The bodies of many a brave officer whom I had known in old times — old times of the war, for men's lives were short in the Crimea, and the events of a life were compressed into a few hours — were borne past us in silence, and now and then men with severe wounds were found still living. The spirit of some of these noble fellows triumphed over all their bodily agonies. " General! " exclaimed a sergeant of the 18th Royal Irish to Brigadier Eyre, as he came near the place in the Cemetery where the poor fellow lay with both his legs broken by a round shot, " thank God, we did our work, any way. Had I another pair of legs, the country and you would be welcome to them! " Many men in hospital, after losing leg or arm, said they " would not have cared if they had only beaten the Russians." The wounded lay in holes made by shells, and were fired at by the Russian riflemen when they rolled about. Our men report that the enemy treated them kindly, and even brought them water out of the embrasures. They pulled all the bodies of officers within reach up to the abattis, and took off their epaulettes and boots, but did not strip them.
A line of sentries was formed by the Russians so far in front of the abattis, that General Airey was obliged to remonstrate with an aide-de-camp of General Osten-Sacken, who ordered them to retire. These men were remarkably fine, tall, muscular fellows, and one could not but contrast them with the poor weakly-looking boys in our regiments, or with the undergrown men of the French line. They were in clean new uniforms. Many of them wore medals. Their officers turned out with white kid gloves and patent leather boots.
One stout elderly Russian of rank asked one of our officers, "How are you off' for food?"
" Oh! we get everything we want; our fleet secures that."
" Yes," remarked the Russian, with a knowing wink, " yes; but there's one thing you're not so well off for, and that your fleet can't supply you with, and that's sleep."
" We're at least as well off for that as you are," was the rejoinder. Another officer asked if we really thought, after our experience of the defence they could make, that we could take Sebastopol.
" We must; France and England are determined to take it."
" Ah! well," said the other, " Russia is determined France and England shall not have it; and we'll see who has the strongest will, and can lose most men."
In the midst of these brief interviews, beginning and ending with bows and salutes, and inaugurated by the concession of favours relating to cigars and lights, the soldiers bore dead bodies by, consigning the privates to the burial-grounds near the trenches, and carrying off the wounded and the bodies of the officers to the camp.
The armistice lasted for upwards of two hours.
CHAPTER IL
Effects of Failure of Assault on Health — General order of Lord Raglan — Death of Lord Raglan— His Character — Orders of General Simpson, successor to Lord Raglan — Personal Qualifications of General Simpson to command the Army — Confirmation as Commander-in-chief by the Queen — Other Appointments.
Immediately after the failure of the assault, Sir George Brown, Generals Pennefather, Codrington, Buller, and Estcourt, were obliged to take to their beds, to seek change of air, or to sail for England. Lord Raglan was affected. It was observed by his staff that the failure had "affected his health;" and an officer, writing home to his friends, on the 23rd of June, remarked, " he (Lord Raglan) looks far from well, and has grown very much aged latterly."
General Estcourt, Adjutant- General of the Army, died on the morning of the 24th of June, after three days' illness.
On the 28th Lord Raglan published the following order:—
"The Field-Marshal has the satisfaction of publishing to the army the following extract from a telegraphic despatch from Lord Panmure, dated the 22nd of June.
•'II have Her Majesty's commands to express her grief that so much bravery should not have been rewarded with merited success, and to assure her brave troops that Her Majesty's confidence in them is entire.' "
Within a very few hours after the appearance of this order, the electric telegraph brought the startling intelligence to the headquarters of the various divisions that the Field-Marshal was dead.
CRIMEA.