Beschreibung:

CRIMEAN WAR: THE BATTLE OF BALAKLAVA AND THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. Ensign John Granville HARKNESS. Autograph letter signed to his mother, 'Camp before Sebastopol, 27th October 1854', written in pencil on blue paper, 2 pages, 4to , autograph envelope addressed to Mrs Harkness at Hastings (turning inside out and re-using one addressed to him in Turkey); and Field Marshal George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of LUCAN (1800-1888). Autograph letter (in 3rd person) to the Clerk of the Votes Office at the House of Lords, Hanover Square, 5 March 1856, requesting a copy of a parliamentary bill, one page, 8vo , address leaf (browned, traces of tape). A splendid account of the battle by a young infantry officer. 'The Russian army advanced in great force about 8 o'clock. The wretched Turks got frightened and made a clean bolt of it out of some redoubts leaving there some guns of ours we had lent them. The Russians advanced towards the village but were gallantly met by the 93rd [Highlanders] who received in line a charge of Russian cavalry, repelled them & advanced. Our glorious Scots Greys now charged the enemy & cut hundreds of them to pieces. The Light Brigade of our cavalry were now ordered up, and through some mistake in the order, too long to describe here, but which you will see discussed in the papers, they unfortunately charged at an unfavorable moment & got most dreadfully mauled almost annihilated ... The next day (yesterday) about 12 or 1 some strong columns were observed issuing from the town, with guns ... "Stand to arms" now rang through our camp ... In a short [time] we had 24 field pieces up of which about 15 were playing on the Enemy, who ascended in great force on both sides of our gorge. At length they could face the red coats no longer & began to retrace their steps. The red coats got right in amongst them, using the bayonet freely so that the guns were obliged to cease & we made a general advance & drove them from the hill'. The British had received intelligence on the redoubts above Balaklava on 24 October that the Russian attack was imminent and Harkness's letter includes the two main events of the battle, the outstanding fight put up by the Scottish regiments and the charge of the Light Brigade of Cavalry. John Granville Harkness served in the Crimea with the 55th Regiment of Foot (The Westmoreland). He survived and was promoted to Captain shortly after his return. Lord Lucan was commander of the cavalry division and the recipient of Raglan's disastrously framed orders for the Light Brigade to attack. (2)