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EARLY in 1854, the regiment
was removed to Portsea, preparatory to embarking for Turkey, in consequence
of hostilities with Russia.
About 200 Volunteers were
received from depots in Ireland, and for the first time for upwards of 45
years, without regard to country. The ten service companies embarked in the
hired screw ship the "Hydaspes," Captain John Baker, on the 20th
May, and sailed next morning. They consisted of 32 officers, 45 sergeants,
20 Drummers and Pipers, and 850 Rank and File. On 1st June they went into
Malta, and on the 7th anchored off Scutari. They landed and encamped on the
9th, joining in Brigade with the 79th and 93d.
On the 13th the division,
consisting of the Brigade of Guards and the Highlanders, embarked and
reached Varna next day, and disembarked on 15th, encamping near to Yarns. On
the 1st of July they moved to Aladyne; on the 28th to Gevrekler ("The
three springs"); and on 16th August repassed Varna to Galatabourna,
where the regiment was in camp until the embarkation of the army on the
29th, on which day it went on board the ss. ‘Emeu," and sailed with
the expedition on the 5th September.
The British force consisted
of 27,000 men of all arms; the French about 30,000; and the Turks 7000;
making a total of 63,000 men, with 128 guns. Lord Raglan was the chief of
the British forces, while Marshal St Arnaud commanded the army of France.
The English infantry consisted of four divisions; the Light, First, Second,
and Third Divisions. The First Division, under the command of H. R. H. the
Duke of Cambridge, consisted of the third battalion of the Grenadier Guards,
and the first battalions of the Coldstream and Scotch Fusilier Guards,
commanded by Major-General Bentinck. Major-General Sir Colin Campbell (Lord
Clyde), was commander of the other half of this division (the Highland
Brigade), composed of the 42d, 79th, and 93d Highlanders. The 42d was
commanded by Colonel Cameron, who had joined the regiment in 1825, and was
made lieutenant-general in 1868.
On the 14th of September
1854, the allied armies of England and France, landed unopposed at Old Fort,
Kalamita Bay, about 30 miles north of Sebastopol.
"The seamen knew,"
says Kinglake, the fascinating historian of the Crimean War, "that it
concerned the health and comfort of the soldiers to be landed dry, so they
lifted or handed the men ashore with an almost tender care: yet not without
mirth— nay, not without laughter far heard—when, as though they were
giant maidens, THE TALL HLGHLANDERS OF THE FORTY-SECOND, placed their hands
in the hands of the sailor, and sprang, by his aid, to the shore, their
kilts floating out wide while they leapt." It was not until the 19th
that all the soldiers and their accompaniments were landed, and not until
the 19th that the march southwards on Sebastopol commenced. On the first
night of their march, the allies bivouacked on the banks of the stream of
the Bulganak, six miles from their landing place.
"During the march, the
foot-soldiers of the Allied armies suffered thirst; but early in the
afternoon the troops in advance reached the long-desired stream of the
Bulganak; and as soon as a division came in sight of the water, the men
broke from their ranks, and ran forward that they might plunge their lips
deep in the cool, turbid, grateful stream. In one brigade a stronger
governance was maintained. Sir Colin Campbell would not allow that even the
rage of thirst should loosen the discipline of his grand Highland regiments.
He halted them a little before they reached the stream, and so ordered it
that, by being saved from the confusion that would have been wrought by
their own wild haste, they gained in comfort, and knew that they were
gainers. When men toil in organised masses, they owe what well being they
have to wise and firm commanders."
When the allied forces came
in sight of the Alma, they found the Russians intrenched in what looked a
very formidable position, on the hills which rise from its left or southern
bank. For a short distance from the mouth of the river, the banks rise
precipitously from the river and form a table-land above, accessible by
several gorges or passes. Further up the river the banks rise more gently,
and the slope of the hills southwards is more gradual; everywhere are the
heights cut up by passes or ravines into knolls and separate rounded
heights. "From the sea-shore to the easternmost spot occupied by
Russian troops, the distance for a man going straight was nearly five miles
and a-half; but if he were to go all the way on the Russian bank of the
river, he would have to pass over more ground, for the Alma here makes a
strong bend and leaves open the chord of the arc to invaders who come from
the north."’ All over the heights extending from near the sea to this
distance eastwards along the south-side of the river, the Russian force,
amounting to 39,000 men and 106 guns, was massed on the side of the various
slopes, in formidable looking columns. On the right of the Russian position
rose gradually from the banks of the river a gentle slope, which terminated
in a large rounded knoll, known as the Kourganč-hill. At about 300 yards
from the river, the Russians had thrown up a large breastwork armed with
fourteen heavy guns; this was known as the Great Redoubt. With this work
Prince Mentschikoff, the Russian commander, was delighted; indeed, he
fancied his position so impregnable, that he expected to hold out for three
days, by which time he was confident the allies would be utterly exhausted,
and fall an easy prey to his northern legions. On the same hill, but higher
up, and more to his right, the Prince threw up another slight breast-work,
which he armed with a battery of field guns. This was the Lesser Redoubt. At
many other points which commanded the approaches to his position he had
large batteries planted, and the vineyards which skirted the north bank of
the river were marked and cleared, so as to give effect to the action of the
artillery.
As it would be out of place
here to give a general account of the battle of the Alma, we shall content
ourselves mainly with setting forth the part taken in it by the 42d Royal
Highlanders, the actual strength of which regiment going into action was 27
officers, 40 sergeants, 20 pipers and drummers, and 703 rank and file. The
work done by the other Highland regiments will be told in the proper place.
The French and Turks, who formed the right of the allied army, were
appointed to attack the left of the Russian position, while the British had
to bear the brunt of the battle, and engage the enemy in front and on the
right, being thus exposed to the full force of the murderous fire from the
above-mentioned batteries.
"The right wing of the
Russian army was the force destined to confront, first our Light Division,
and then the Guards and the Highlanders. It was posted on the slopes of the
Kourganč Hill. Here was the Great Redoubt, armed with its fourteen heavy
guns; and Prince Mentschikoff was so keen to defend this part of the ground,
that he gathered round the work, on the slopes of the hill, a force of no
less than sixteen battalions of regular infantry, besides the two battalions
of Sailors, and four batteries of field-artillery. The right of the forces
on the Kourganč Hill rested on a slope to the east of the Lesser Redoubt,
and the left on the great road. Twelve of the battalions of regular infantry
were disposed into battalion-columns posted at intervals and checkerwise on
the flanks of the Great Redoubt; the other four battalions, drawn up in one
massive column, were held as a reserve for the right wing on the higher
slope of the hill. Of the four field-batteries, one armed the Lesser
Redoubt, another was on the high ground commanding and supporting the Great
Redoubt, and the remaining two were held in reserve.. General Kvetzinski
commanded the troops in this part of the field. On his extreme right, and
posted at intervals along a curve drawn from his right front to his centre
rear, Prince Mentschikoff placed his cavalry,—a force comprising 3400
lances, with three batteries of horse-artillery.
"Each of these bodies of
horse, when brought within sight of the Allies, was always massed in column.
"Thus, then, it was to
bar the Pass and the great road, to defend the Kourganč Hill and to cover
his right flank, that the Russian General gathered his main strength; and
this was the part of the field destined to be assailed by our troops. That
portion of the Russian force which directly confronted the English army,
consisted of 3400 cavalry, twenty-four battalions of infantry, and seven
batteries of field-artillery, besides the fourteen heavy guns in the Great
Redoubt, making together 23,400 men and eighty-six guns."
In the march from its bivouac
on the night of the 19th there were two or three protracted halts, one
caused by a slight brush with some Cossack cavalry and artillery. The rest
we must relate mainly in the charming words of Kinglake, after whose
narrative all others are stale.
"The last of these took
place at a distance of about a mile and a half from the banks of the Alma.
From the spot where the forces were halted the ground sloped gently down to
the river’s side; and though some men lay prostrate under the burning sun,
with little thought except of fatigue, there were others who keenly scanned
the ground before them, well knowing that now at last the long-expected
conflict would begin. They could make out the course of the river from the
dark belt of gardens and vineyards which marked its banks; and men with good
eyes could descry a slight seam running across a rising-ground beyond the
river, and could see, too, some dark squares or oblongs, encroaching like
small patches of culture upon the broad downs. The scam was the Great
Redoubt; the square-looking marks that stained the green sides of the hills
were an army in order of battle.
"That 20th of September
on the Alma was like some remembered day of June in England, for the sun was
unclouded, and the soft breeze of the morning had lulled to a breath at
noontide, and was creeping faintly along the hills. It was then that in the
Allied armies there occurred a singular pause of sound—a pause so general
as to have been observed and remembered by many in remote parts of the
ground, and so marked that its interruption by the mere neighing of an angry
horse seized the attention of thousands; and although this strange silence
was the mere result of weariness and chance, it seemed to carry a meaning;
for it was now that, after near forty years of peace, the great nations of
Europe were once more meeting for battle.
"Even after the sailing
of the expedition, the troops had been followed by reports that the war,
after all, would be stayed; and the long frequent halts, and the quiet of
the armies on the sunny slope, seemed to harmonise with the idea of
disbelief in the coming of the long-promised fight. But in the midst of this
repose Sir Cohn Campbell said to one of his officers, ‘This will be a good
time for the men to get loose half their cartridges;’ and when the command
travelled on along the ranks of the Highlanders, it lit up the faces of the
men one after another, assuring them that now at length, and after long
expectance, they indeed would go into action. They began obeying the order,
and with beaming joy, for they came of a warlike race; yet not without
emotion of a graver kind— they were young soldiers, new to battle."
The Light Division formed the
right of the British army, and the duty of the Highland Brigade and the
Guards was to support this division in its attack on the right of the
Russian position. The 42d formed the right of the Highland Brigade, the 93d
the centre, and the 79th the left. The Konrganč hill, which had to be
assailed by the Light Division, supported by the Highlanders and Guards, was
defended by two redoubts, by 42 guns, and by a force of some 17,000 men.
The battle commenced about
half-past one P.M., and lasted a little over two hours. The French attack on
the left was comparatively a failure, and their losses small, for they had
but little of the fighting to sustain. The battle on the part of the English
was commenced by the Light and Second Divisions crossing the Alma, the
former getting first to the other or Russian side, driving the Russian
skirmishers and riflemen before them at the point of the bayonet. As soon as
they got out of the vineyards, double the number of guns opened upon them
with grape and canister, still they moved on, keeping up a telling fire
against the Russian gunners. By the time they reached the great redoubt they
were terribly shattered, but, nevertheless, successfully carried it and
captured two guns. Being, however, now comparatively few in number, and
unsupported, they were compelled to leave the redoubt by a huge body of
Russian infantry, upon whom, they never turned their backs. Other
operations, with more or less success, were going on in other parts of the
hillside, but our place, is with the Highlanders of the First Division, who,
along with the Guards, were now advancing to support the Light Division, so
sore bestead. "This magnificent division, the flower of the British
army, had crossed the river rather higher up than the Light Division, and
consequently were on its left. . . The First Division formed-up after
crossing the Alma, and although they incurred considerable loss in so doing,
they nevertheless advanced in most beautiful order—really as if on parade.
I shall never forget that sight—one felt so proud of them." Lord
Raglan had been looking on all this time from some high ground, where he and
his staff were posted, and where he obtained a comprehensive view of the
battle-field. When he saw the First Division coming up in support, he said,
"Look how well the Guards and Highlanders advance!" We must allow
Mr Kinglake to tell the rest.
"Further to the left (of
the Guards), and in the same formation (of line), the three battalions of
the Highland Brigade were extended. But the 42d had found less difficulty
than the 93d in getting through the thick ground and the river, and again
the 93d had found less difficulty than the 79th; so, as each regiment had
been formed and moved forward with all the speed it could command, the
brigade fell naturally into direct echelon of regiments, the 42d in front.
And although this order was occasioned by the nature of the ground traversed
and not by design, it was so well suited to the work in hand that Sir Cohn
Campbell did not for a moment seek to change it.
"These young soldiers,
distinguished to the vulgar eye by their tall stature, their tartan
uniforms, and the plumes of their Highland bonnets, were yet more marked in
the eyes of those who know what soldiers are by the warlike carriage of the
men, and their strong, lithesome, resolute step. And Sir Cohn Campbell was
known to be so proud of them, that already, like the Guards, they had a kind
of prominence in the army, which was sure to make their bearing in action a
broad mark for blame or for praise."
[We shall take the liberty of
quoting here the same author’s sketch of Campbell’s career:-
Whilst Ensign Campbell was
passing from boyhood to man’s estate, he was made partaker in the great
transactions which were then beginning to work out the liberation of Europe.
In the May of 1808 he received his first commission—a commission in the
9th Foot; and a few weeks afterwards—then too young to carry the colours—he
was serving with his regiment upon the heights of Vimieira. ‘Where the lad
saw the turning of a tide in human affairs ; saw the opening of the mighty
strife between ‘Column’ and ‘ Line ;‘ saw France, long unmatched
upon the Continent, retreat before British infantry; saw the first of
Napoleon’s stumbles, and the fame of Sir Arthur Wellesley beginning to
dawn over Europe.
He was in Sir John Moore’s
campaign, and at its closing scene—Corunna. He was with the Walcheren
expedition; and afterwards, returning to the Peninsula, he was at the battle
of Barossa, the defence of Tarifa, the relief of Taragona, and the combats
at Malaga and Osma. He led a forlorn hope at the storming of St Sebastian,
and was there wounded twice; he was at Vittoria ; he was at the passage of
the Bidassoa ; he took part in the American war of 1814 ; he served in the
‘West Indies he served in the Chinese war of 1842. These occasions he had
so well used that his quality as a soldier was perfectly well known. He had
been praised and praised again and again; but since he was not so connected
as to be able to move the dispensers of military rank, he gained promotion
slowly, and it was not until the second Sikh war that he had a cornmand as a
general: even then he had no rank in the army above that of a colonel. At
Chilianwalla he commanded a division. Marching in person with one of the two
brigades, he had gained the heights on the extreme right of the Sikh
position, and then bringing round the left shoulder, lie bad rolled up the
enemy’s line and won the day ; but since his other brigade (being
separated from him by a long distance) had wanted his personal control, and
fallen into trouble, the brilliancy of the general result which he had
achieved did not save him altogether from criticism. That day he was wounded
for the fourth time. He commanded a division at the great battle of Gujerat;
and, being charged to press the enemy’s retreat, he had so executed his
task that 158 guns and the ruin of the foe were the fruit of the victory. In
1851 and the following year he commanded against the hill-tribes. It was he
who forced the Kohat Pass. It was he who, with only a few horsemen and some
guns, at Punj Pao, compelled the submission of the combined tribes then
acting against him with a force of 8000 men, It was he who, at Ishakote,
with a force of less than 3000 men, was able to end the strife ; and when he
had brought to submission all those beyond the lndus who were in arms
against the Government, he instantly gave proof of the breadth and scope of
his mind as well as of the force of his character ; for he withstood the
angry impatience of men in authority over him, and, insisted that he must be
suffered to deal with the conquered people in the spirit of a politic and
merciful ruler.
‘‘After serving with all
this glory for some forty-four years, he came back to England ; hot between
the Queen and him there stood a dense crowd of families—men, women, and
children—extending further than the eye could reach, and armed with
strange precedents which made it out to be right that people who lead seen
no service should be invested with high command, and that Sir Colin Campbell
should be only a colonel. Yet he was of so fine a nature that, although he
did not always avoid great bursts of anger, there was no ignoble bitterness
in his sense of wrong. He awaited the time when perhaps he might have high
command, and be able to serve his country in a sphere proportioned to his
strength. His friends, however, were angry for his sake; and along with
their strong devotion towards him there was bred a face hatred of a system
of military dispensation which could keep in the background a man thus tried
and thus known.
Upon the breaking-out of the
war with Russia, Sir Colin was appointed—not to the command of a division,
but of a brigade. It was not till the June of 1854 that his rank in the army
became higher than that of a colonel."]
"The other battalions of
the Highland Brigade were approaching; but the 42d—the far-famed ‘Black
Watch‘— had already come up. It was ranged in line. The ancient glory of
the corps was a treasure now committed to the charge of young soldiers new
to battle; but Campbell knew them—was sure of their excellence—and was
sure, too, of Colonel Cameron, their commanding officer. Very eager—for
the Guards were now engaged with the enemy’s columns—very eager, yet
silent and majestic, the battalion stood ready.
"Before the action had
begun, and whilst his men were still in column, Campbell had spoken to his
brigade a few words—words simple, and, for the most part, workmanlike, yet
touched with the fire of war-like sentiment. ‘Now, men, you are going into
action. Remember this: whoever is wounded—I don’t care what his rank is—whoever
is wounded must he where he falls till the bandsmen come to attend to him.
No soldiers must go carrying off wounded men. If any soldier does such a
thing, his name shall be stuck up in his parish church. Don’t be in a
hurry about firing. Your officers will tell you when it is time to open
fire. Be steady. Keep silence. Fire low. Now, men’—those who know the
old soldier can tell how his voice would falter the while his features were
kindling—’Now, men, the army will watch us; make me proud of the
Highland Brigade’
"It was before the
battle that this, or the like of this, was addressed to the brigade and now,
when Sir Colin rode up to the corps which awaited his signal, he only gave
it two words. But because of his accustomed manner of utterance, and because
he was a true, faithful lover of war, the two words he spoke were as the
roll of the drum: ‘Forward, 42d !‘ This was all he then said; and, ‘as
a steed that knows his rider,’ the great heart of the battalion bounded
proudly to his touch.
"Sir Colin Campbell went
forward in front of the 42d; but before he had ridden far, he saw that his
reckoning was already made good by the event, and that the column which had
engaged the Coldstream was moving off obliquely towards its right rear. Then
with his Staff he rode up a good way in advance, for he was swift to hope
that the withdrawal of the column from the line of the redoubt might give
him the means of learning the ground before him, and seeing how the enemy’s
strength was disposed in this part of the field. In a few moments he was
abreast of the redoubt, and upon the ridge or crest which divided the slope
he had just ascended from the broad and rather deep hollow which lay before
him. On his right he had the now empty redoubt, on his right front the
higher slopes of the Kourganč Hill. Straight before him there was the
hollow, or basin, just spoken of; bounded on its farther side by a swelling
wave or ridge of ground which he called the ‘inner crest.’ Beyond that,
whilst he looked straight before him, he could see that the ground fell off
into a valley; but when he glanced towards his left front he observed that
the hollow which lay on his front was, so to speak, bridged over by a
bending rib which connected the inner with the outer crest— bridged over
in such a way that a column on his left front might march to the spot where
he stood without having first to descend into the lower ground. More towards
his left, the ground was high, but so undulating and varied that it would
not necessarily disclose any troops which might be posted in that part of
the field.
"Confronting Sir Colin
Campbell from the other side of the hollow, the enemy had a strong column—the
two right battalions of the Kazan corps—and it was towards this body that
the Vladimir column, moving off from the line of the redoubt, was all this
time making its way. The Russians saw that they were the subject of a
general officer’s studies; and Campbell’s horse at this time was twice
struck by shot, but not disabled. When the retiring column came abreast of
the right Kazan column it faced about to the front, and, striving to recover
its formation, took part with the Kazan column in opposing a strength of
four battalions —four battalions hard-worked and much thinned —to the
one which, eager and fresh, was following the steps of the Highland General.
"Few were the moments
that Campbell took to learn the ground before him, and to read the enemy’s
mind; but, few though they were, they were all but enough to bring the 42d
to the crest where their General stood. The ground they had to ascend was a
good deal more steep and more broken than the slope close beneath the
redoubt. In the land where those Scots were bred, there are shadows of
sailing clouds skimming straight up the mountain’s side, and their paths
are rugged, are steep, yet their course is smooth, easy, and swift.
Smoothly, easily, swiftly, the ‘ Black Watch’ seemed to glide up the
hill. A few instants before, and their tartans ranged dark in the valley—now,
their plumes were on the crest. The small knot of horsemen who had ridden on
before them were still there. Any stranger looking into the group might
almost be able to know—might know by the mere carriage of the head—that
he in the plain, dark-coloured frock, he whose sword-belt hung crosswise
from his shoulder, was the man there charged with command; for in battle,
men who have to obey sit erect in their saddles; he who has on him the care
of the fight seems always to fall into the pensive yet eager bend which the
Greeks—keen perceivers of truth— used to join with their conception of
Mind brought to bear upon War. It is on board ship, perhaps, more commonly
than ashore, that people in peace-time have been used to see their fate
hanging upon the skill of one man. Often, landsmen at sea have watched the
skilled, weather-worn sailor when he seems to look through the gale, and
search deep into the home of the storm. He sees what they cannot see; he
knows what, except from his lips, they never will be able to learn. They
stand silent, but they question him with their eyes. So men new to war gaze
upon the veteran commander, when, with knitted brow and steady eyes, he
measures the enemy’s power, and draws near to his final resolve. Campbell,
fastening his eyes on the two columns standing before him, and on the
heavier and more distant column on his left front, seemed not to think
lightly of the enemy’s strength; but in another instant (for his mind was
made up, and his Highland blood took fire at the coming array of the
tartans) his features put on that glow which, seen in men of his race—race
known by the kindling grey eye, and the light, stubborn crisping hair—discloses
the rapture of instant fight. Although at that moment the 42d was alone, and
was confronted by the two columns on the farther side of the hollow, yet
Campbell, having a steadfast faith in Colonel Cameron and in the regiment he
commanded, resolved to go straight on, and at once, with his forward
movement. He allowed the battalion to descend alone into the hollow,
marching straight against the two columns. Moreover, he suffered it to
undertake a manoeuvre which (except with troops of great steadiness and
highly instructed) can hardly be tried with safety against regiments still
unshaken. The ‘Black watch’ 'advanced firing.’
"But whilst this fight
was going on between the 42d and the two Russian columns, grave danger from
another quarter seemed to threaten the Highland battalion; for, before it
had gone many paces, Campbell saw that the column which had appeared on his
left front was boldly marching forward; and such was the direction it took,
and such the nature of the ground, that the column, if it were suffered to
go on with this movement, would be able to strike at the flank of the 42d
without having first to descend into lower ground.
"Halting the 42d in the
hollow Campbell swiftly measured the strength of the approaching column, and
he reckoned it so strong that he resolved to prepare for it a front of no
less than five companies. He was upon the point of giving the order for
effecting this bend in the line of the 42d, when looking to his left rear,
he saw his centre battalion springing up to the outer crest." This was
the 93d.
"Campbell’s charger,
twice wounded already, but hitherto not much hurt, was now struck by a shot
in the heart. Without a stumble or a plunge the horse sank down gently to
the earth, and was dead. Campbell took his aide de-carnp’s charger; but he
had not been long in Shadweil’s saddle when up came Sir Colin’s groom
with his second horse. The man, perhaps, under some former master, had been
used to be charged with the ‘second horse’ in the hunting-field. At all
events, here he was; and if Sir Colin was angered by the apparition, he
could not deny that it was opportune. The man touched his cap, and excused
himself for being where he was. In the dry, terse way of those Englishmen
who are much accustomed to horses, he explained that towards the rear the
balls had been dropping about very thick, and that, fearing some harm might
come to his master’s second horse, he had thought it best to bring him up
to the front.
When the 93d had recovered
the perfectness of its array, it again moved forward, but at the steady pace
imposed upon it by the chief. The 42d had already resumed its forward
movement; it still advanced firing.
"The turning moment of a
fight is a moment of trial for the soul, and not for the body; and it is,
therefore, that such courage as men are able to gather from being gross in
numbers, can be easily outweighed by the warlike virtue of a few. To the
stately ‘Black Watch’ and the hot 93d, with Campbell leading them on,
there was vouchsafed that stronger heart for which the brave pious
Muscovites had prayed. Over the souls of the men in the columns there was
spread, first the gloom, then the swarm of vain delusions, and at last the
sheer horror which might be the work of the Angel of Darkness. The two lines
marched straight on. The three columns shook. They were not yet subdued.
They were stubborn; but every moment the two advancing battalions grew
nearer and nearer, and although—dimly masking the scant numbers of the
Highlanders— there was still the white curtain of smoke which always
rolled on before them, yet, fitfully, and from moment to moment, the signs
of them could be traced on the right hand and on the left in a long, shadowy
line, and their coming was ceaseless.
"But moreover, the
Highlanders being men of great stature, and in strange garb, their plumes
being tall, and the view of them being broken and distorted by the wreaths
of the smoke, and there being, too, an ominous silence in their ranks, there
were men among the Russians who began to conceive a vague terror—the
terror of things unearthly; and some, they say, imagined that they were
charged by horsemen strange, silent, monstrous, bestriding giant chargers.
Unless help should come from elsewhere, the three columns would have to give
way; but help came. From the high ground on our left another heavy column—the
column composed of the two right Sousdal battalions—was seen coming down.
It moved straight at the flank of the 93d." This was met by the 79th.
"Without a halt, or with
only the halt that was needed for dressing the ranks, it sprang at the flank
of the right Sousdal column, and caught it in its sin —caught it daring to
march across the front of a battalion advancing in line. Wrapped in the fire
thus poured upon its flank, the hapless column could not march, could not
live. It broke, and began to fall back in great confusion; and the left
Sousdal column being almost at the same time overthrown by the 93d, and the
two columns which had engaged the ‘Black Watch’ being now in full
retreat, the spurs of the hill and the winding dale beyond became thronged
with the enemy’s disordered masses.
"Then again, they say,
there was heard the sorrowful wail that bursts from the heart of the brave
Russian infantry when they have to suffer defeat; but this time the wail was
the wail of eight battalions; and the warlike grief of the soldiery could no
longer kindle the fierce intent which, only a little before, had spurred
forward the Vladimir column. Hope had fled.
"After having been
parted from one another by the nature of the ground, and thus thrown for
some time into echelon, the battalions of Sir Colin’s brigade were now
once more close abreast; and since the men looked upon ground where the grey
remains of the enemy’s broken strength were mournfully rolling away, they
could not but see that this, the revoir of the Highlanders, had chanced in a
moment of glory. Knowing their hearts, and deeming that the time was one
when the voice of his people might fitly enough be heard, the Chief touched
or half lifted his hat in the way of a man assenting. Then along the Kourgan
slopes, and thence west almost home to the Causeway, the hill-sides were
made to resound with that joyous, assuring cry, which is the natural
utterance of a northern people so long as it is warlike and free.
"The three Highland
regiments were now re-formed, and Sir Colin Campbell, careful in the midst
of victory, looked to see whether the supports were near enough to warrant
him in pressing the enemy’s retreat with his Highland Brigade. He judged
that, since Cathcart was still a good way off, the Highlanders ought to be
established on the ground which they had already won; and, never forgetting
that, all this while, he was on the extreme left of the whole infantry array
of the Allies, he made a bend in his line, which caused it to show a front
towards the south-east as well as towards the south.
"This achievement of the
Guards and the highland Brigade was so rapid, and was executed with so
steadfast a faith in the prowess of our soldiery and the ascendancy of Line
over Column, that in vanquishing great masses of infantry 12,000 strong, and
in going straight through with an onset which tore open the Russian
position, the six battalions together did not lose 500 men."
The British loss was 25
officers and 19 sergeants killed, and 81 officers and 102 sergeants wounded;
318 rank and file killed, and 1438 wounded, making, with 19 missing, a total
loss of 2002. The French loss was probably not more than 60 killed and 500
wounded, while the Russian killed and wounded amounted to considerably above
6000. The 42d in killed and wounded lost only 37 men.
After the battle, it was a
touching sight to see the meeting between Lord Raglan and Sir Colin
Campbell. The latter was on foot, as his horse had been killed in the
earlier period of the action. Lord Raglan rode up, and highly complimented
Campbell and his brigade. Sir Colin, with tears in his eyes, said it was not
the first battle-field they had won together, and that, now that the battle
was over, he had a favour to ask his lordship, which he hoped he would not
refuse—to wear a bonnet with his brigade while he had the honour to
command it.
The request was at once
granted, and the making up of the bonnet was intrusted secretly to
Lieutenant and Adjutant Drysdale of the 42d. There was a difficulty next
morning as to the description of heckle to combine the three regiments of
the Brigade. It was at last decided to have one-third of it red, to
represent the 42d, and the remaining two-thirds white at the bottom, for the
79th and 93d. Not more than half a dozen knew about the preparation of the
bonnet, and these were confined to the 42d. A brigade parade was ordered on
the morning of 22d September on the field of Alma, "as the General was
desirous of thanking them for their conduct on the 20th." The square
was formed in readiness for his arrival, and he rode into it with the bonnet
on. No order or signal was given for it, but he was greeted with such a
succession of cheers, again and again, that both the French and English
armies were startled into a perfect state of wonder as to what had taken
place. Such is the history of "the bonnet gained."
The 42d had its own share in
the harassing and tedious work which devolved on the British soldiers while
lying before Sebastopol, although it so happened that it took no part in any
of the important actions which followed Alma. Here, as elsewhere, the men
supported the well-known character of the regiment in all respects. On the
first anniversary of the battle of the Alma, September 20, 1855, the first
distribution of medals was made to the soldiers in the Crimea, on which
occasion Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell issued the following stirring
address, duty preventing him from being present:-
"Highland Brigade,
"On the first
anniversary of the glorious battle of the Alma, our gracious Sovereign has
commanded the Crimean medal to be presented to her gallant soldiers, who
were the first to meet the Russians and defeat them on their own territory.
The fatigues and hardships of last year are well known, and have greatly
thinned our ranks since we scaled the Alma heights together; but happy am I
to see so many faces around me, who, on that day, by their courage,
steadiness, and discipline, so materially assisted in routing the Russian
hordes from their vaunted impregnable position. To that day Scotchmen can
look with pride, (and Scotchmen are everywhere). For your deeds upon that
day you received the marked encomiums of Lord Raglan, the thanks of the
Queen, and admiration of all. Scotchmen are proud of you! I, too, am a
Scotchman, and proud of the honour of commanding so distinguished a Brigade;
and still prouder, that through all the trying seventies of the winter, its
incessant labours, and decimating disease, you have still maintained the
same unflinching courage and energy with which your discipline, obedience,
and steadiness, in whatever circumstances you have been placed, make you so
unrivalled (and none more so than the oldest regiment of the brigade), and
your commander confident of success, however numerous and determined your
foe. The young soldiers who have not this day been presented with a medal,
nor shared in the glories of the Alma, may soon win equal honours, for many
an Alma will yet be fought, when I hope they will prove themselves worthy
comrades of those who have struck home for Scotland, and for honours for
their breast.
"Many have shared the
greatest portion of the hardships of this campaign, and were ready upon the
8th (September) to do their duty, and eager for the morning of the 9th, when
if we had been required I am positive would have gained renown.
"The honour of these
last days all are equally entitled to, and I hope soon again to be
presenting the young soldiers with their medals.
"I cannot conclude
without bringing to your minds, that the eyes of your countrymen are upon
you. I know you think of it, and will endeavour by every effort to maintain
your famed and admirable discipline; also that your conduct in private
equals your prowess in the field; and when the day arrives that your
services are no longer required in the field, welcome arms will be ready to
meet you with pride, and give you the blessings your deeds have so
materially aided to bring to your country. And in after years, when
recalling the scenes of the Crimea by your ingle side, your greatest pride
will be that you too were there, and proved yourself a worthy son of sires
who, in by-gone days, on many a field added lustre to their country’s
fame."
The brave Sir Colin seems to
have been particularly fond of the old Black Watch, "the senior
regiment" of the Highland Brigade, as will be seen from the above
address, as well as from the following, in which, after regretting he was
not present at the distribution of medals and clasps on the 20th September,
he proceeds
"Your steadiness and
gallantry at the battle of Alma were most conspicuous and most gratifying to
me, whilst your intrepidity, when before the enemy, has been equalled by the
discipline which you have invariably preserved.
"Remember never to lose
sight of the circumstance, that you are natives of Scotland; that your
country admires you for your bravery; that it still expects much from you;
and, as Scotchmen, strive to maintain the name and fame of our countrymen,
who are everywhere, and who have nobly fought and bled in all quarters of
the globe. In short, let every one consider himself an hero of Scotland. It
is my pride, and shall also be my boast amongst the few friends which
Providence has left me, and those which I have acquired, that this
decoration of the order of the Bath, which I now wear, has been conferred
upon me on account of the distinguished gallantry you have displayed. Long
may you wear your medals, for you well deserve them! And now for a word to
the younger officers and soldiers. It is not only by bravery in action that
you can anticipate success; much depends upon steadiness and discipline.
Remember this, for it is owing to the high state of discipline heretofore
maintained in the Highland Brigade, and in the senior regiment thereof in
particular, that such results have been obtained as to warrant the
highest degree of confidence in you, in whatever position the fortune of war
may place you.
"Endeavour, therefore,
to maintain steadiness and discipline, by which you will be able to emulate
the deeds of your older comrades in arms, for we may yet have many Almas to
fight, where you will have the opportunity of acquiring such distinction as
now adorn your comrades."
From the 19th of October, the
Highland Brigade was commanded by Colonel Cameron of the 42d, Sir Colin
having been appointed to command the forces in and about Balaclava. In
January 1855, the establishment was increased to 16 companies, and on the 3d
of May, the regiment was embarked to take part in the Kertch expedition, but
was recalled on the 6th. It again embarked on the 2d May, and landed at
Kertch on the 24th, whence it marched to Yenikale. Two of the 42d men, while
the regiment was at the last-mentioned place, were shot in rather an
extraordinary manner. They were standing in a crowd which had assembled
round a house for the purpose of "looting" it, when a Frenchman,
having struck at the door with the butt of his musket, the piece went off,
killing one 42d man on the spot and wounding the other. These, so far as we
can ascertain, were the only casualties suffered by the regiment in this
expedition. The 42d returned to Balaclava on the 9th of June, and on the
16th of the same month, took up its position in front of Sebastopol. On June
18th it formed one of the regiments of reserve in the assault of the
out-works of Sebastopol, and was engaged in siege operations until August
24th, when the regiment marched to Kamara, in consequence of the Russians
having again appeared in force on the flank of the allied armies. On
September 8th, it marched to Sebastopol, took part in the assault and
capture, returned to Kamara the following day, and remained there until the
peace, 30th March 1856.
On June 15th, the regiment
embarked at Kamiesh for England, landed at Portsmouth on the 24th of July,
proceeded by rail to Aldershot, and was reviewed by Her Majesty Queen
Victoria, after which it proceeded by rail to Dover, in garrison with the
41st, 44th, 79th, and 93d regiments.
The positive losses of the
regiment in the Crimea from actual contact with the enemy, were nothing
compared with the sad ravages made upon it, along with the rest of the army,
by disease and privation, and want of the actual necessaries of life. During
the campaign only 1 officer and 38 men were killed in action, while there
died of wounds and disease, 1 officer and 226 men, besides 140 officers and
men who had to be sent to England on account of wounds and ill-health.
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