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988 THE LEADER. [Saturday,
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ANECDOTES OF ALMA. Evert day brings with...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Baltic. All Doubts As To The Cessati...
not very clearly explained , no copy was that day sent by the French Admiral to his Government , he having received an' assurance from Admiral Napier that the report of the meeting should be communicated by the English Government to that of France through the Ambassador . Before transmitting the minutes to England , Admiral N * apier is said to have added a postscript , or written a separate despatch to the Admiralty , to the effect that the minutes contained the opinions of the officers of the squadron , but that these opinions were not in conformity with his own ; and that , on the contrary , he thought the attack on Helsingfors and Sweaborg ought to be made at once . This despatch , or postscript , is stated not to have been communicated to the French Admiral . This officer became acquainted with the fact soon after ; and without loss of time sent to his
Government the minutes , which it appears he drew up from , memory , aided by the officers who were present . In the meantime , the Imperial Government received from London the communication of the Teport as transmitted by Admiral Napier , with the Admiral ' s separate postscript , and the result was , that orders were at once sent by the Miniser of Marine to Admiral DeschSnes to commence the attack forthwith . Before anything could be done the communication made directly by the Admiral , and which contained the decision of the meeting of officers against the attack , reached the Government , who , no doubt convinced , by the reasons submitted to them , at once sent counter-orders ; and these counters-orders were in all probability those to which I alluded a few days since . This matter hag , it is said , produced an unpleasant feeling among the officers of the fleets , though not by any means against each other . "
At any rate the fleets are coming home without having gained anything in the Baltic except Bomarsund , and , perhaps- *— experience .
988 The Leader. [Saturday,
988 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
Anecdotes Of Alma. Evert Day Brings With...
ANECDOTES OF ALMA . Evert day brings with it ' its budget of information of the " Battle . " The contributions of Intelligence from private hands are not among the least interesting histories of the events of the day . ' Every man ¦ of course has a personal history to tell ; and many of them have a value outside the circle of families . " We subjoin some selections : — A Son ' s Letter to his Mother . —The Honourable Hugh Annesley , of the Guards , was severely wounded , and he writes thus to his mother : —" The Light Division advanced to the attack , supported by the first division ( Guards and Highlanders ) . They got across the river , and then advanced against the entrenchments .
The 23 rd was in column when the brigade of Guards charged in line . My company ( 4 th ) was next to the colours , and in the very centre of the line . We got up to within fifty yards of the ditch , when -the regiment before us ( which has had the three senior officers killed ) turned right about , and came down in our face , thus breaking our line . "We were about thirty paces then from the ditch , and the fire was so hot thiat you could hardly conceive it possible for anything -the size of a rabbit not to be killed . I kept on shouting ; < Forward , Guards ! ' to the few men that were not swept away by the , when a ball came and stopped my mouth most unceremoniously . It entered the left cheek , and went out at the mouth , taking away the front teeth . I
instantly turned to tho rear , feeling it was about 100 to 1 against my over getting there , as the bullets were whizzing round mo like hail . I tripped , a : nd thought it was all over with mo . However , I got up again with tho loss of my sword and bearskin , and at last got into tho river , and out of lire . I had then another struggle on the other side , where grapo and round shot wore ploughing up tho ground , and sheila bursting ; however , I stumbled on , and at last got out of fire , and sat down among wounded and dying soldiers and horses . Tho doctors gave mo some water , and then wore obliged to go to others ; so wlwn they loft , I aat there for above half an hour before I could flnd out where our hospital was . At laat an officer of tho 10 th , though wounded himself , gave
mo his arm , and took me to tho Fusilier Hospital , where I got some water , and sat down to bathe my faco . Thoro wore six or eovon of our fellows tlioro 5 ono with five balls in him , another three , and a ttdrd with hja log brokon . My servant got mo aomo blankets , and then wo got a a tablo , half-burned down , oloanod out , and flvo of us lay there for the night , very wretched aa you may suppose , operations going on all round us . Some weak brandy 11 ml water and somo toa wore all wo bad . Tho shod wo wore in was a horrid thing—the hoat , nnd dust , and flics intolerable ; ao in tho morning four of tia ciuno down to tho Hoot , and I with two others nm on board
her MnjoHty ' ti bIuj ) London . 1 lnul a hot buth nnd some arrowroot . 1 was nearly furnished , having had nothing to oat sinco four o ' clock A . M . tho day before . Tho doctor flayn tliu swelling will noon go down ; ifs rather puinful , of cour / io , nt present Poor 13 oinno to noo mo in the hovol wo wore lying in , and burst into tears when ho rocoyniflod mo , 1 waa ho altered . Of coutho ono cannot lmve nn ovinco of load through ono without swelling , nnd my face in llko a good-stiKod turnip j my mouth much larger than I havu any doriiro to auo it in future . I do not tmppoao th « ball could have hit mo in any other part of the head wlioro it would not have boon attended with more danger — a moat aummury tlunUnt
the ball was , to take out all my teeth at one smash , except'four grinders ( there was a decayed one , which I hope has gone with its brethren , but I can't make out yet if it has or not ) . There is a good bit of tongue gone also , but the doctors say that will not signify , and that I shall speak as plain as ever , or , at most , only with a becoming lisp ; so , altogether , I think even you must allow that I have every reason to be thankful , and 1 hope you will not allow yourself to fret the least about me . Just as we were charging the great redoubt , I prayed 'O God ! spare me ! ' and I really no more expected to return alive than if I had been tied to the cannon ' s mouth . Only fancy grape and canister being fired at us within thirty yards , besides a whole battalion letting dr ive as hard as they could into us I was close
to Lindsey when the Queen ' s colour was smashed in his hand 5 there were twenty bullet holes in it , yet he was not touched . The doctor cannot say how long I shall be unfit for duty , but I shall try for leave to go to England soon . Strange , Jocelyn was the only officer commanding a company who was not struck by a ball . Seymour was not wounded , but hit in the watch , which saved his life . The Russian soldiers are savages : fancy their firing at our poor men when they were lying Wounded on the ground—they even tried to stab some of them with their bayonets . One of our doctors was actually binding up a Russian ' s wound , when the man turned round and fired at him . Tell B ~ I shall , perhaps , have some shooting vpith him , this winter , after all . I shall , at least , try to get home . * * *"
The Fusilier Guards' Coloxtes . —Among the many daring exploits of the intrepid men by whose energy and unshaken courage the allied arms have been carr ied to the heights of the Alma , we have not heard of an instance Which surpasses in cool daring the conduct of Lieutenants Lindsey and Tlistlethwaite , of the Scots Fusilier Guards , the Queen's colour Being carried by the former , and the regimental colour by the latter gentleman . At the moment before the heights were gained , and when the deadly struggle laged so fiercely as to make it almost impossible to tell friend from foe , the two lieutenants became separated from their battalion , and found themselves , with the four ' sergeants whose duty it was to support them , attacked by a body of
Russians , whose commanding officer had led them against the colours . A desperate conflict ensued , the four sergeants quickly fell under a shower of balls . The Queen ' s colour , carried by Mr . Lindsey , was torn into stripes , being pierced by a cloud of bullets . The staff was shot in two 3 still the gallant officers persevered , and succeeded in cutting their way through the enemy who surrounded them . They were ably assisted , and at the r ight moment , by Captain Drummond , the adjutant of the regiment , whose horse -was at that moment shot from under him . Captain Lindsey , seeing the danger to
which the colours were exposed , rushed to the relief , and , with a revolver pistol , shot three of the assailants . The successful bearers of the standard escaped almost miraculously , and succeeded in planting their colours on tho heights , which had been then but just won from the Russians , Mr . Lindsey having actually climbed the steep face of the hill with the aid of the broken staff , while he exultingly waved what remained of it , with her Majesty ' s colours , over his head . Neither this gallant gentleman nor his equally distinguished companion , Mr . Thistlethwaite , received any hurt .
A Fighting Military Secretary . —Colonel Steele , Lord Raglan ' s military secretary , was for some time Bupposed to havo fallen . Lord Raglan , in the heat of the fight , ordered him to ride to the brigade of Guards and give tho order to advance , intending , of course , that , the order being given , ho should return to his place with tho staff . The moment was , however , too exciting for tho hot blood of the military secretary , and , having given tho order of his chief , ho rushed forward himself with his old battalion , and did not tigaln present himself to Lord Raglan until ho camo to announce that tho field was won , and to ask forgiveness for tho breach of orders of which ho had been guilty in joining in tho brilliant charge of tho Guards which so largely aided in gaining tho buttle .
1 uio Highland Brkjaims . —A soldier of tho 42 nd Highlanders writca : — " After tho buttle , Lord Raglan , tho Duke of Cambridgo , nnd Sir Colin Campbell , tho general of our brigade , with all tho stuff , camo up to our rogimont , and halted in front of tho colours , which wore unfurled , and complimented tho rcgimont in a very gratifying manner , and said that w <> should bo particularly mentioned in tho Government despatches . The Diiko alao did u » justice . Sir Colin Campbell > vna fairly overjoyed with his Highland brigade . Ho rodo forward to Lord Rnglun , nixd said that as hu had boon kind to him from bis boyhood , that ho wished to unit him ono favour , nnd th / it was , that ho would allow him to wear ono of our feather bonnets , which request was granted him on tho spot , Our Colonol Cameron doolurod aftonvardu that lio did not know till then that ho hiul Buoh a regiment . "
Another writer , a corpoml of tho 42 nd , mynt— " Aftor tho buttle , the Duke himnoU' Cnn , ,, p ( ho same an if ho ¦ was ono of our ohun » n , and nt the auino time up coinon a cuUmol on horttubuck— 1 have t <> thank your Royal U » K »» i « tt » for waving hh to-day . ' 'Oh , ' huvk tho Duke , ' you must not thnnk m « , for those arc tho gentlemen tlml won the day , nnd nuveU you . ' Tho colonel rupllod , 'Aud Sir Colin , too . ' ' AI 1 , auya tho Duko , 'Sir Colin
is a brick . ' ' Ay , ' says a sergeant of ours , ' and you are a brick yourself , ' and so we gave them three times three . " Lord Raglan ' s Debt of Honour . —A mot is attributed to Lord Raglan at Alma . When the armies were drawn up , the French officer who was in attendance on his Lordship for the purpose of communicating with the Marshal , made some observation upon the appearance of the French wing , to the right of the English . " Yes , " said Lord Raglan , glancing at his empty sleeve , " Prance owed me an arm , and she has paid me . "
Ubiquity of the Irish . —An Irish surgeon , writing to the Freeman ' s Journal , says : — " Very strange that every man I spoke to on the 21 st was a countryman . I was often amused at their remarks—their elasticity and queer drollery never forsake them under the most trying or even awful circumstances . I observed to one fellow of the 23 rd , who was looking among the slain for a lost comrade , ' You had hot work of it yesterday , my man ?' ' Bedad , sir , you may say that ; but we showed them as purty a bit of play as ever they had . I -wish you were here to see us at them , sir ; it % vould do your heart good . ' I replied , ' That much as I admired the purty play , as he called it , I questioned if my heart would be a bit the gainer for being near them . ' He agreed with me . And then to hear them in groups asking each other , ' Did you see Mick Connell or Thady Murphy this morning , or are they here ? It was great to see Jim Sullivan walking into a lot of these Rooshuns P "
Enthusiasm makes Light " Weights . —A private in the 7 th Fusiliers' writes home to his friends : — " The cannon shot came into our ranks in all manner of ways , but we advanced right through it , and through a river to get close to them . I was tired with carrying a load on my back before I got into the fight , but after I got through the river and into the fight , I did not feel the load at all , for I looked over my shoulder to see if I had it on my back , for it felt as if I had nothing on , and it was safe . " ¦ ¦ ¦ . . .
The Contents of Mensciiikoff ' s Carriage ^—A letter from an officer serving in the Crimea , dated Camp , Balaklava , September 28 , 1854 , states : — " Poor .. Menschikofiy who commanded , left behind him his carriage and horses , the former being full of boxes , containing most niagnificent Hussar uniforms , and also portmanteaus of valuable articles . These were quickly ransacked . Watches and jewelry , arms , and fine clothing of every kind were found , which soon exchanged possessors in the persons of our men . The ofBcers came in but for . a small
portion , though I deemed myself lucky in appropriating to my especial keeping a very compact and useful portmanteau , manufactured from the most esteemed Russia leather . Among the various articles found was a pair of white satin slippers , which made us suspect that the gallant chief was most agreeably attended in his campaign sojourning . " Russian Accounts from the Alma . —A Russian infantry officer , who fought at the Alma against the English , wrote an account to St . Petersburg thus : — " The battle ( of the Alma ) was discontinued on our side solely because our battalions would have been exposed to tho fire of the English and French ship guns , which have a long range . The battle had for us no
disadvantageous result , for the enemy required just as much time as we did to rally . The English , whom we had on our right wing , fought brilliantly ; wo could not deny them our admiration . Tho fire of tho Mini ** rifles , with their long range , did us a good deal of mischief , and would have done m much more if the enemy had had better shots among them . Our antagonist has not as yet obtained tlie smallest advantage over us . Tho Prince ( McngchikofT ) is quite well , stnd the state of the troops very satisfactory . Tho Cossacks arc conntantly bringing in French marauders as prisoners , but it is a fact that we have ns yet not taken a single English jnnraudiT . The old Dritish Excellency ( Lord Raglan ) who commands up there must bo keeping up good discipline . "
Thm Famous Fi-ank Movement on SiciMSToro ; ,. — An artillery officer gives a graphic description of the march toward JJalaklava : — " Wo found ourselves on tlni 2 Cth within a mile or ho of tho far-fnmed Sebastopol , when wo all supposed wo Nliould encamp , and go to work in right earnest , tho day following . . No mich thing , however , took place , for wo wcro ordered to movo on , and at night wo encamped in a dense buah , jiiHttwo miloa from tho city . During tho night camo the thunder of artillery , as well as a sharp roll of musketry , which made ub ns active as Hquirrcln ; thin , bowovur , soon dicil away , nnd ' AH'h well' pniwcd from one end of tho enni ]> to tho other . Tho cauwo of alarm appeared to ari . so from Bomo CowNiickn Imving ventured mnncwhat ; near to tho
French Unas , who found n warmer ri > CL >]> tiou than they contemplated . When day dawned wo wore again on tho march , turning nss 1 il « from » Subuntopol , our tactics behiff changed , as w « woro making a detour , ho an to / ruin the other aide of tho city . To accomplish thin engaged ft two diiYH march , in confluence , of the . harbour tnkintf a direction inland . On tho tlrnt of Ihomi tlayrt wo part oil company with tho French , nnd proceeded by a narrow road whkih lod in 11 direction nwnv from Sebuntopol-Thirt route , lod through tho hush , ending in » !<>» ' « l' " " which enclosed a largo ojhiii upaec , where oovural roads meet . When within a niilo of tint nhovo we heiini Hovoral rounds Uru « l from artillery , and presently « ' « uidu-du-oanm rodo through tho wood and broug ht us the Intelligence , that tho Itusuianu were occupy ing ( ll °
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 21, 1854, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_21101854/page/4/
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