CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12695, 25 October 1904, Page 3

CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

WHAT AN EYE-WITNESS SAW,

AN INTERESTING" ACCOUNT. To-day is the anniversary of the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, during the Crimean War of 1854-55.

Captain Whitby, who was for many years connected'with the coastal shipping trade, but is now living a retired life at Xyttelton, is one of the very few men is. these colonies who witnessed the famous charge of the Light Brigade. He was at the time a youth of 17, an ordinary seaman on the barque Peltoma, of Liverpool, which had gone to the Crimea with a cargo of biscuits and hay for the army. On the morning of the eventful Oetol>er 25,, young Whitby was sent by his captain to the camp, with a batch of rolls,for the officers, and, having accomplished this Errand, and successfully dodged, a Russian, army on his way back to Balaclava, he was told-by the skipper to go on board again. "Instead of going on board," said Captain Whitby, to a- Times interviewer, -1 went to the top of Tree Hill, where Lord Raglan and his staff were. I suppose it was about eleven in the morning when I got there, and the battle was going on. The Russians nad captured the Turkish butteries, and were trying to get into Balaclava. The 93rd Highlanders nad kept them back, but would, I believe, havebeen overwhelmed had it not been for the cavalry. The Scots Greys came up, then the Enniskillens, then other cavalry regiments. The lancers came up just as I reached the top of the hill. The fighting ,was going on about half-a-mile away. I could see the Scots Greys' and other cavalry riding round and. about the Russian ranks, cutting and slashing,, while artillery was firing and hitting everything. For a time our soldiers were receiving the fire from the Turkish batteries, as the 'Russians had got possession of them. "It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, as near as I can remember, when Cardigan's charge took place. Before it took place the Russians seemed to be getting ready to come on again, but that charge fairly flabbergasted them. They seemed all adrift after it. We saw the Light Brigade ride right through it. I saw Cardigan leaning a bit to one side of his men, and rather, ahead of them, and he got through the Russian ranks without a- scratch. There were a lot of Russian infantry in front, and these fellows seemed to make a sort of track for him. They wanted to get out of the way of his horse, "lest they, should be ridden over, but they [could not get out of the way of the mass which followed him. We saw the whole mass literally gallop over the Russians, a kit of riderless horses keeping with the brigade' as it dashed on. There was a line of 'guns behind the infantry, and our men went right through that too, but other guns at the side kept on firing at, them, and knocked over many horses and men. They did more damage than the guns in front. There was a great mass of Russian cavalry and infantry behind that line of guns, but the Light Brigade was not stopped. It went through them too, and right behind the Russian lines we saw our men turn round to come back. The horses whose riders; had been shot turned with them, and all came back hig-gledy-piggledy. A number of Russian cavalry charged at them from the wings, and all became mixed up together. The guns in front fired again, but I did not know who fired them. For all that I j knew they might have been in the hands of Hie British. Our men came back anyhow, the French came up, and fine fellows they* were. They went at it as hard -as they could, and' the Russians seemed to have had enough. At all events they re- ! tired, and by'"six o'clock the battle was over. " After the battle I went back to Balaclava, and all night long I worked with my .shipmates, helping to put the.wounded on the steamers."