ng back to swallow up our handful of men. By sheer
steel and sheer courage Enniskillener and Scot were winning their
desperate way right through the enemy's squadrons, and already gray
horses and red coats had appeared right at the rear of the second mass,
when, with irresistible force like a bolt from a bow, the second line of
the heavy brigade rushed at the remnants of the first line of the enemy,
went through it as though it were made of paste-board and, dashing on
the second body of Russians as they were still disordered by the
terrible assault of the Greys and their companions, put them to utter
rout.

* * * * *

And now occurred the melancholy catastrophe which fills us all with
sorrow. It appears that the Quartermaster-General, Brigadier Airey,
thinking that the light cavalry had not gone far enough in front when
the enemy's horse had fled, gave an order in writing to Captain Nolan to
take to Lord Lucan, directing his lordship "to advance" his cavalry
nearer the enemy. Lord Lucan, with reluctance, gave the order to Lord
Cardigan to advance upon the guns, conceiving that his orders compelled
him to do so.

It is a maxim of war that "cavalry never act without a support," that
"infantry should be close at hand when cavalry carry guns as the effect
is only instantaneous," and that it is necessary to have on the flank of
a line of cavalry some squadrons in column--the attack on the flank
being most dangerous. The only support our light cavalry had was the
reserve of heavy cavalry at a great distance behind them, the infantry
and guns being far in the rear. There were no squadrons in column at all
and there was a plain to charge over before the enemy's guns could be
reached, of a mile and a half in length!

At ten minutes past eleven our light cavalry brigade advanced. The whole
brigade scarcely made one effective regiment according to the numbers of
continental armies, and yet it was more than we could spare. As they
rushed towards the front the Russians opened on them from the guns in
the redoubt on the right with volleys of musketry and rifles. They swept
proudly past, glittering in the morning sun in all the pride and
splendour of war.

We could scarcely believe the evidence of our senses. Surely that
handful of men are not going to charge an army in position? Alas! it
was but too true. Their desperate valour knew no bounds, and far indeed
was it removed from its so-called better p