A History of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)

by Sir J. W. Fortescue

Just as the Heavy Brigade was moving off, the Russian cavalry came up in great force over the Causeway heights, full on the flank of the Heavies, but lending their own flank to the Light Brigade. Brigadier Scarlett thereupon wheeled the Heavies into line, and delivered the brilliant attack known as the charge of the Heavy Brigade. Every one, including Lord Lucan, expected to see the Light Brigade fall down on the Russian flank, and smash it completely. But Lord Cardigan judged that his instructions forbade him to attack, and refused to move. Every man in the Brigade was waiting for the order to charge, and Lord Cardigan himself cursed loudly at his own inaction. Captain Morris, doing duty with his regiment for the first time since it had landed in the Crimea, begged and prayed his Brigadier to let loose, if not the whole Brigade, at any rate the Seventeenth Lancers; but Lord Cardigan would not hear of it. Thus for the second time the Seventeenth (and for that matter the Light Brigade), was baulked of the successful attack which its old Colonel had prepared for it.

Then came an order from Lord Raglan to Lord Lucan to “advance and recover the heights,” i.e. the Causeway heights; presently supplemented by a further order—“Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front and recover the guns,” meaning the guns captured by the Russians in the redoubts on the Causeway heights. This last order was brought by Captain Nolan, an excitable man, and at that particular moment in a highly excited state. “Guns,” said Lord Lucan to him, “what guns?” Nolan waved his hand vaguely, it would seem, in the direction of the Russian battery at the head of the North Valley and said, by no means too respectfully: “There, my Lord, is your enemy, there are your guns.” 1854—25th Oct. Lord Lucan was a quick-tempered man, and probably not in his most amiable mood at that instant. He was one of those officers, rare enough in those days, who had taken particular pains to study his profession, and was on all hands acknowledged to possess more than ordinary ability. His warnings of the previous day had been neglected at headquarters; his perfectly correct dispositions, carefully concerted with Sir Colin Campbell, had been twice upset by superior order, with results that must almost certainly have been fatal, if the Russian cavalry had known its work; and now had come a fresh staff-officer with an order which, not in itself too clear, had been further obscured by that staff-officer’s excitability. Over hastily he accepted what he believed to be the true meaning of the order, and directed Lord Cardigan to attack the Russian battery at the head of the North Valley with the Light Brigade.

That Brigade, after its various movements, had been finally drawn up facing directly up the South Valley, and had stood dismounted there for more than three-quarters of an hour, when Lord Cardigan gave the order which showed that its time had come. In the Seventeenth that morning there were 139 men in the ranks, increased at the last moment by the arrival of Private Veigh, the regimental butcher, who, hearing that the regiment was about to be engaged, rode up fresh from the shambles to join it. He was dressed in a blood-stained canvas smock, over which he had buckled the belt and accoutrements of one of the Heavy Dragoons who had been killed in the charge; and, having accommodated himself also with the dead dragoon’s horse, he now rode up with his poleaxe[12] at the slope. The rest of the regiment was in marching order—full-dress jackets and lance-caps cased—with the exception of Captain Morris, the commanding officer, who wore a forage cap. The first squadron was led by Captain White, the troop leaders being Captain Hon. Godfrey Morgan and Lieutenant Thomson; 1854—25th Oct. the second squadron was led by Captain Winter, with Captain Webb in command of the right, and Lieutenant Sir William Gordon in command of the left troop. Lieutenant Hartopp, Lieutenant Chadwick (the Adjutant) and Cornet Cleveland were the other officers with the regiment, Cornet Wombwell being with Lord Cardigan as aide-de-camp. The two squadrons of the Seventeenth formed the centre of the first line of the Brigade, having the 11th Hussars to their left, and the 13th Hussars to their right; while the 4th and 8th Hussars composed the second line.

In this formation the Light Brigade moved off to the attack; its duty being to advance over a mile and a half of ground, flanked by Russian batteries and riflemen on the Fedioukine heights to the right, Russian batteries and riflemen on the Causeway heights to the left, and fall upon a battery of twelve guns to their front, which guns were backed by the mass of the Russian Cavalry. The first line began the advance at a trot, and was presently reduced to the Seventeenth and 13th only; the 11th being ordered back to the second line by Lord Lucan. The formation of the Brigade was thus altered from two lines to three. The Seventeenth was now therefore on the left of the first line, though Captain White’s squadron still remained the squadron of direction.

Presently, without sound of trumpet, but conforming to the pace of the Brigadier, the first line broke into the gallop. It had barely started when Captain Nolan rode across the front from left to right, shouting and waving his sword. “No, no, Nolan,” shouted Captain Morris, “that won’t do, we have a long way to go and must be steady.” As he spoke a fragment of a shell struck Nolan to the heart. His horse swerved and trotted back through the squadron interval with his rider still firm in the saddle, and then with an unearthly cry the body of Nolan dropped to the ground. This was the first shell that fell into the Light Brigade.

Meanwhile the handful of squadrons, with the Seventeenth and 13th at their head, rode on with perfect steadiness, and in beautiful order, into the ring of the Russian fire. 1854—25th Oct. Then men and horses began to drop fast in the first line. The survivors closed up and rode on. The trumpet sounded no charge; the officers uttered no stirring word; the men gave no cheer; for this was no headlong rush of reckless cavaliers, but an orderly advance of disciplined men. Throughout this ride down the valley there was but one word continually repeated, “Close up”; and the men closed in to their centre, and with an ever-diminishing front rode on. Those who watched the advance from the heights a mile away saw the line expand as the stricken men and horses floundered down, and contract once more like some perfect machinery as the survivors took up their dressing and rode on. But at last the gaps became so frequent and so wide that men could close up no more; and then the whole of the first line sat down and raced for the guns. The Russians were ready for them and met them at about eighty yards distance with a simultaneous discharge of every gun in the front battery. How many men fell under this salvo we shall never know. By this time two-thirds of the first line must have fallen: the remaining third rode on. In a few seconds they had plunged into the smoke and were among the Russian guns.

On the extreme left a handful of the Seventeenth had outflanked the battery, and of these—all that he could see of his regiment—Captain Morris, who was still unharmed, retained command. Pressing on past the battery through the smoke, he was aware of a large body of Russian cavalry, part of an overwhelming force, that stood halted before him in rear of the guns. Steadying his men for a moment, he led them without thought of hesitation straight at the Russians, and drove his sword to the hilt through the body of their leader. His men were hard at his heels. They broke through the Russian Hussars, they swept all that were covered by their narrow front before them, and galloped on in pursuit. Meanwhile Captain Morris had fallen. Unable to withdraw his sword from the body of the Russian officer, he was tethered by his sword-arm to the corpse, and while thus disabled received two sabre cuts and a lance wound. 1854—25th Oct. Utterly defenceless against the lances of the Cossacks, who had closed like water upon the small gap made by the Seventeenth, he was forced to surrender. Lieutenant Chadwick, who was wounded by a lance thrust in the neck, was also made prisoner at the same time.

Another fragment of the first line, backed by men of various regiments, was rallied by Corporal Morley, and by him led back through the Russian cavalry to the North Valley.

Yet another little remnant of the Seventeenth, to the right of Morris, had entered the battery, where Sergeant O’Hara took command of them, and directed their efforts against the Russian gunners, who were attempting to carry off their guns. These were presently rallied by Lord Cardigan’s Brigade-Major, Major Mayow; but a portion of them having missed him in the smoke went on with O’Hara to their left, where they met their comrades, the survivors of Captain Morris’s party. These last, after chasing the Russian Hussars back upon their supports, had been forced back by immensely superior numbers, and were now menaced in their turn both in flank and rear. The two little parties joined together, and fighting their way back through the Russians made good their retreat down the valley.

Meanwhile Major Mayow, with about a dozen men of the Seventeenth, like Captain Morris, charged a body of Russian horse, which was halted in rear of the battery, drove it back, and pursued it for some distance upon the main body. Then Mayow halted, and seeing the remains of a squadron of the 8th Hussars approaching to his right rear, he formed his handful of Lancers on the left flank of the 8th. The Russian cavalry in rear of the guns was now panic-stricken, and in full retreat; but there still remained some Russian squadrons which had been left on the Causeway heights; and of these three now menaced Colonel Shewell’s rear. Shewell gave his mixed squadron the word “Right about wheel,” and charged them. As usual the Russians received the charge at the halt and were utterly routed. Then, seeing no troops coming to his support, Colonel Shewell retreated. 1854—25th Oct. Once more the British came under the fire of the guns on the Causeway heights. The French had silenced those on the Fedioukine side, the Light Brigade had silenced those in the valley, but those on the Causeway heights still remained untaken. Fortunately some Russian Lancers still hovered about the retreating English, and the Russian gunners ceased to fire lest they should kill their own men. Thus the Seventeenth and the rest of the Brigade returned in small knots well-nigh to the spot from which they had started but five-and-twenty minutes before. Six hundred and seventy-eight of all ranks had started; one hundred and ninety-five came back.