The Destruction Of Lord Raglan: A Tragedy Of The Crimean War 1854 55 by Christopher Hibbert

Author:Christopher Hibbert [Hibbert, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Military History, Crimean War; 1853-1856
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Lord Raglan rode along the crest of the ridge to the north of the 2nd Division's camp trying to piece together into a coherent whole the contradictory reports which came to him. The fog was still thick and he could see nothing. Only the muffled noises of battle told him that the crisis of the first assault had passed.

But it could not be long, he believed, before a new attack was made in even greater force. The only doubt was when it would come. The doubt was soon resolved. At about a quarter to eight news came to him that General Adams, commanding the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division, was being heavily pressed on a spur of land about half a mile north of where he stood.

Adams had with him rather less than seven hundred men, mainly of the 41 st and the 49th. A tall, commanding figure on an immense horse, he rode up and down his lines as the Russian columns came on, were repulsed and came on again. He could not hope to hold back the enemy unaided much longer. Already he was being slowly outflanked and forced to give ground. And then as a fresh column lumbered towards him out of the fog, his brigade major galloped up to say that the Guards were on their way towards him and would soon be there. He lifted his hat in the air and cheered, shouting to his men that the Guards were coming. Four young officers of the 41st sprang out of the ranks at his words and waving their men on with their swords dashed at the massive Russian column. They charged it alone and all four of them were killed. Their men refused to follow them in such heroics. 'All right,' one of them said, 'so the bloody Guards are coming. Let them do some fighting for a change.'

The fact was that the Guards were widely supposed to be incapable of it. At the Alma, where they had been unjustifiably suspected of cowardice, their reputation had been severely damaged. ‘A report is rife which I hope will not spread,' an officer in the Royal Fusiliers told his father, 'that the Guards cut it.' A captain in the Grenadiers confirmed it. 'We did not think much of it,' he wrote, giving a fairer account of the retreat of the Scots Guards than some officers of line regiments had done, 'as they had to sustain very heavy fire, but when one reads of their remarkable gallantry in the papers, it is right that the public should have a true version of the case—which is that they retired, causing our men, who were in line on their right, to cry out "Shame!", saying at the same time they wished the Queen could see the favourites now.'

The Scots Fusilier Guards came up to the help of General Adams, determined to retrieve their honour. They were led by Colonel Walker. On their right were the Grenadier Guards commanded by Colonel Reynardson.

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