This was very hard work; each man carried a round shot in a biscuit-bag

on his back, sinking deep in the usual mud at every step: this and

dragging big guns into position occupied the whole day. The sortie last

night was not on our trenches alone, on the left the enemy did more

damage; in front of the left attack there are some trenches which run

down the edge of the ravine from the harbour which divides the town from

the military barracks; the continuation of this ravine divides the third

division from the French lines. In order to guard this ravine the

sentries of the French and English ought to be in communication. The

Russians followed this ravine and got past our sentries, who took them

to be French, as their officers commanded their men in French, to throw

our men off their guard; in this way they succeeded in getting past our

sentries on the extreme left, bayoneted them and got into the trenches

before they were recognised as Russians, killing and wounding a number,

a major of the 50th among the latter, and taking two officers and

sixteen men prisoners. When their treachery was detected, they were soon

driven back with considerable loss; several Russians were found dead and

wounded in the ravine. Next morning a small party of six started off on

a foraging _reconnaissance_ to the valley of the Tchernaya River in

search of wood, taking our water-keg straps with us; as we passed down a

deep ravine beyond Inkermann heights we saw lying in the bottom of the

ravine over twenty dead Russians who were buried there, the little earth

which they had been covered with was washed away by the heavy rains;

they were lying in their clothes as they were shot, presenting a most

ghastly spectacle. We proceeded to an old bridge, climbing up the side

of a steep hill, on the top of which was a Russian battery. We commenced

cutting the trees and bushes which grew on the hill side and throwing

them down to the bottom. We were not long cutting as much as our straps

would hold. We tied up our bundles and quietly escaped along the edge of

the ravine lest the Russians might detect us; if they did, it was the

last of us, we were close under their batteries but we got away safely.

When we got to our camp there were glad faces when they saw the loads of

wood; it was soon chopped up by the men, while others lit the fire and

filled the camp-kettles with pork and put them on the fire. The smoke

from the fires caused many of the officers to come and see what was up,

they were agreeably surprised to see the fires and the camp-kettles

boiling. After we had cooked a sufficient quantity of salt beef and pork

and prepared coffee, we invited the officers to use the fires, which

invitation they most thankfully accepted. We had plenty of hot coffee,

salt beef and pork that day, skimming the fat and stowing it away for

future use, When the cooking was over we put out the fires, collecting

the embers together with the wood we had left to cook our breakfast;

this was the first hot food we tasted since our disembarkation at

Balaklava. We had hard frost last night and were employed getting up

guns and mortars to the front; if this frost continues we will soon have

all the guns and mortars in position.

[Illustration: A WONDERFUL ESCAPE.]

The Russian batteries were nearly silent last night on our attack, but a

brisk fire was kept up on the right, Colonel Macpherson, C.B., has been

promoted to Brigadier in the 4th Division, and Colonel Cole takes

command of the 17th Regiment; Sir Edmund Lyons has taken command of the

fleet, vice Admiral Dundas who proceeds to Constantinople. Our regiment

is hard worked; we find two-thirds of the regiment for the trenches

every night, the others of the division being reduced by sickness and

death, and ere long we will have many sick too, if things go on as they

are at present. Parading for the trenches yesterday evening, ten men

reported sick with dysentery, brought on by exposure and lying on the

wet ground in damp clothing, and want of warm food; they were admitted

into the hospital tent.

All the Russians seem to think of, is getting up guns in position in

every possible direction along our approaches. Last night in carrying

earth to a battery on the left of second parallel, I picked from among

the rocks something from a hole and thought it was a stone; in

attempting to lift it, I stuck my fingers into a dead man's eyes: my

sense of smell detected the mistake, I stepped back to wheeling

distance, the smell was abominable; ever since, when I think of it I

fancy I smell it. I was orderly next day. An orderly from each tent

collects the water kegs of their tent, and takes them down to a ravine

near the Woronzoff road where a small stream of water, the thickness of

a ramrod, springs from a fissure in the rock; this spring supplies the

2nd, 4th and Light Divisions, as well as a division of the French and

Turks, with water; and as the orderly men arrive, they fall in rear of

each other, forming a line waiting for their turn, and not unfrequently

the French and English fight for the first turn, the Turks sitting on a

stone at a distance, looking on, and waiting till the last. I saw one of

our men and a big French Dragoon fighting with their fists, when the

soldier beat the Frenchman, of course, knocking him down several times;

afterwards the French kept away until our men got served.

Little was done in camp to-day, the state of the roads presented the

greatest obstacles to the transport of shot and shell, and all that

could be effected was to get up scanty supplies of pork, beef, biscuit,

and rum, to our camp; the rain, sleet, and snow, fell heavily. The cold,

wet, and slush in and round camp is truly fearful.

A captain of the Royal Artillery was found dead in his tent, suffocated

by the fumes of a charcoal fire he had lighted.

Christmas and New Year's day are passed, and we have had a cold, dreary,

sloppy, wet and hungry Christmas and New Year; many of our men going to

hospital and dying there. Their illness had been caused by hard work in

bad weather, and by exposure to wet without any protection. Just think

what a tent is, pitched on wet, muddy ground, with the rain beating

through the canvas, into which sixteen hungry men, drenched to the skin,

have to creep for shelter, after twenty-four hours in the trenches up to

their knees in slush, and then reflect what state we must be in, after a

night spent in such shelter, lying down without any change of clothing,

and as close as we can stow, in wet blankets covered with mud. It rained

in torrents all last night and to-day, and floods of mud are flowing

through the floors of our tents, making their way down the hill-side;

the roads are so bad as to cut off supplies to the camp, and we are

accordingly placed on half rations; the horses and mules get stuck in

the mud bringing up provisions from Balaklava, and there they lie and

die, and the men are dying off faster than the horses, and the Turks

dying by the dozen.

Hostilities are almost at a standstill in the trenches; the men are too

feeble to work the guns. It is reported the Russians are suffering still

more than we are, but they are more numerous, and can afford to lose

twenty to our one.

THE CRIMEAN WAR.

When from Balaklava to the front we go,

The Chersonese are covered with mud and snow,

Where the horse, the mule, and the Turk have stuck,

Transporting provisions for our British pluck.

Where the tents are blown down with the furious blast,

And the rain pours down immensely fast,

And the shivering soldier in the trenches stood,

With his dripping clothes to chill his blood.

And the noble officer brought up with care,

In his wet and dismal tent, without dread or fear;

Or a covering party with their rifles in hand,

Marching to the trenches a melancholy band.

Or, when in camp without fire or mill,

To roast their coffee or to grind it, still

The commissariat to economise expense,

Issued the troops green coffee! to show their sense.

To roast and grind as best they could,

Issuing neither mill nor wood;

Our lines of soldiers marching rank entire,

Bearing shot and shell, too, at the Russians' fire.

Or the distant Cossack over the hills doth glow,

As winter wraps the Tchernaya Valley with snow,

And Prince Menschikoff in the Great Redan he stood,

Giving the Muscovites orders for to shed our blood.

And Sir Wm. Codrington on Cathcart's Hill,

Giving forth his orders to his gallant men,

Yonder the British Navy riding in the gale,

Idly waiting orders to spread sail.

T. FAUGHNAN.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XV.

MARCH TO BALAKLAVA—RETURN—MEN GO BARE-FOOTED—SNOW FIVE FEET

DEEP—LONG BOOTS—HARD FROST—CAVALRY DIVISION—BURIAL GROUND—

SOLITARY PROCESSION—MEN FROZEN—I BUILT A HUT—GREEN COFFEE—

WINTRY APPEARANCE—DEAD HORSES—63RD REGIMENT—CARRYING PROVISIONS—

FRENCH SICK.

January 6th, Captain John Croker, with six men of his company, went down

to Balaklava for some cooked pork, which had been kindly sent out from

England to us. The captain took a mule to carry back a bag of charcoal.

After we got the pork from the steamer, and the captain his charcoal on

the mule's back, we started for camp. We had proceeded about three miles

when we got faint with hunger, weary and wet, the mud being knee deep,

and the load sinking us into the mire at every step. We requested the

captain to let us have some of the pork to eat, this he willingly

complied with, as he was hungry himself. We opened the bags and divided

a four pound piece between every two men, the captain taking his share

also; this gave us new strength to accomplish our task, and also to help

the mule out of the slough. Sleet, snow and rain beat in our faces all

the way; we did not reach camp till twelve o'clock that night. This was

the hardest fatigue—up to our knees in mud with a heavy load on our

backs—I ever performed. After we got to camp the captain gave us each a

glass of Hennessey's brandy from a case which he got out from Ireland as

a Christmas-box. I believe that brandy saved us from a severe illness,

as we had to lie down in our wet clothes. As we were coming up from

Balaklava, we saw the 39th Regiment which had just landed, preparing to

join the camp before Sebastopol. They were well provided against the

severity of the weather; they had all received warm clothing, and looked

comfortable in their fur caps and long boots; but the 17th Regiment had

not received a single article of warm clothing yet. Our old clothes are

in rags and tatters, even our boots are scarcely any protection, the

leather having shrunk with the continual wet, and the men's feet having

swelled with the cold, so that some men could not get their boots on and

had to go in the trenches and about the camp bare-footed; this is hard

to believe, but nevertheless it is true. January 9th. It had been

snowing for the last three days, and this morning the whole of the

mountains over Balaklava and along the valley of the Tchernaya River are

clothed in a sheet of white, the snow being on the ground to the depth

of three feet and in some places over five feet; the cold was increased

by a piercing high wind which blew into our very marrow bones. If we

were only well clad this weather would, however, be far more healthy

than the wet and storm we have had recently, but, alas, we are not

properly provided with outer garments to resist the severity of the

Crimean winter. I cannot conceive greater hardship than to stand in the

trenches twenty-four hours, then return cramped and nearly frozen, to

our damp, cheerless tents to find that there is no fire nor wood to cook

any victuals, nor even a drink of warm coffee. What we require most of

all are long boots to protect our feet and legs; most of the officers

have got long boots, and find them invaluable. Our mitts are worn out

and unserviceable; I made a pair out of a piece of my blanket, which I

find answers the purpose admirably, of course it was robbing Peter to

pay Paul; it shortened my blanket somewhat. Several men, however, have

followed my example.

It has been freezing extremely hard these two last nights, and this

morning a man was found frozen in my tent. His name was George Murphin,

he was a good soldier; he lay down, as we all did, and went to

sleep—and never woke. When the orderly was rousing the men, this man

was found frozen stiff in death. There has been over one hundred men

admitted into hospital from the trenches these last twenty-four hours,

seized with cramps and nearly frozen—all from the want of clothing. The

cavalry division lost about fifty horses within the last three days, and

I dread to think of the number of men who will die if this weather

continues long. The commissariat mules and horses are dying off very

fast, and the men seem likely to follow, if there is not something done

soon to protect the army from the inclemency of the weather, of which we

are more afraid than of the Russians. It is the wish of every officer

and man in the camp that Lord Raglan would march the whole army against

Sebastopol, and let us take it or die in the attempt—we had better die

in battle than die with cold, starvation and sickness. We are of opinion

that we would not lose so many men in taking it as we are now losing

daily by sickness and the want of food and clothes. A new burial ground

having been opened about two hundred yards to the right front of our

regiment, on the side of the hill, frequently may be seen passing our

tents, every day, four soldiers slowly winding their way towards this

grave-yard, with a corpse sewed up in a blanket, carried on a stretcher

on the men's shoulders—no person accompanying the solitary funeral—and

buried without the ordinary military honours of three rounds of blank

fired over him. The burials are too numerous to pay the usual honours,

besides, we have not the men to spare; all available for duty are either

in the trenches or carrying shot, shell or provisions. The men's spirits

are broken down, and they march along with a load on their back, in

solemn silence, regardless of anything, not even looking to the right or

left, resigning themselves to death which they daily expect, who is

following quickly in their footsteps, not by shot from the Russians, but

by a slower and surer torture—starvation and cold. When I saw so many

men freezing to death, I began to talk to myself thus, "Tom Faughnan,

are you going to make no exertion to save yourself from being frozen to

death, as some of your comrades have been, and are now buried yonder, on

the hill-side? If you get shot by the enemy it is what you expected when

you came out here, and is a soldier's death, fighting the battles for

the honour and glory of your Queen and country." As I was walking round

the tent-pole to keep my blood in circulation, the temperature being

many degrees below zero, I held the above soliloquy. A happy thought

struck me, and I carried it out, which I believe saved my life. I took a

pick-axe and shovel and commenced to build a hut in rear of the

company's tents. I worked at it every spare moment until I had a hole

dug nine feet long by six wide, and four feet deep, cutting the inside

walls straight down, and facing them with stones to a height of two feet

above the ground, which left the inside of the hut six feet high,

building a fireplace and chimney in the end. I then got my comrade,

Dandy Russell, to accompany me to the old bridge at the Tchernaya River,

where I climbed up a steep hill, close to a Russian battery, where we

got wood on a former occasion, and there I got enough of wood to roof my

hut. Having filled our straps with the best we could find, we started

for our camp, escaping the Russians who were just above us on the hill.

When we got to camp I commenced to roof the hut, cutting the rafters and

tying them at the top with some gads made out of willows cut for that

purpose. Having the rafters secured along the top, I stretched some

small sticks along the sides of the roof, securing them also, and then

laying branches over all. I then cut sods in a ravine, carried them to

the hut, laid them on the top of the branches, and covered the whole

with earth, smoothing it over with the back of the spade, as I would a

potato pit in Ireland, to throw off the rain, cutting a trench round it

to carry off the water. I made steps going down, and I got a flag to fit

the door, so my Irish experience stood to me here. We frequently went to

the old bridge for wood, but ran the risk of being shot by the Russians

every time. By this means we managed to get wood enough to keep a fire

in our hut, and were comfortable while the men were freezing to death in

their tents. Dandy and I managed to get on trench duty alternately, so

as to leave one of us to look after the hut, and prepare the meals for

the other after coming off trench duty.

Having been served with green coffee by the commissariat, and having no

means of roasting or grinding it, we had accumulated a large bagful. Now

we procured the half of a large exploded shell, and with a nine pound

shot we ground the coffee in the shell, after roasting it on a frying

pan; most of the men threw their green coffee away, having no means of

roasting or grinding. There has been a good deal of firing going on

between the French and Russians on the right attack, and the Grenadier

Guards had it very hot last night, from a new masked battery the

Russians opened on the right near Canrobert's Redoubt. There are three

large columns of Russians visible opposite Inkerman on the north side of

the Tchernaya, and their movements are very mysterious. They have sent a

large body of cavalry to the east of the valley of Balaklava, and at the

same time a body of infantry moved off towards the north. The scenery of

our camp-ground and the country has now assumed a truly wintry aspect.

The lofty peaks and ridges which close up the valley of Balaklava are

covered with snow, which gives them the appearance of great height; in

the valley and plateau the snow is over three feet deep, and streaked by

lines of men and horses carrying up provisions to the camp. The number

of dead horses on the wayside increases daily, every slough across the

path is marked by a dead horse or mule. At the present rate of mortality

the whole division, which can only muster about 600 horses, will be

almost extinct in one month more. I went over the camp of the 63rd

Regiment, to see a first cousin of mine, named Philip McGurn. I was

sorry to learn that he had been severely wounded in the thigh by a piece

of a shell, and was sent down to Scutari hospital. The regiment could

only muster twelve men for duty, the remainder were either killed or

died from sickness in hospital. The 46th Regiment have only about fifty

men fit for duty; the Scots Fusilier Guards have lost, since they came

out, upwards of 1000 men, and can now only muster about three hundred on

parade; and many other regiments in a like proportion.

The duty of carrying provisions and rum from Balaklava to the front is

very trying on the men; every two men carry a beaker of rum, biscuit or

pork, slung from a pole between them; they march about six miles in this

manner, from Balaklava to Head Quarters; horses cannot do this trying

work, for they cannot keep their legs, and almost every hundred yards

along the way is marked by the carcase of one of these animals. I passed

through the French Camp, on my way foraging for wood, and went into

several of the men's tents, and was surprised to see the misery they

were in. It must not be inferred that the French soldiers are healthy,

whilst we are all sickly. I was astonished to see so many lying sick in

their tents, and dying with dysentery, diarrhœa, scurvy, and pulmonary

complaints. Their men were allowed to lie sick in their tents, which

differ from us very much; when our men get sick, they are sent to

hospital at once, and there attended by a doctor.

January 14th.—It is thawing fast to-day, and the roads are resuming

their former sloppy state, which has increased the difficulties of

supplying the men considerably.

The cavalry are getting up sheds for their horses, and sheep-skin coats

have been distributed to some of the men. I wonder when the 17th

Regiment are going to get any warm clothing, or sheep-skin coats? Some

officers it is true, have got some warm jackets, and not before they

wanted them. This week large quantities of clothing were served to some

of the regiments. It must not, however, be imagined that the supplies

sent up are equal to the demand; several regiments have not received a

stitch yet, although large quantities have been sent out from England.

Whose fault is it? The sick in the hospitals, on the hill tops, suffer

severely from cold, and the snow blows into their very blankets.

However, such supplies as the men have had prove of the greatest

service, and have saved many lives. Consider what men suffer with snow

three feet deep about the tents. The men scarcely know what fuel is in

many regiments; they break up empty pork barrels and anything that will

burn to cook their meals, or grub into the earth for roots and stumps to

make a fire. This is enough to make the poor, worn-out, exhausted

soldier despair before he sinks to rest; sigh that he cannot share the

sure triumph and certain honour and glories of the day when our flag

shall wave from the citadel of Sebastopol! Although our patience is

sorely tried, yet there is no deep despair here among the troops; no one

for an instant feels the slightest doubt of ultimate success.

If British courage, daring, bravery and a strong arm in the fight,

contempt of death and love for our Most Gracious Sovereign Lady the

Queen and our country; if honour and glory could have won Sebastopol, it

had been ours long ago, and may be ours at any time. We are prepared for

a dreadful sacrifice, and not one of us for an instant has the least

misgiving as to the result. But let our country at least feel that the

soldiers now lying on the wet ground before Sebastopol, starving and in

rags, deserve at her hands the greenest and the brightest laurels and

rewards, and we trust that she may be prepared to reward those gallant,

noble officers and soldiers, who in such a position deserve the highest

honour she can confer upon them. Let England know them, as the

descendants of that glorious army (led by their illustrious chief His

Grace the Duke of Wellington) who thwarted the great Buonaparte in Spain

and Portugal, who fought at Quatre-Bras, Ligny, and Waterloo; and let

England recollect that in fighting her battles against a powerful enemy

at that time, we have now to maintain a struggle with foes still more

stubborn and barbarous, with a terrible climate, and if they triumphed

over the one she may rest assured, as we are, that she will triumph over

the other.

With regard to the prospects of the Russians, there can be no doubt that

means of communication exist between Inkerman and Sebastopol along the

south banks of the estuary of the Tchernaya. It is necessary that more

decisive steps be taken to intercept supplies for their garrison, or to

harass them more in their attempts to bring provisions to the city.

After we seized the Woronzoff road, it was thought that no other means

of approach, except by a mountain path, existed between Simpheropol and

Sebastopol, on the south side. There can be no doubt that another road

has been found out, which enables them to go from Inkerman along the

base of the heights on the southern side, and traverse the ravines which

lead along the banks of the river into the city.

Waggons can be seen every day coming down from the heights over the

Tchernaya river toward Sebastopol, and large bodies of the enemy are

visible, passing frequently and disappearing mysteriously into a

subterranean passage leading to the citadel.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVI.

TRENCHES—CANAL OF MUD—RUSSIAN NEW YEAR—HEAVY FIRE—ON SENTRY—THE

SORTIE—OLD BROWN BESS—SORTIE—ARRIVAL IN CAMP—NEW STYLE OF

CANDLE—FLINT AND STEEL—MAKING COFFEE—HEAVY SNOW—NO FIRE—WARM

CLOTHING—SHOT AND SHELL.

January 16th.—A strong party of the 17th Regiment marched to the

trenches yesterday evening, and in going down got wet to the skin. A

heavy thaw set in, and the trenches became a canal of mud; when we

arrived, we remarked that the Russians were very active inside the town,

and had lighted watchfires on the north side, and illuminated the

heights over the Tchernaya with rows of lights, in the form of a cross,

which shone brilliantly through the darkness of the cold, wet, and damp

winter's night. They were evidently celebrating their new year; light

shone from the windows of most of the houses and public buildings. Our

lonely sentries lying on the ground in front of our advanced trench, our

muskets loaded and capped, with a watchful eye on every embrasure in

front of us; we fancied that the Russians in Sebastopol tried to annoy

us with their lights and gaiety. At midnight all the church bells in the

city began ringing; it was evident that a solemn religious ceremony was

about to take place. We were all warned to be on the alert, and all our

advanced posts were strengthened accordingly. After the people came out

of the churches, about one o'clock in the morning, they gave a loud

cheer; our sailors and artillery who manned the guns in our batteries,

responded by opening a heavy fire on them, as did also the French on our

right and left, when the Russians in return began one of the fiercest

cannonades along their position that we have yet heard; their batteries

vomited forth floods of flame, which broke through the smoke as

lightning through the thunder-cloud, and we could see distinctly the

houses and buildings in the city, and their batteries crowded with

soldiers. The roaring of round shot, whistling and bursting of shells,

filled the intervals between the deafening roll of big guns. The round

shot passed over our trenches rapidly, ploughing up the ground into

furrows as they passed us by, or striking into our parapet with a thud.

Our "Blue Jackets" and artillery had to shelter themselves closely under

their batteries, and could barely reply to the volleys which ploughed up

our parapets, knocking sandbags, gabions, and fascines all about the

men's heads, and not unfrequently knocking some of them off;

nevertheless they always laid their guns correctly, sending the

destructive missile into the embrasure with a vengeance. While the

firing was going on a strong body of the enemy had been pushed up the

hill towards our works in front, on the flank of the left attack. I was

one of a chain of sentries, at twelve paces apart, lying down fifty

yards in front of our advanced trench. When we saw a strong column of

Russians coming out of their batteries and advancing up the hill, we

passed the word to each other, when the line of sentries fired on them

and retreated into the trench, giving the alarm to our men, the

field officer in charge sending back to the other parallels for

reinforcements, which arrived in good time to assist us in driving the

Russians from our works. In the meantime, the enemy had advanced into

our trenches, notwithstanding we kept blazing at them during their

advance, and standing against them, on the escarpment of our trench,

with our bayonets at the charge. They forced into our trench in large

numbers, when we had a desperate hand-to-hand fight; we were completely

jammed together, so that as we pulled the bayonet out of one we knocked

another over with the butt end of our musket.

The officers fought bravely, cutting the Russians down with every

stroke. One officer in cutting a Russian broke his sword, which nearly

cost him his life, only for one of our men guarding off a stab from a

Russian bayonet, he would have been _hors-de-combat_. He soon picked up

a musket, however, and fought bravely with it. I was close to him as he

floored the Russians all around him. I can assure you, gentle reader,

that we all fought as becometh British soldiers, though the odds against

us were ten to one. When the enemy saw the reinforcements coming, they

began to retreat by odd ones, until at last the whole of them retired

toward their outworks in double time. We fired rapidly after them,

giving them chase up to their very batteries, and engaging with them

again in the grave-yard close to the careening battery, where we had a

very hard fight amongst the tombstones. Oh! if we had the Enfield rifle,

instead of the "Old Brown Bess." However, we closed round them in the

grave-yard, dislodging them from behind the tomb-stones, where they took

refuge, cutting off three of their party whom we took prisoners, besides

wounded men we picked up on the field and in the trenches, sending the

latter to the hospital, and the former on board the fleet. In this

affair, two officers and eighteen men were wounded, and six men killed.

The French had also to resist a strong sortie at the same time, and

drove them back with great loss, and in pursuit got inside the Russian

advanced batteries, where they had a hand-to-hand fight, and by great

valour succeeded in fighting their way clear of the enemy, and returned

to their own trenches. At daylight all was quiet, except an odd shot now

and then as a reminder. Having been relieved that evening by the 21st

Fusiliers, we arrived in camp completely exhausted with hunger, wet and

hard fighting, our clothes being saturated, it having thawed in the

night, and now turned round to freeze, stiffening our clothes with

icicles, the noise of which, as we marched along, reminded us of the

ancient warriors in coats of mail. When I reached my hut, Dandy was

there, but no fire,—our wood had been used up; he had been roused up in

the night to reinforce the trenches, and carrying shot during the day,

he was as weary as I was. How to get a drink of hot coffee was the next

thought which troubled me, I wanted it badly indeed. What did I do? I

tore a strip off the nether end of my shirt, set it on an empty

blacking-tin with some pork fat, and lit it with a flint and steel which

I always carried in my pack (our matches being too damp to light, and

besides they were very scarce), set my canteen over the blaze with a

little water in it at first, making the coffee after the water boiled,

then adding more water; we then fried some biscuits in pork fat over the

blaze. This new invention proved very useful afterwards, not only to

Dandy and myself, but to the officers and men of the regiment; you can

scarcely imagine how quick water will boil over a blaze of this kind.

January 19th. Frost continues with frequent showers of snow, which

enables us to get up provisions. The artillery were employed to-day with

their waggons carrying up shot, shell, and powder to the depôt.

January 20th. We had a heavy fall of snow during the night; it is now

four feet deep over the plain. The preparations for a general

bombardment are progressing rapidly; upwards of seventy big guns and

mortars, with sea service siege guns, are all up at the depôt, and if

this frost lasts, will be in the batteries very shortly, if the frost

and snow enable us to get up heavy guns and mortars. Several men have

been frozen in their tents, and several men have been sent to hospital

from the trenches with severe frost bites and suffering from bitter cold

wind and frost. When a path has been once broken through the snow, men

and horses can get along much more easily than to wade through the deep

mud as heretofore, but the temperature is very trying in the tents,

particularly when we have no wood to make a fire. Many regiments have

been served out with fur coats, long boots, mitts, guernseys, and

flannel waistbands and socks. But alas, none of these needful articles

have reached the 17th Regiment yet, except the men in hospital, who have

received a few articles of warm clothing. It is a most melancholy

subject for reflection to see our present army. There is scarcely a

regiment to be recognised now, save by its well known camp-ground. The

officers cannot be distinguished from the privates, unless when they

wear their swords. What a harvest death has reaped, and many more are

ripe for the sickle. It is sad to see the noble officers who have been

brought up in luxury sharing the same fate as the private soldiers. I

went into an officer's tent the other day, and I was sorry to see him

(Lieutenant Brinkman) sitting in his tent shivering with cold and trying

to cut out a pair of leggings off the end of his blanket. As I helped

him to cut them out, he says: "Faughnan, they may talk at home about us

noble officers of the British army, and imagine us sitting in a snug

tent with warm clothing and gorgeous uniforms, partaking of the fare

that England has generously sent out here to her gallant officers and

soldiers, but which none of us have yet received, and I am afraid never

will, if this weather lasts long. It would be more comfortable to be a

sweep in London than an officer out here."

We had 400 men employed to-day January 29th, carrying shot and shell

from the depôt to the trenches. The snow fell during the night and

covered the ground four feet deep, but the cold wind drifted it to the

depth of six feet in some places. The wind blew so bitterly cold that

the mules and horses refused to face it; but the men came trudging along

in a dreary string, and there was something mournful in the aspect of

the long lines moving across the expanse of glittering snow. When these

men came back to camp they had very blue noses and pale faces; and as to

their clothes, what would the people of England have thought if they

beheld their gallant army! most of the officers as ragged as the men;

and many officers have been crippled by frost and obliged to go on leave

with their feet badly frostbitten. Several men go about barefooted, up

to their knees in snow; they could not get their frozen boots on their

swelled feet. There was very severe frost last night, January 23rd.

The activity of the heads of departments which has been recently

observable, is becoming more developed every day. Our quartermaster has

received to-day, among other useful things for the regiment, a supply of

Enfield rifles, to replace the "Old Brown Bess;" they will be served out

to the men to-morrow; also a quantity of sheepskin jackets, long boots,

guernseys, flannel waist bands, mitts, and fur caps. We are hard worked

bringing these articles up to camp; we are doing the work of

commissariat mules. As we were coming up we passed a large number of

sick and dying men who were sent down to Balaklava on mules and bat

horses; they formed one of the most ghastly processions that could be

imagined; many of these men were all but dead, with closed eyes, open

mouths, and pale haggard faces; they were borne along two on each mule,

one on each side, back to back. One of them died on the way down, his

corpse looked most ghastly. Strapped upright to the seat, the legs

hanging down stiff, the eyes staring wide open, the head and body

nodding with frightful mockery of life at each stride of the mule over

the broken ground. As the dead man passed, the only remarks our men made

were, "there is one more poor fellow out of pain at any rate." There

were several cases of frost-bite among them, but they all seemed alike

on the verge of death. We arrived at the front by six p.m.; the road

being hard, we made rapid progress to get to camp by daylight. Next

morning January 24th, we handed over to the quartermaster the old Brown

Bess, and received a splendid Enfield rifle in its stead; we also

received one pair of long boots, one fur cap each, and several received

sheepskin coats, mitts, guernseys, flannel bands, and socks, with a few

large overcoats for the sentries. It would astonish a stranger to go

from Balaklava to the front to see the number of dead horses and mules

along the wayside; in every hole are the remains of these animals torn

by dogs and vultures. The attitudes of some of the skeletons were

curious; some have dropped dead and are frozen stiff as they fell;

others seem struggling to rise from their miry grave; most of these

carcasses have been skinned by the Turks and French, who use the hides

to cover their huts. About five miles of the country are dotted all over

with these carcasses, in every stage of decay. Were it summer time,

around Balaklava would be a great pest-house, full of festering

carcasses of dead mules and horses. The evening after we were served out

with new rifles, long boots and fur caps, the 17th Regiment furnished

400 men for the trenches. The weather was clear, dry and cold, but we do

not care now for the cold, since we got our long boots, fur caps, and

warm clothing to protect us from the sharp biting frost. We are in

splendid spirits, and felt comfortable during the night in our new boots

and fur caps. After we arrived in the trenches, the Russians opened a

storm of musketry on us, as if they knew we were armed with the Enfield

rifle, and were anxious for us to try it, which we soon did, to their

astonishment. The Russian fire was particularly directed against our

works the whole night; after daylight the firing recommenced with great

vigour, all along our lines. There could be no less than 3000 men

engaged on each side, firing as hard as they could pull a trigger; the

lines were marked by thick, curling smoke. The fire slackened on both

sides about ten o'clock. Not a night now passes without severe

rifle-shooting from behind the parapets, and between the lines. Our

works are pushed almost within one hundred and fifty yards of the

Russian batteries, and on the left almost into the town, and its

suburbs, but the ruined houses of these suburbs are turned into defences

for their sharpshooters, and the town itself is almost one formidable

battery, from the glacis to the ridge over the sea, on which the south

side of the town is situated. Our batteries are in good order, and ready

for the heavy siege-guns, which can be put into them in a few days; as

the ground is hard we can easily get them into position. In the skirmish

last night, one Russian officer was taken prisoner on the right attack

by the 47th Regiment, who manned the trenches. We have received several

deserters from the Russians within the last week, who gave a fearful

account of how the Russians are suffering from cold and hunger; they

showed us some hard black bread they brought with them in their

haversacks. It is evident that the struggle between us and the Russians

will soon be renewed with greater vigour than before; the clear frosty

days and nights have given hearts and spirits to our men, but the

Russians have also derived advantage from the improved condition of the

roads and country. We hear they have thrown large quantities of stores

into the garrison recently.

When I returned from the trenches Dandy had plenty of hot coffee and

fried biscuits ready for me, as well as an extra gill of hot rum. We

find our hut very comfortable these cold frosty nights, and we now get

two nights off trench duty. Notwithstanding the clear frosty weather,

the transport of clothes, fuel and provisions entails considerable

hardships on our men; the sick make little progress towards recovery,

and the number of them sent down to Balaklava every day is a proof of

the unsatisfactory condition of the health of our army. Mules and horses

have been sent down to Balaklava for warm clothing for those regiments

whose men are nearly all sick. The coffee, for the first time, has been

issued to us roasted, which we find a great luxury compared to how we

have been getting it; vegetables, however, are greatly needed, picks,

spades, shovels and billhooks are in much request, and are greatly

needed to clear the camp, dig graves and chop wood, when we get any, but

we have got none as yet.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVII.

THE RAILWAY—LORD RAGLAN—COSSACKS—THE NAVVIES—RUSSIAN DESERTERS—

THE RAILWAY.

The railway from Balaklava to the front, under Mr. Doyne, C.E., is

making rapid progress; about two miles of rails have been laid down. It

winds its way from the post-office in Balaklava towards Kadikoi, passing

by Mrs. Seacoles' well known door (the half-way house), and is graded as

far as the 4th division. The sleepers are on the ground, and will be

laid in the course of two weeks. A stationary engine has been placed on

the hill above the Kadikoi, which pulls the trucks up from Balaklava;

the Turks are astonished by the puffs of steam from its iron lungs, and

its shrieks and screams as it is put in motion by the engineers, to

their great wonder and astonishment.

Lord Raglan visited Balaklava to-day and inspected the railway, with

which he was well pleased; he was accompanied by several staff officers.

After inspecting the progress and conditions of various departments in

the town, he went on board a man-of-war in the harbour, to visit some

sick soldiers who were going down to Scutari. He returned to Head

Quarters at six o'clock. I am sorry that sickness does not diminish,

dysentery and diarrhœa seem on the increase every day, and, I am afraid

that scurvy is beginning to show itself among the troops. It is no

wonder that the men get scurvy, living on salt rations and hard biscuits

without any vegetables, sleeping in their clothes; without a chance to

wash themselves or change their clothes; water being so scarce we cannot

wash our linen. I refrain from describing the state of the army for the

want of clean linen or water to wash with; suffice it to say that

several new flannel waist bands served to the men were thrown away, and

can be seen on the camp ground, occupied by a large army in skirmishing

order. I took my canteen, water-keg and soap down to the spring one day

to wash my linen; I waited two hours for my turn, after which I filled

my canteen and water-keg. I then washed my clothes on a flat stone, then

waited two hours more for water to rinse them, making four hours in all

I had to wait. The reader can understand what difficulty the men have to

keep themselves clean.

February 21st. The Russians made a strong sortie on the British lines

last night, and were repulsed with considerable loss; the light division

had six men killed and ten wounded.

The Cossacks, on the hills beyond Inkerman, have nearly disappeared and

there are no indications that they intend to occupy the hills again, or

construct batteries there as was supposed. The greatest secrecy is

observed respecting our future operations; strict orders have been given

that officers and others are not to give information regarding our works

and movements but to those entitled to demand it. I was on trench duty

last night when it froze hard, with bitter cutting wind, drifting the

snow into our eyes and filling the trenches; but the sun shone out in

the morning and the wind fell. The day was clear and cold, and the warm

clothing and long boots enabled us to bear the severity of the weather,

which would have been fatal to many, had we been in the same state as

our comrades on whom winter fell with all its rigour, while they had

nothing to wear but their old regimental clothing. We are now well

secured with long boots, fur caps and warm jackets. As the day was

clear, I could see the Russians plainly, in spite of the dazzling effect

of the snow and cold. The bridge of boats across the creek, from the

government buildings to the other side of the town, was crowded with

men, who were busily engaged passing across supplies and rolling barrels

to the other side, shewing that there is a centre of supply or depôt in

the government buildings behind the Redan and opposite the fire of our

batteries. Several lighters under sail and full of men were standing

over from one side of the harbour to the other, and boats manned with

crews dressed in white were tugging scows laden with stores to the south

side of the town. A small steamer was also very active, puffing and

splurting about the harbour in all directions, furrowing the surface of

the water, which was as smooth as glass, so completely is the harbour

land-locked—the men-of-war with their white ensigns and St. Andrew's

cross, lying in a line at the north side. The masts of three vessels

could be seen plainly above the buildings; further away to the right

toward Inkerman the white houses and barracks shone brightly in the sun,

and the bells of the churches were ringing out clearly in the frosty

air; the tall houses running up the hillside, with its massive, public

buildings, gave Sebastopol rather an imposing appearance. There was not

a soul to be seen in the streets except soldiers running across the open

space from one battery to another, relieving guards or posting sentries.

Outside the town the eye rests on walls of earth piled up ten or twelve

feet high and twenty feet thick, with embrasures, in which I could see

the muzzles of the guns pointing toward our batteries; those works are

of tremendous strength, with a very deep and broad ditch in front. Round

the suburbs of the town are broken-down, white-washed cottages, the

roofs of which are all gone, the doors off and the windows out, the

walls are left standing at a certain distance from the batteries with

holes made in them so that the guns can cover their object; they are

also used for sharpshooters.

The picture of misery presented by these suburbs is very striking, in

most instances the destruction has been caused by our shot, and the

houses all round the Flagstaff and Garden batteries have been blown into

heaps of rubbish and mortar. There have been a great many shells thrown

by the Russians to-day from a mortar battery towards the sea, projecting

the shells into the air every half minute or so across a hill in front

of it, so as to annoy our working party, who were engaged in throwing up

a trench towards the Quarantine fort. The white smoke rushing into the

air expands into rings; then follows the heavy dull report; then comes

the shrill whistle of the shell travelling through the air as it

describes its curve, and descends with great velocity, increasing as it

reaches the ground, sometimes sinking deep into the earth, tearing it up

with the explosion, to the destruction of those around. It is a most

unpleasant reflection when we see a whistling Dick coming in the air,

and run out of its way behind a traverse. To how many families have they

carried deep sorrow and mourning. The smoke clears away, then men gather

around one who moves not, they bear him away on a stretcher, and a small

mound of fresh earth marks for a little time the resting-place of the

soldier, whose wife, mother, children, or sisters are left destitute of

all happiness, save the memory and the sympathy of their country. Who

will let the inmates of that desolate cottage in England, Ireland, or

Scotland, know of their bereavement? However there goes another shell

which does nothing but knock up a cloud of earth and stones.

After being relieved, we marched to our gloomy camp under a heavy fire

from the enemy; but my hut was not so gloomy as the men's tents, it was

warm and comfortable, my comrade had a little fire, keeping my coffee

and fried biscuits warm, with a cotton rag dipped in pork fat as a

substitute for a candle.

February 25th. The 17th Regiment was roused at two o'clock this morning

and marched down to reinforce the covering party in the trenches. The

Russians commenced one of the most furious cannonades we have heard

since the siege began. The whole of the Russian batteries from our left

opened with immense force and noise, the Redan, Garden and Malakoff

batteries began firing round shot and shell. Our second parallel and

twenty-one gun batteries were exposed to the weight of this most

terrible fire, which shook the very earth and lighted up the sky with

incessant lightning flashes for two hours, under cover of which a very

strong sortie was made, and for an hour the musketry rolled incessantly

with vigour enough for a general engagement. As soon as the fire opened,

an aide-de-camp rode to our lines and gave the order for the 17th, 57th,

and 20th Regiments to march to the trenches, and in less than five

minutes these three regiments were moving in double time toward the

trenches. On arrival, we found that the covering party had succeeded in

driving the enemy from our trenches. We then returned to our camp and

lay down for a couple of hours. The Russians had made a sortie on the

French lines at the same time, and were also driven back with great loss.

At the request of General Ostensacken, an armistice was granted from

twelve till one o'clock to-day, to enable the Russians to bury their

dead. There was not much firing this morning; at twelve o'clock white

flags were run up on the batteries on both sides, and immediately

afterwards a body of Russians issued from the Redan, Flagstaff, and

Malakoff batteries, and proceeded to carry off their dead; and our men,

with the French, emerged from our batteries on a similar errand. A few

Russian officers advanced about half way towards our batteries, when

they were met by our officers and the French where extreme courtesy, the

interchange of profound salutations and bowings marked the interview.

The officers walked up and down, and skakos were raised and caps doffed

politely as each came near an enemy; in the meantime the soldiers were

carrying the dead and wounded off the field. About one o'clock the

Russians retired inside their batteries, and immediately after the white

flags were hauled down. The troops had scarcely disappeared over the

parapet, when the flash and roar of a gun from the Malakoff announced

that the war had begun once more, and our batteries almost

simultaneously fired a gun; in a moment afterwards the popping of rifles

commenced as usual on both sides.

The Cossacks about Balaklava are particularly busy throwing out their

piquets and sentries all along the top of Canrobert's Hill. These

sentries can see everything that goes on in the plain, from the entrance

to Balaklava to the edge on which our right rests; not a horse, cart, or

man can go in or out of the town, without being seen by these sentries,

for they are quite visible to any person who gazes from the top of

Canrobert's Hill. The works of the railway must cause these Cossacks

very serious apprehensions. What can they, or do they, think of them?

Gradually they see villages of white huts rise up on the hillside and in

the valleys, and from the cavalry camp to the heights of Balaklava they

can see line after line of wooden buildings, and can discover the tumult

and bustle on Kadikoi. This may be all very puzzling; but it can be

nothing to the excitement of looking at the railway trucks rushing round

the hill at Kadikoi, and running down the incline to the town at the

rate of twenty miles an hour. The Cossacks gallop up to the top of the

hill to look at this phenomenon, and they caper about shaking their

lances in wonder and excitement when the trucks disappear.

About 300 sick men were sent down to Balaklava to-day, on the ambulance

mules.

The preparations for the general bombardment are progressing with great

rapidity, and arrangements have been made to send up two thousand pounds

of ammunition per day to the front from the harbour; about two hundred

mules have been pressed into the service in addition to the railway, and

the Highlanders, and Artillery horses are employed in the carriage of

heavy shot and shell to the front, a duty which greatly disables and

distresses them. The Guards are all down at Balaklava; some of them seem

in very delicate health; a few old campaigners have attained that happy

state in which no hardships or privations can have any effect on them.

The silence and calm of the last few days are but the omens of the

struggle which is about to be resumed very speedily for the possession

of Sebastopol. The Russians are silent, because we do not impede their

work; we are silent, because we are preparing for the contest, and are

using every energy to bring up from Balaklava the enormous amount of

projectiles and mountains of ammunition which will be required for the

service of our batteries, when we open a general bombardment.

The railway has begun to render us some service in saving the hard

labour attendant on the transport of shot and shell, and enables us to

form a small depôt at the distance of two miles and a half from

Balaklava, which is, however, not large enough for the demands made upon

it, and it is emptied as soon as it is formed by parties from the

regiments in front, who carry ammunition to the camp depôt, four miles

further on.

The navvies work at the railway hard and honestly, with a few

exceptions, and the dread of the provost marshal has produced a

wholesome influence on the dispositions of the refractory. About 200 men

of the Naval Brigade have been detailed to assist in the works of the

railway, in order that the construction of it may be hastened as much as

possible.

March 4th. I was one of a covering party in the advanced trench; it was

a bright moonlight night, with sharp, cold frost. The Russians availed

themselves of the brightness of the night by keeping up a constant fire

of musketry on our trenches. At daybreak the volleys of musketry lasted

an hour, mingled with the roar of round shot, whistling and bursting of

shells, under cover of which they made a strong sortie on our trenches,

and were repulsed with heavy loss; they also made a strong sortie on the

French lines at the same time, and met no better success. General

Canrobert and staff rode past our camp to-day on his way to visit the

British Head-Quarters, where he met Lord Raglan and several generals of

our army, with whom he held a council of war, but nothing is known

publicly respecting the result of the council.

March 6th. Yesterday our first spring meeting took place and was

numerously attended. The races came off on a level piece of ground near

the Tchernaya River, and were regarded with much interest by the

Cossacks on Canrobert's Hill. They evidently thought at first that the

assemblage was connected with some military demonstration, and galloped

about in a state of great excitement to and fro. In the midst of the

races a party of twelve Russians was seen approaching the sentry on the

old redoubt beyond Inkerman; the sentry fired and ten of them fled, and

when the piquet came up to the sentry they found two deserters had come

in from the Russians. One of them was an officer, and the other had been

an officer, but had suffered degradation. They were both Poles, spoke

French fluently, and expressed great satisfaction at their escape and

said, "Send us wherever you please, provided we never see Russia again."

They stated that they had deceived the men who were with them into the

belief that the sentry was one of their own outposts, and, as they had

lately joined, they believed them, and advanced boldly till the sentry

fired at them, when they discovered their mistake and fled. As they were

well mounted, they dashed towards our lines; the Cossacks tried to cut

them off, but did not succeed. They requested that the horses might be

sent back to the Russian lines, as they did not belong to them—they did

not wish to be accused of theft. The horses were then taken to the brow

of the hill and set free, when they galloped towards the Cossacks. The

races proceeded as usual, and subsequently towards six o'clock the crowd

dispersed.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVII.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY—RIFLE PITS—FOURTH DIVISION—FRENCH LOSS—THE

SIEGE—GENERAL ATTACK—FLAG OF TRUCE—BURYING THE DEAD—WOODEN

HUTS—TURKISH TROOPS—DIVINE SERVICE.

March 18th. Yesterday being St. Patrick's day, many officers and men

were to be seen early in the morning on the hill-side in search of

something green to wear as a substitute for a real shamrock, the old

symbol of Erin. In the afternoon we had horseraces to celebrate St.

Patrick's day, and show that Irishmen, though far from their native

land, had not forgotten the rights and ceremonies by which this

celebrated day was remembered by them. They were in excellent spirits,

the day was fine, and the ground dry; both officers and men enjoyed the

day's sport; the thunder of the siege guns rose up frequently above the

shouts of the crowd in the heat of the races. There has been a fierce

struggle between the French and Russians last night, for the possession

of the rifle-pits. These pits are situated in front of the Mamelon, and

the Russian sharpshooters occupy them every night, and keep up a most

galling and destructive fire against the exposed parts of the advanced

trenches of our right attack as well as that of the French. The shot of

our batteries make the rifle pits too hot a place for the Russians

during the day, but at night they come back and re-occupy them,

supported by large bodies of infantry; in these encounters the enemy has

had many men killed and wounded. These rifle pits have cost both armies

large quantities of ammunition, as well as the sacrifice of many men;

but the French are determined to wrest them from the Russians at any

cost, for they are a source of the greatest annoyance to them. They sent

a strong force of about six thousand men down close to our second and

light divisions, before dusk yesterday evening, and shortly afterwards

they were sent to the advanced trenches, on our right; the covering

party and riflemen were ordered out to occupy the rifle pits; they

advanced but found the Russians had anticipated them, and that the enemy

were already in possession of the pits. A fierce battle then commenced,

but it was found that the enemy were there in much larger force than was

expected; therefore the French could not then drive them from their

position, notwithstanding their repeated attempts to do so. The contest

was carried on by musketry, and the volleys which rang out incessantly

for five hours, roused up the whole camp.

From the roll of musketry, and the flashing light in front, one would

have thought that a general engagement between large armies was going

on. The character of the fight had something peculiar about it, owing to

the absence of round shot or shell. About 7.30 o'clock, p.m., the 4th

division was turned out by order of the General, Sir John Campbell, and

took up its position on the hill near the Green Hill battery, and the

light division, under Sir George Brown, at the same time marched towards

the 21 gun battery; the second and third divisions were also turned out

and marched to the trenches in their front, after the French had

desisted and retired from the assault on the rifle-pits. These

divisions, after remaining under arms for five hours, were marched back

to their respective camps. Had the French required our assistance we

were ready to give it; but they were determined on taking these pits,

which are in front of their advanced trenches, without any aid from us.

The Zouaves bore the heaviest part of this battle; we could distinctly

hear their officers between the volleys of musketry, cheering on their

men, and encouraging them, and the rush of men generally followed, then

a volley of musketry was heard, followed by rapid file firing, then a

Russian cheer and more musketry. Between each volley we could hear the

officer again giving the command. This work went on for about five

hours, when the French at length retired. The French loss at this affair

was twenty officers and 200 rank and file killed, wounded and taken

prisoners; the Russian loss was over 600 killed and wounded.

March 18th, 5 p.m. General Canrobert attended by his staff, passed down

by our right attack, and examined the position of the rifle-pits,

Malakoff and Mamelon. At twilight a strong force of French with a

battery of field pieces were moved down towards the advanced works, and

another attempt was made to take the rifle-pits, and after a hard-fought

battle they succeeded in dislodging the Russians, amid a blaze of fire

from the forts at daybreak. The French now directed a heavy fire from

these pits against the Mamelon and Malakoff, reversing the sand bags and

loop holes.

March 23rd. The 17th Regiment furnished a working party of one hundred

men for the advanced trenches yesterday evening. At twilight, when we

got to the trenches, the engineer officer laid out the work. It was a

new trench. Every file of men got a pickaxe and shovel, and were placed

at six yards apart, on the open ground, without any shelter from the

Russian grape and canister. We placed a man on the look-out for the

flash of the guns, while we worked hard to throw up cover. About twelve

o'clock the sentries in advance of us gave the alarm, by firing upon the

advancing Russians, who came so suddenly we had scarcely time to snatch

up our rifles before they were upon us, bayoneting us before we were

prepared to receive them. When the sentries first discovered them they

were close upon us. Taken at a great disadvantage, and pressed by

superior numbers, we met them hand to hand with the bayonet; our men

fought like British lions, meeting the assault with undaunted courage.

We drove the enemy back at the point of the bayonet; pursued by our

shot, they retired under cover of their batteries. The attack was

general along the whole line. At ten, p.m., our batteries, with the

French, began to shell the town, pouring our rockets every five minutes

in streams into the city. The sentries in advance of Chapman's battery

gave the alarm also that the Russians were advancing in force on the

trenches; the 20th, 21st, 57th, and 68th Regiments were the covering

parties on the left attack. They were pretty well prepared for the

enemy. About the same time the French were attacked by columns of the

enemy. As the French were sorely pressed, our troops extended along a

portion of their trenches. On the left attack the Russians advanced in

great force, through a weak part of the trenches, turning the third

parallel; they killed and wounded several of our men, and had advanced

to the second parallel, when our covering party came down upon them and

drove them back after a sharp conflict. On the right the Russians came

on our men very suddenly. The 34th Regiment had a strong force to

contend against, and as Colonel Kelly, their commanding officer, was

leading them on, he got wounded and was taken prisoner by the Russians,

and carried off to Sebastopol. After an hour's fight the enemy were

driven back to their batteries. During this affair we had ten officers

and one hundred men placed _hors-de-combat_; the French had fifteen

officers and two hundred men killed, wounded and taken prisoners. On the

other hand, the enemy lost between seven hundred and eight hundred men.

The number of dead Russians lying along the front of our trenches proved

that they got a severe chastisement, and that they experienced a heavy

loss.

The bodies of one officer and sixteen men remained in our trench until

next day, and in front of our trenches the ground was covered with their

dead. About one o'clock next day flags of truce were run up from the

Redan and Malakoff, and shortly after white flags were waving from the

top of ours and the French batteries. Previous to the white flags being

run up, not a soul was visible in front of the lines. The instant the

flags were hoisted, friend and foe swarmed out of the batteries and

trenches. The sight was a strange one,—the French, English and Russian

officers saluting each other most courteously as they passed, and a

constant interchange of civilities took place. But while all this

civility was going on, the soldiers of both sides were carrying off

their dead comrades from the blood-stained ground, which was covered

with strong proofs of the recent battle. There British, French and

Russian soldiers, lying as they had fallen in their gore, with broken

muskets, bayonets, pouches, belts, fragments of clothing, pools of

blood, broken gabions, fascines, and torn sand-bags, visible on every

side; and the solemn procession of soldiers, bearing their comrades to

their last resting place, looked a most ghastly spectacle. In the midst

of all this evidence of war a certain amount of lively conversation took

place between the Russians and our men, such as, "Bono Inglais, Francais

no bono, Rooso bono," and they led us to understand that they liked the

British soldiers much better than the French, although we always made it

hot for them whenever we met, for which they gave us the name of "red

devils." It took two hours to bury the dead; at the end of that time the

armistice was over, and scarcely had the white flags disappeared behind

the parapet of the Redan, before a round shot from the sailors' battery

knocked through one of their embrasures, raising a pillar of dust; the

Russians at once replied, and the roar of the big guns drowned all other

noise. It is generally believed by the officers and men, that our

batteries will open a general bombardment on Sebastopol about the tenth

of April. The greatest excitement and activity are displayed in

Balaklava, at the railway station, and all round the harbour, with

crowds of fatigue parties and labourers engaged in piling up shot and

shell, and loading the railway with ammunition, of which immense

quantities are being sent up to the front.

The first passenger train from the front to Balaklava was one loaded

with sick soldiers, who were sent down to Balaklava.

On the 2nd April, five trucks filled with sick and wounded men ran down

from the front in less than half an hour; the men of course were much

more comfortable than those sent down on mules during the winter.

Sickness in camp, I am glad to say, is diminishing every day; instead of

sending down a thousand men a week to Scutari, as we did a month ago, we

now despatch on an average only two hundred.

April 6th. This evening our mortar battery fired several shells into the

Redan, and after the explosion, beams of timber, trunks of bodies, legs

and arms of human beings, were seen to fly up in the air; and after a

time a blaze of fire ran along a portion of the works, which sprang from

one of the enemy's mines. The 68th Regiment furnished one hundred men

for a working party in the advanced trench last night, and were pounced

upon by a working party of Russians, who were throwing up a trench,

within sixty yards of them, and a regular hand to hand fight ensued. The

men of the 68th who were armed with the new Enfield rifle, could not

draw their ramrods; the wood of the rifle, being new, had swelled with

the rain and continued dampness, causing the rifle to get woodbound,

this has occurred more than once to my own knowledge; therefore after

the first volley, they had no resource but to use their bayonet and butt

end of their rifle, billhooks, pickaxes, and spades, which they were

working with when the Russians came upon them. After the sentries gave

the alarm, the covering party from the third parallel came to their

assistance, and at last the Russians were repulsed after a severe

struggle. Our loss was about 60 men killed and wounded; the Russians

lost 200 men killed and wounded, out of 800 who were engaged in the

affair. I am glad to state that the 17th Regiment have got up two wooden

huts at last, one for the grenadiers and the other for the light

company; and besides, we are now getting a small supply of wood from the

commissariat department. The weather is fine, and the camp ground

getting dry. We have also got a divisional canteen established, close to

the camp of the 57th Regiment. We can now purchase several articles of

luxuries, such as butter, cheese, bread, bottled ale and porter, besides

several other useful articles, which the men require to nourish and

strengthen them, after the hardship they suffered during the severe

winter. As regards food and shelter, our men are getting better off

every day! we are getting flannel comforters now when we do not want

them. It is a pity we did not get these things last winter. All the

materials we possess now were to be had for moving them, and the

thankfulness which the survivors feel for the use of them is tinged with

bitter regret that our loved departed comrades can never share again our

present comforts. As these neat huts rise up in rows one after the

other, the eye rests sadly on the rows of humble mounds which mark the

resting-place of those who perished in their muddy blankets under a wet

and cold tent. There is not a regiment out here but has some generous

friend in the mother country, whose care and bounty have provided them

with luxuries and comforts beyond all price to the sick and declining

soldier; some have sent tobacco, cheese, arrowroot, and warm clothing.

The bounty, kindness and love of the people at home have now most

liberally contributed to the wants of the army. About 12,000 Turks have

just landed at Kamiesch Bay; they had a long march to the heights of

Balaklava. It was astonishing that so few men fell out of the ranks or

straggled behind. They had a good brass band, which astonished the

British soldiers by "Rule Britannia" as they marched past our camp; most

of the regiments were preceded by drums, fifes, and trumpets.

The colonel and his two majors rode at the head of each regiment, richly

dressed, on small but spirited horses, covered with rich saddle-clothes,

and followed by their pipe-bearers, The mules, with the tents, marched

on the right, and the artillery on the left; each gun was drawn by six

horses; the baggage animals marched in rear. The regiments marched in

columns of companies, most of the men were armed with the old flint-lock

muskets, which were clean and bright. They all displayed rich standards

blazing with cloth of gold, and coloured flags with crescent and star

embroidered on them. All the men carried a small pack with a blanket on

top, a small piece of carpet to sit on, and cooking utensils. As they

marched along they presented a very warlike appearance, the reality of

which was enchanced by the thunder of guns at Sebastopol, and the

bursting of shells in the air. The troops attended divine service on

Easter Sunday; the Roman Catholics have erected a small chapel in the

4th division, and a priest celebrated mass outside the chapel, and

preached a most eloquent sermon. The troops were formed up in close

column by regiments, forming three sides of a square the chapel filling

up the fourth side. It was a very imposing sight; the square of soldiers

standing with fixed bayonets, and presenting arms at the elevation of

the Host, the priest in the centre, bare-headed, and his vestments

flowing in the breeze. The Protestants attend divine service in the open

air regularly on Sundays, since the chaplains to the forces have

arrived. On Easter Sunday the French had High Mass in each of their

camps, with all the pomp of military bands. On last Saturday the

regiments of the 4th division turned out every man off duty, and dug a

deep trench and built a fence round the burial ground, placing a rustic

gate at the entrance.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIX.

BOMBARDMENT—TENTS BLOWN DOWN—SIEGE—LIEUT. WILLIAMS—WOUNDED—

SAILORS—GO TO HOSPITAL—DESCRIPTION—SARDINIANS—DISCHARGED FROM

HOSPITAL—ATTACK ON QUARRIES—FLAG OF TRUCE—BURYING THE DEAD.

Easter Monday at daybreak, the whole line of batteries simultaneously

opened fire on Sebastopol; and as the firing commenced, the overhanging

clouds seemed to have burst with the terrific thunder of the big guns

and mortars, and the rain poured down in torrents accompanied by a high

breeze; so thick was the atmosphere that even the flashes of the guns

were invisible, and the gunners must have fired at guess work by the

flashes of the enemies' batteries, as it was impossible to see more than

a few yards in advance. A driving sheet of rain and a black sea fog

shroud the whole camp, which has resumed the miserable aspect so well

known to us already; tents have been blown down, the mud has already

become very deep, and the ground covered with slush and pools of dirty

water. Our batteries are thundering away continuously in regular bursts,

and are now firing at the rate of forty shots a minute; when they first

opened they fired eighty shots a minute, but, with the down-pouring of

rain and fog, it is hard work. As it was not necessary to press the

gunners, they have slackened the fire considerably.

The Russians were taken completely by surprise when our batteries opened

fire. The Redan and Garden batteries came into play at once after we

opened, but some time elapsed before the Malakoff or Mamelon answered. A

sharp fusillade took place in the night between our advanced trenches

and the enemy. The piquets were reinforced on the heights of Balaklava,

and on the plain at night.

Lord Raglan, Sir John Campbell and General Jones, R. E., as wet and

drenching as the day was, posted themselves in their favourite spot at

the Green Hill trench, whence they could get a good view along the whole

of the batteries. At five o'clock the sun descended in a dark pall,

which covered the sky, and cast a pale light upon the masses of curling

vapour across the line of batteries. The outlines of the town were

faintly visible through the mist of smoke and rain. It seemed quivering

inside the lines of fire around it. The ground beneath was lighted up by

incessant flashes of light, and long trails of smoke streamed across it

spurting up in thick volumes tinged with fire. This glimpse of the

batteries, brief though it was, proved extremely satisfactory. The

French batteries were firing with energy on the Flagstaff and Garden

batteries, which were replied to very feebly by the enemy.

April 12. The 17th Regiment furnished 450 men for the trenches. After

being inspected at sundown by the Brigadier, Colonel McPherson, C.B., we

marched down to the Green Hill trench, under the command of a field

officer; the 68th Regiment furnished a like number. As we were relieving

the 21st and 57th Regiments, the Russians opened fire with tremendous

salvoes from their batteries. Our gunners made excellent practice, and

soon silenced several of their most troublesome guns, and at every shot

the earth was knocked up out of the enemy's parapets and embrasures; our

shell practice was not so good as it might be, on account of bad fuses.

The French had silenced ten guns on the Flagstaff batteries, and had

inflicted great damage on the outworks. On our side we had silenced half

the guns in the Redan and Malakoff; but the Barrack and Garden Batteries

were not much injured, and kept up a brisk fire against us of round

shot. During the night the firing was very heavy on both sides; there

was a continuous roar of big guns and mortars. We discharged large

quantities of rockets into the town, and our mortars kept up a steady

fire on the Redan and Garden batteries. During the night we were greatly

exposed to the enemy's fire, for we were employed, as hard as we could

work, in patching up embrasures, platforms, and mounting big guns; we

had mounted two guns in the second parallel, broken platforms were

renewed, and damaged guns replaced by others.

April 13th. At dawn this morning the batteries on both sides commenced

their terrible duel as usual, and it was evident that the Russians had

wonderfully exerted themselves to repair damages during the night; for

they had replaced four or five damaged guns, repaired broken embrasures

and injured parapets, and were as ready to meet our fire as we were to

meet theirs. The firing has not slackened all day; about three o'clock

we were repairing the battery on the left of the second parallel, when

the Russians opened a fierce fire of shell and round shot; one of the

latter knocked the head clean off the shoulders of one man, dashing his

brains into Captain O'Connor's face, and all over the breast of his

tunic. As he was getting the man's brains washed off his face and

clothing, a piece of shell struck Lieutenant Williams, and cut his eye

clean out of his head. As I was gazing with horror at the officer's eye

hanging down on his cheek, a piece of shell struck me on the head,

cutting through my forage cap and sinking into my skull. This was all

done in less than five minutes; the shelling was fearful. I have seen

six shells burst in the trench at one time. Lieutenant Williams and

myself, with several others, were _hors-de-combat_ for some time after.

The doctor in the Green Hill trench dressed our wounds, when we were

conducted by a couple of bandsmen to the hospital.

The sailors have suffered severely, although they only work about forty

guns in the different batteries; they have lost more men in proportion

to their number than any of the other siege trains; at the time I got

wounded they had then seventy men killed and four wounded, besides two

officers killed and four wounded. The sailors in Chapman's battery

silenced five of the best guns in the Redan yesterday; but the Russians

replaced them during the night, and opened fire from them in the

morning. The Redan is very much damaged on the right and front face,

already four of the embrasures are knocked level with the inside of it,

but the Russians work hard repairing their batteries during the night;

they are so numerous they can spare the men; besides they have not to

carry shot and shell as far as we have. When I got to the hospital the

doctor examined my wound and dressed it and put me to bed; the first I

lay on since I left Gibraltar last year, and the first time I was ever

sick in hospital. The change seemed to me a strange one—the doctors

were so attentive and unremitting in the care of the sick and wounded

men, and so many hospital orderlies waiting on us. I did not think at

the time that I deserved such attention and kindness as they were

bestowing on me; for I often saw a man getting an uglier wound from the

crack of a shillally at a fair in Ireland, but the doctor made me

believe that the wound was much worse than I thought it was at first.

There were many men in hospital with diarrhœa, dysentery, and a few with

scurvy; sick and wounded men kept coming in from the camp and trenches,

day and night; the worst cases are to be sent down to Balaklava. I am

glad not to be one of them, I do not want to go far from my dear old

regiment. At the end of three weeks, I was returned fit for duty once

more, thanks be to God, and recommended for light duty for a few days.

May 2nd. I was discharged from hospital this morning; the day was warm

and beautiful, and a gentle breeze fanned the canvas of the wide spread

streets of tents, for we have only two wooden huts up for the 17th

Regiment as yet. I was anxious to have a look at old Sebastopol once

more, and see how it looked after the storm of shot and shell which I

have heard roaring and bursting for the last three weeks that I have

been in hospital; so I went up to Cathcart's Hill, just at the left of

our camp ground. As the day was clear and fine, the reports of the guns

and rifles became more distinct, the white buildings, domes, and cupolas

of Sebastopol stood out with menacing distinctness against the sky, and

the ruined suburbs and massive batteries seemed just the same and looked

as strong as when I saw them three weeks ago.

May 16. The Sardinians are massing on the hills all round Karanyi daily.

Three steamers have arrived yesterday laden with these troops. They have

landed all ready for the field, with their transport horses, carts,

mules, and vehicles; they looked gay, and every one admired the air and

carriage of those troops. Our eye was much struck by the large, gay

plume of green feathers on the top of their dandy shako. The officers

wear a plume of green ostrich feathers. They carry very small square

tents which are upheld by their lances stuck in the ground, one at each

end of the tent, and their encampment, with its flags all round it, has

a very pretty effect. We are all very sorry to hear that Miss

Nightingale has been ill with fever in Balaklava.

June 3rd. For the last two weeks firing has been very slack, and trench

duty has gone on quietly with two and three nights off at a time. The

Russians throw an odd shell into our trench, to remind us that they are

on the alert; we can see the shell black in the shining sun, as it

describes its circle high in the air, and at night they are more plainly

seen—with a tail like a comet, they are heard whistling, coming through

the air, apparently up among the stars.

There has been an unusual languor on the side of the Russians. Some say

it is due to sickness raging in Sebastopol, others say it is due to the

desire of economizing ammunition, but most of us think that it is the

warmth of the weather that has dulled their energies. But there is one

thing that we do know, for we can see it, that they are working away to

strengthen and provision the fortress on the north side.

June 6th. At three p.m., the whole of the batteries encircling

Sebastopol have once more, for the third time, opened a most terrible

fire on its batteries. The English and French are now in strength and

power equal to any achievement, and in the best of spirits, and are

anxious to get a good charge at the Russians with the bayonet. Every one

feels that the intention of going beyond a vain bombardment is tolerably

plain, and we think with some strong defiance of the risk. This

afternoon Lord Raglan and General Pellisier, with their staff, rode

through the camp, amidst the cheers and acclamations of both their

armies. There cannot be any doubt as to the zeal of those whom they

command.

Our fire was kept up for the first four hours with the greatest

rapidity. The superiority of our fire over the enemy became apparent at

various points before nightfall, especially on the Redan, which was

under the special attention of the sailors' batteries. After dark the

fire slackened somewhat on both sides, but the same relative advantage

was maintained by our artillery.

June 7th, at 11 a.m., a shell from the enemy exploded a magazine in our

eight gun battery, and a yell of applause by the Russians followed the

report. Happily the explosion caused very slight harm; one man killed

and one wounded. As the day wore on, it leaked out that something of

import was undoubtedly to take place before its close, and that the

double attack would probably commence at five or six p.m. The fire on

our side which had continued until daybreak steadily assumed a sudden

fury at three o'clock, and was kept up from that hour to the critical

moment with great activity. The affair itself came off but little after

the anticipated time. It was about 7 o'clock p.m., when the head of the

French attacking column climbed its arduous road to the Mamelon. A

rocket was thrown up as a signal to our division, and instantly the

small force of our men made a rush at the Quarries. After a hard hand to

hand fight we drove out the Russians, and turned round the gabions and

commenced to fortify ourselves in our newly acquired position. At the

same time the French went up the side of the Mamelon in most beautiful

style, like a pack of hounds trying to rout a fox from his old cover;

the Zouaves were upon the parapet firing down upon the Russians; the

next moment a flag was up as a rallying point, and was seen to sway to

and fro, now up, now down, as the tide of battle raged round it; and now

like a swarm they were into the Mamelon, and a fierce hand to hand

encounter with the bayonet and musket ensued; and after a very hard

contested battle, the French succeeded in driving the enemy from the

Mamelon.

In the meantime our men fought at the Quarries, and repelled six

successive attacks of the Russians, who displayed the most singular

daring, bravery, and recklessness of life to obtain possession of the

Quarries.

June 8th. Repeated attacks were made on our men in the Quarries during

the night, who defended their new acquisition with the utmost courage,

and at great sacrifice of life, against superior numbers, continually

replenished. More than once there was a fierce hand to hand fight in the

position itself.

The most murderous sortie of the enemy took place about 3 o'clock in the

morning; then the whole batteries were lighted up with a blaze of fire,

and storms of shot were thrown in from the Redan and other batteries

within range. When morning dawned the position held by both French and

English was of the greatest importance. The morning brought out on every

side, along with the perception of advantage gained, and a prey lying at

our feet, all the haste and circumstances of the scene, with its painful

consequence of death and suffering. On our side about 400 rank and file

and 40 officers were killed and wounded. The French had 1,200 killed and

wounded. Next day flags of truce were hoisted from the Malakoff and

Redan and Flagstaff batteries, which announced that the Russians

requested an armistice to bury their dead; it was a grave request to

make in the midst of a fierce bombardment, evidently a ruse to gain

time, events hanging in the balance, success, perhaps, depending upon

the passing moment; but it was granted by Lord Raglan,—I dare not

criticise his lordship,—from one o'clock until six in the evening,

during which time no shot was fired on either side, while the dead

bodies which strewed the hill in front of the Quarries were removed from

the field of slaughter. The corpses which encumbered the earth, and were

in process of removal, gave out faint tokens of coming putrefaction;

fragments of bodies and marks of carnage were interspersed with, as

usual, gabions and broken firelocks.

During the five hours' armistice the enemy, with their wonted

perseverance, had been making good use of their time, which we knew they

would; and when the firing commenced, which it did instantly the flags

were lowered, a few minutes before 6 o'clock, it was plain that the

Malakoff and Redan had both received a reinforcement of guns; so much

for politeness,—for the Russians were most artful in hiding their

working parties during the armistice.

June 11th. We had many men killed and wounded during the night in our

new positions, into which the Russians kept firing grape and canister

from the batteries which flank the rear of the Redan.

News had reached the camp that Miss Nightingale has quite recovered from

her serious illness, and that she has embarked on board Lord Ward's

steam yacht for Scutari. We all pray and trust that she may so improve

in health and strength as to enable her to come amongst our wounded men

once more at Balaklava hospital; for her presence there is worth all the

doctors' medicine. God bless her, prays an honest Roman Catholic. This

morning I received, from my wife in England, a letter which conveyed to

me the sad intelligence that my youngest child, Elizabeth, had died on

the 30th of last April.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XX.

BOMBARDMENT—THE ASSAULT—GREAT REDAN—THE BATTLE—BALAKLAVA—

HOSPITAL—MISS NIGHTINGALE—NURSES—PROMOTED—DISCHARGED FROM

HOSPITAL—DEATH OF LORD RAGLAN.

After the contest for the rifle pits and Mamelon, on the 8th and 9th, a

temporary lull took place in the siege operations, which was necessary,

in order to make preparations for a yet more formidable assault on the

Malakoff and Redan, of which the Mamelon and Quarries were mere advanced

works. Therefore, on the morning of the 17th of June, 1855, the

batteries of the allied armies before Sebastopol opened fire from the

whole line of trenches, from left to right. The tremendous roar of big

guns and mortars was terrible. What a pity that this bombardment had not

been kept up until the general assault took place next morning, which

Lord Raglan had intended; but in order to suit the wishes of General

Pellisier, it was most unfortunate that his Lordship was induced to

abandon his intention, instead of which the Russians were allowed to

strengthen their batteries and reinforce them with troops owing to the

lull in the firing. By the time the assault was made, they were well

prepared to meet us.

June 18th. At 2 o'clock in the morning, the 4th division, under General

Wyndham and Sir John Campbell, consisting of the 17th, 20th, 21st, 57th

and 63rd Regiments, were marched down to the twenty-one gun battery;

thence by files through zigzags to the Quarries, under a galling fire of

shot and shell from the Redan, the 17th Regiment leading. As we reached

the Quarries, the men got packed closely together in such a small space;

and the Russians, having the exact range threw the shell right amongst

our men, tearing them to pieces, throwing their legs and arms high in

the air, as we stood there a target for the Russians waiting for the two

rockets which was the signal from the French, when they got into the

Malakoff. A shell struck Sergeant Connell of the Grenadier Company,

tearing him to shreds, and throwing one of his legs fifty yards off,

which was found afterwards and known by the regimental number on the

sock. That leg was all of him that could ever be seen afterwards. Paddy

Belton, the third man from me, got struck with a shell and torn to

pieces, and several others. We had much better have tried to get into

the Redan, than to stand there in suspense, a target for shell and shot.

The sailors and 20th Regiment were told off to carry scaling ladders and

wool packs; the latter were placed on the field, as cover for the

riflemen, who were told off to cover the advance of the storming party,

firing at the Russian gunners, through the embrasures. As the ladder

party advanced toward the ditch of the Redan, a storm of grape,

canister, rifle bullets and pieces of old nails and iron, was discharged

from the big guns of the Redan, besides a cross fire from the curtains

of the little Redan and Malakoff, causing great slaughter to the small

party of sailors and 20th Regiment. I saw one of the ladder carriers

knocked down from one end with a shot, when the weight of the ladder

devolved on the other man who dragged it along the best way he could,

till he was also knocked over. After hard tugging several had got as far

as the abatis, where they had another delay; for during the night the

Russians had repaired and strengthened it. This obstructed the advance

of the ladder party, who used the greatest exertions to remove that

barrier; all who were not shot worked through and deposited their

ladders in the ditch of the Redan. Of those who fell, their ladders lay

on the ground between the Quarries and Redan. The ladders were barely

deposited in the ditch, when Lord Raglan gave the order for the advance

of the storming parties, which consisted of the 17th, 21st, 57th and

63rd Regiments. This small party, led by Sir John Campbell, were to

attack the left side of that immense and formidable stronghold, the

great Redan.

The light division, led by the gallant Colonel Yea, consisted of the

7th, 23rd, 33rd, 34th, 77th and 88th Regiments, the right side, and the

2nd division the centre or apex. On the signal being given, Captain John

Croker sang out at the top of his voice, "Grenadiers of the 17th,

advance," when the company bounded over the parapet, like one man, led

by their captain, followed by the other companies. When the Russians saw

us advancing, they opened such a terrific fire of grape, canister and

musketry, that it was almost impossible for any man to escape being hit.

As we advanced up to the abatis, Sir John Campbell was shot, also my

noble captain, John Croker, who was struck with a grape shot in the

head, and fell.

LINES ON THE DEATH OF SIR JOHN CAMPBELL AND CAPTAIN JOHN CROKER.

_Who fell leading the assault on the Great Redan, June 18th, 1855._

Ye Grenadiers! who fear no foe and scoff at death,

Full well I know that, to your dying breath,

You'll fight like warriors, or like heroes fall,

So now obey your Queen and country's call.

To crush those Russians with relentless hand,

And scale their ramparts like a gallant band,

Let John Campbell's orders be our guide,

We'll fight and conquer by that hero's side.

Nor will we humble at the Russian bear;

While God is with us we need never fear;

Grasp tight your swords for victory's glorious crown,

And share with none those deeds of high renown.

The warriors brave around John Croker stood,

Within the Quarries ready for to shed their blood,

While Captain Croker on the signal given,

Cries, "Grenadiers, advance! and trust your fate to heaven."

Stung with desire, they raised the battle-cry,

And rushed well forward to win the fight, or die;

Our captain waved high his sword, and then

Onward he dashed, followed by all his gallant men.

Who with one loud hurrah, the silence broke,

And charged like Britons through the fire and smoke;

A moment more and then the bloody struggle came,

With roar of cannon and with flash and flame.

While piled in ghastly heaps the brave soldiers lay,

Filling the trenches with their dead that day,

John Croker's voice was heard above the battle din,

Leading his company through death and slaughter then.

Until at last the fatal bullet riven,

Laid our hero low and sent his soul to heaven;

Deep was the grief and sorrow at his loss we bore,

As that noble chieftain lay weltering in his gore.

While round his ghastly corpse we bravely tried

To quell the sweeping torrent of the rushing tide

That rushed upon us with such resistless fire,

And levelled our heroes in heaps, there to expire.

But few escaped of the forlorn band,

Of that chivalric company Croker did command;

But those who did, stuck by their leader still,

And laid his corpse to rest on Cathcart's Hill.

T. FAUGHNAN.

At this time, if the commander had supported us, we would have taken the

Redan; but the few men who were sent out were shot down. Scarcely a man

advanced as far as the Redan but got either killed or wounded. I got

shot through the right arm, fracturing the bone. As I was coming back,

covered with blood, for the wound was severe, I saw a man named John

Dwyer, who got struck with a grape shot in the thigh. He said to me,

"Oh, Faughnan, I am kilt entirely." He had scarcely spoken, when a round

shot struck him again and put an end to his sufferings. I was conducted

to the ravine, at the Woronzoff road, by a drummer, where the doctors

and hospital orderlies were in their shirt-sleeves, hard at work,

amputating legs and arms, and binding up wounds; it was fearful to see

all the legs and arms lying around. After the doctor stopped the blood

with a patent bandage, he dressed my wound, and sent me to hospital on

an ambulance waggon with twelve other wounded men. During the assault on

the Redan and Malakoff, the third division, under General Eyre,

consisting of the 9th, 18th, 28th, 38th, and 44th Regiments, with a

company of picked marksmen, under Major Felden, of the 44th Regiment,

were pushed forward to feel the way, and cover the advance. At the

signal for the general assault, the 18th Royal Irish, being the storming

party, rushed at the cemetery, and got possession, dislodging the

Russians with a small loss; but the moment the Russians retired, the

batteries opened a heavy fire on them, from the Barrack and Garden

batteries.