikoff was suffering severely from illness during the battle ; so much so that lie had to be supported . There are also reports of his having been wounded—one account says in the feet another , in the hands . During the retreat he was in a square formed by a brigade posted on the road from Kalamita , when the English and French cavalry broke the square , and he did not escape without difficulty , owing his safety to the swiftness of his horse .

    Menschikoff Attempts Suicide . —It is said that after the victory of Alma , Menschikoff attempted to cut his throat , but was prevented by some officers near him . Menschikoff's notion op what the Battle was to be . —At the commencement of the action many ladies were on the heights . Prince Menschikoff had given them to understand that on the part of the Russians it would be a mere review—that the allies would not be able to meet his heavy artillery , and would retreat . He had a firm opinion that he could hold his position for three weeks , and had written to tell the emperor so .

    The Russians -afticr the ' Battle . —Several of the wounded Russians ' -fired at our wounded who were lying disabled near them . One man deliberate ^ fired at and wounded an , artilleryman who had just given him some water to quench his burning thirst . An indignant guardsman , instantly clubbed the scoundrel ; but , on the whole , thoy appeared thankful for the attention shown them—as well they might . Some of our poor fellows seeme d jealous of this good treatmont , and appeared to think themselves neglected . To ono man I observed , as a consolation , that , under similar circumstances , the Russians would have shown him equal kindness . " Devil a bit , " aaid the man ; and I believe he was right . Sin Colin Camt-bkij , and the Highlanders . — The Guards and Highlanders dashed into the redoubt . Sir Colin Campbell was at , the head of the latter , far ahead of his men , shouting " We ' ll hao none but Highland bonnets here : " Lut tho fSunrrlR nroasofl n « ni ^ nnu * land bonnets hero ; " but the Guards pressed on abreast

    , and claimed with tho 88 rd Regiment the honour of capturing a cannon—an honourable rivalry , and flattering to both corps . The Russians who resisted wore killed or scattered , and , throwing nwny their knapsacks nnd muskots , even their boots , tho remnant dispersed over tho country , Capture of a Frionoh Oiwioibu . —Lord Raglan atatos ia hia despatch ; " I lament to say that Lieutenant-Colonel Lagondio , who waa attached to my headquarters by the Emperor of the French , foil into tho enemy ' s hands on tho 19 th , on his return from Princo Napoleon ' s division , whore ho had obligingly gone at my request with n communication to 1 ub Imperial Highness . " It Booma that TJoutonnnt-Colonol Lagondio won shortuightocl , nnd galloped up to a Rnsnian regiment , mistaking it for un English ono . La Preeso titatos that Colonel Lagoudio has effected hia escape , and rojoined tho Eng-Hah army ,

    Tuk "MoitALia" of tiik British Tmoopb . —Lord Raglan beam high toatimony to tho spirit which provalls in tho British army . IIo says : — " I cannot omit to make known tho ohcorfulncHtt with which tho regimental oflicora of tho army have submitted to moat unusual privations . My anxiety to bring into tho country every cavalry and infantry Boldior who waa available prevented , mo from embarking their baggage animals , an < l those officers have with thorn at thin moment nothing but wlmt thoy can carry , and they , equally with the

    , are without tents or covering of any kind . I have not heard a single murmur . All seem impressed with tho necessity of the arrangement ; and they feel , I trust , satisfied that I shall bring up their bat horses at the earliest moment . The conduct of the troops has been admirable . " When it is considered that they have suffered severely from sickness during the last two months ; that , since they landed in the Crimea , they have been exposed to the extremes of wet , cold , and heat ; that the daily toil to provide themselves ¦ with water has been excessive ; and that they have been pursued by cholera to the very battle-field , I do not g . o beyond the truth in declaring that they merit the highest commendation .

    The Troops Actually Engaged . —The order of the divisions from right to left was as follows : —On the extreme right were the brigades of Sir De L . Evans ' s division ; next came Sir George Brown ' s division ; and on the left of all were the Guards . The 3 rd division was- in support . The 4 th division was in reserve . It will thus be seen that little more than 14 , 000 of onr infantry were actually engaged with the enemy ! Two divisions never fifed a shot . The victory was woii by tlie Guards , Highlanders , Light and 2 nd divisions , opposed to at least 20 , 000 Russians , and the number of

    French who disposed of the other 20 , 000 of the Russian army was in like proportion with the bulk of their army . The critical moment was at the advance of the 1 st division , and that advance was a sight never to be forgotten . As they marched up the hill the lines of the black bearskins were barely wavering ; they were nearly as straight as if on parade , and the light division complained that the men of the Guards were losing time in dressing up as if on parade ground , when they should have been supporting the regiments exposed to such crushing fire .

    " While the Guards were running up they fell fast , and at last the L > uke of Cambridge , anxious at the loss . of one regiment , seemed inclined to retire his men only for a moment to re-form , but was diverted from doing so by the advice of Sir Colin Campbell . They continued the advance therefore , swallowed up in smoke , and rent through every instant by shot , and after a momentary check , rushed into the battery . The Grenadiers and Scots Fusiliers contended eagerly for the honour of being first in , and still more eagerly for the honour of capturing the beautiful brass gun . The fire of the Highlanders and its effect , and their appearance at the other , side of the hill , coupled with their deadly volley , caused the instantaneous rout of the enemy .

    The Two . Armies , —What They had Each to do . —There is this very peculiar feature about the action- — tbat the English had the very thing to do which they alone could have done , and that the French had to do work for which they were particularly suited . Ours it was to face steadily the fire of tremendous batteries ; to advance with a rush , steady and sure , and resistless as tlie swell of the ocean , against a wall of fire and solid masses of infantry ; to struggle on , at one time overwhelmed by crashing volleys of grape and musketry , a . t another disorganised by round shot , winning the ground from death at every pace ; to form tranquilly and readily when thrown into momentary disorder , and at last to nail victory to our colours by the never-failing

    British bayonet . It is said that several French officers have declared , since they viewed the ground , that they thought thoir men would not have been able to carry tho position as wo did . General Canrobert , in a moment of enthusiasm , exclaimed to one of our Generals , at tho cloao of tho day , " All I would ask " of fortune now is that I might command a corps of English troops for three abort weeks ; I could then die happy I" On the other hand , tho X ' ronoh had to scale the sides of steep ravines covered with dense masses of infantry , supported by clouds of skirmishers ; they had to clumber up rocky steeps defended by swarms of sharpshooters ; they had

    to gain n most difficult position with quickness and alacrity . Delay would have been fatal ; slowness of movement woul d have lost us tho battle , for without the French on tho heights on our right wo must have boon driven across tho Alma , as thoy would have boon swept into tho volley had wo failed in carrying our batteries . Their energetic movements , their rapid flamoliko spread from cvng to crag , thoii- coasoloss fusillndo of tho deadly rifle , wore all astonishing , nnd paralysed tho enemy completely . We , porhnpa , could never have mado fluch a . rapid advance , or havo got over bo much ground in tho same time .

    Turn Ckntpk ov vuk Fiqjir . --The struggle was preeminently liotwocn tho British infantry and tho Russian artillery . This was tho contro of tho Russian position , to which was opposed tho English division . Sir O . Brown , a good judge , declares that in tho Peninsula * struggle tho English had encountered no such position . Tho Russian artillery waa concontrutod in tho contro ; consequently , tho firo which encountered tho French was chiefly tliat of inuHkotry . Tiuo Final Ci « auo . k . ~ Tho moat formidable , post of all was that which tho Guards and Highlander !} woro advancing to attack . Ah I havo said , it wan nn entrenched earthwork , mounting sovon long brass 82 ami 24-pounrtcrs , and occupied by about 2000 Infantry ; while n . force of nearly 0000 , on tho ri « ing ground bohind , protected it BtiU moro . Before rushing- to tho attack the wholes division lay down in ono of tho Russian trouclioa to load and close up . While hero tho lion

    the hill at the batteries . They were met by a tremendous fire , which stretched many of them on the ground to rise no more . Yet in they went without returning a shot . The enemy in the battery then ceased firing , reserving it to be dealt with deadly effect when the Guards closed ; but the regiments behind on the hill kept up an incessant discharge of musketry upon the advancing line . Still cheering and steady , the Guards and bonnie Scots moved forward , keeping their line , reserving their fire , and filling up gaps as fast as they were made . In a few minutes they were within twenty yards of the work , when from every part of it gleamed forth a murderous discharge . The line of Guards , which was diTectly facing the guns , seemed to stagger and reel •* . *! ,. „ 1 . 211 „* a . \ 1 ii . n- » t- _ ir

    Major Macdonald , the duke ' s aide-de-camp , with the greatest courage and coolness scrambled out of the trench on horseback to reconnoitre the enemy ' s positio n The instant he showed himself a shower of balls and musket bullets was directed against him . One of the former struck his charger full in the chest , and hurled both horse and rider to the ground . Fortunately Major Macdonald was only slightly hurt by the fall , and some officers who saw the occurrence rushed to Ms assistance and extricated him from his mangled steed . With great coolness the major mounted a horse wlrich was offered him , and rode back to the trench uninjured , though the bullets were whistling aTound him in all directions . Instantly afterwards the division rose and made a dash un ¦

    under the fearful volley . There was an instant ' s pause , while the duke rushed to the front , and gave the command to fire . The three battalions raised their firelocks and discharged them with one stunning report , and then lowering to the charge , with one wild cheer , dashed over the works * and were in the battery . The Russians retreated upon the hill in confusion and dismay , carrying off all the guns but one , which the Guards took . They gave the enemy no time to rally , but pursued them up tlie hill , where the supporting Russian regiments were trying to check the rout . The latter , animated by the example of their officers , attempted to rally , and opened a file fire , but the spirit of their men Avas utterly gone .

    The Guards came up , and , forming line exactly as if on review , commenced , in return , a murderous file fire . Nothing could stand before it . The Russian lines seemed to melt away , till at last all fled in confusion . The Highlanders , who had advanced to the left of the Guards , behaved with the same distinguished courage . They never fired a shot until close upon th « Russian regiments , when they gave them a volley and charged . The enemy fell back , but at a little distance rallied , and , lowering their bayonets , advanced a few feet , as if to charge . With a cheer of joy the Scots accepted the challenge , and charged at them , but the mere aspect of the Highlanders was enough , and throwing off their packs the Russians fled .

    The Russian Positiox . —The Russian position was enormously strong . Fancy a gradually sloping country , without a single object to protect advancing troops , ending in a river sweeping round high cliffs of earth , in the centre of which , about three miles from the sea , wan an amphitheatre of hills ; this amphitheatre commanded the principal fords over the river and the open countrv beyond ; it was strengthened by an earthwork with ten or twelve guns , and a permanent battery of twelve guns more . The great mistake of the Russians consisted in not sufficiently fortifying the heights to their left , which might have been rendered exceedingly strong . Indeed , it in the general feeling that such a position held by French or English troops would have been almost impregnable . The French having turned tho Russian flank and held tho heights , our troops advanced steadily under

    a most tremendous lire from tlie batteries . -They broke in crossing the river , and tho light division rushed up the slope without pausing . Two regiments—it is impossible to reconcile tho conflicting accounts , each regiment saying that tho other gave way--recoiled beneath tho tremendous fire of tho Russian batteries . This part of the battle is much criticised by somo of the military authorities , who ( Iccluro that our troops were exposed to almost inevitable destruction ; tho earthwork was , however , triumphantly carried , nnd the battle decided by an ndmimblo movement of the Highland Brigade , under Sir Colin Campbell , to whom every one assigns tho decisive movement which scoured complete victory ; but tlie slaughter horo was terrific , Tho oldest generals declare that in no battle heretofore fought havo so many de « iil been heaped up in ono spot .

    Avrisu Tina Batti-m . —Aa wo advanced up the slo ^ e tho indications of camngo becamo moro marked , and tlw nearer wo camo to tho fatal battery tho thiclior woro our noblo dead . On a granny slopo on thut hill Hide , with tho soft September suimhino . looking on them out of tho cloudless hoavoiiH , lay , with their faces to tho sky , C < il . Chester and four of his gallant oflk-ors , two more lying " fow yards distant . One could not look on thoir cnlm , still faces without thinkintr of tho blank thoj' would

    makn « t English firoudes . Thoy lay bur ied together liko eoldiors may on that lono Crimean hill sido ; It ia a holy spot . now . Thoy marched right , up to that tonil / lo battery , through that HuljiluirouBmisit of dritfh , did Hiot-fl galliint rcgiuiuutH , ns steadily « h though it had been oil a purudo , and laid clown thoir young lives for motlicr England as cheerfully nd thoy would havo lain down to rest . Thickly among thorn lay tlio wounclod and dyintf of tho foomon , proving how dearly thoy hud sold their gallant lives . The deeds of vulowr told of its performed

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 14, 1854, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14101854/page/4/