General Gordon | Page 3

dangers he never omitted writing to his mother; an example
I hope my readers, if boys, or girls, will studiously copy. He loved his
mother with the passion of his great loving heart. Soldier lads often
forget their mother's influence, their mother's prayers, and their
mother's God. Writing home to his mother he says "We are giving the
Redan shells day and night, in order to prevent the Russians from
repairing it and they repay us by sending amongst us awful missiles of
death and destruction, and it requires one to be very nimble to keep out
of their way. I have now been thirty-four times, twenty-four hours in
the trenches; that is more than a month without any relief whatever, and

I assure you it gets very tedious. Still one does not mind if any advance
is being made."
An eye witness of this bloody work in the trenches and the storming of
the Malakof and the Redan, writes:--
"On that terrible 8th of September, every gun and mortar that our
people and our noble allies, the French, could bring to bear upon the
enemy's work, was raining death and destruction upon them. The
stormers had all got into their places. They consisted of about 1,000
men of the Old Light and 2nd Division; the supports were formed up as
closely as possible to them, and all appeared in readiness. History may
well say, 'the storming of a fortress is an awful task.' There we stood
not a word being spoken; every one seemed to be full of thought; many
a courageous heart, that was destined to be still in death in one short
hour, was now beating high."
"It was about 11.15 a.m., and our heavy guns were firing in such a way
as I have never heard before. The batteries fired in volleys or salvoes as
fast as they could load and fire, the balls passing a few feet above our
heads, while the air seemed full of shell. The enemy were not idle; for
round shot, shell, grape and musket balls were bounding and whizzing
all about us, and earth and stones were rattling about our heads like hail.
Our poor fellows fell fast, but still our sailors and artillery men stuck to
it manfully. We knew well that this could not last long, but many a
brave soldier's career was cut short long before we advanced to the
attack--strange some of our older hands were smoking and taking not
the slightest notice of this 'dance of death.' Some men were being
carried past dead, and others limping to the rear with mangled limbs,
while their life's blood was streaming fast away. We looked at each
other with amazement for we were now under a most terrible fire. We
knew well it meant death to many of us. Several who had gone through
the whole campaign shook hands saying, 'This is hot,' 'Good bye, old
boy,' 'Write to the old folks for me if I do not return.' This request was
made by many of us. I was close to one of our Generals, who stood
watch in hand, when suddenly at 12 o'clock mid-day the French drums
and bugles sounded the charge, and with a shout, 'Vive l'Empereur'

repeated over and over again by some 50,000 men, a shout that was
enough to strike terror into the enemy. The French, headed by the
Zouaves, sprang forward at the Malakof like a lot of cats. On they went
like a lot of bees, or rather like the dashing of the waves of the sea
against a rock. We had a splendid view of their operations, it was grand
but terrible; the deafening shouts of the advancing hosts told us they
were carrying all before them."
"They were now completely enveloped in smoke and fire, but column
after column kept advancing, pouring volley after volley into the
breasts of the defenders. They (the French) meant to have it, let the cost
be what it might. At 12.15 up went the proud flag of France, with a
shout that drowned for a time the roar of both cannon and musketry.
And now came our turn. As soon as the French were seen upon the
Malakof our stormers sprang forward, led by Colonel Windham--the
old Light Division consisting of 300 men of the 90th, about the same
number of the 97th, and about 400 of the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade,
and with various detachments of the 2nd and Light Divisions, and a
number of blue jackets, carrying scaling ladders. Our men advanced
splendidly, with a ringing British cheer, although the enemy poured a
terrible fire of grape, canister and musketry into them, which swept
down whole companies at a time. We, the supports, moved forward to
back up our comrades. We