the ‘thin red line’ at balaclava

(october 25, 1854)

gae bring my guid auld harp ance mair, gae bring it free and fast,

for i maun sing anither sang, ere a’ my glee be past.

and trow ye, as i sing, my lads, the burden o’t shall be,

auld scotland’s howes, and scotland’s knowes, and scotland’s hills for me;

i’ll drink a cup to scotland yet, wi’ a’ the honours three.

scotland yet.

in the crimean campaign the regiments in the highland brigade chiefly concerned were the black watch, the camerons, and the sutherland highlanders. at the battle of the alma we have seen how the glory of the first advance rested with the 42nd, and the brunt of the flanking movements upon the sutherlands and camerons. in the siege of sevastopol the 42nd and 79th were engaged in fatigue duty and in the trenches, the 93rd lying before balaclava with sir colin campbell. it was their good fortune to meet the russians once again in the open. it was an amazing achievement that two ranks of highlanders could attack and defeat twelve battalions of russian infantry. an even greater achievement was it when the 93rd resisted successfully without supports the furious onslaught of the russian cavalry.

the battle of the alma was thus the first and last engagement in which the highland brigade fought together during the crimean war. for two miserable winters they, with the other regiments of the british and french forces, were to endure privation and hardship such as had probably never before been experienced in a british campaign. the bitter cold, the lack of food, the absence of all hospital arrangements made the siege of sevastopol one of the most ghastly tragedies in english history. cholera, dysentery, with every other form of illness consequent on exposure and lack of sanitation, proved a more deadly antagonist than the russian guns. whatever the sufferings our soldiers had to endure in the trenches during the winter campaign of 1914-15, they were provided with good food, expert medical attendance, and, so far as was possible, with the relief and exchange of fatigue duty. in the crimea no army was ever in a worse plight for the merest necessaries of life, and until florence nightingale was inspired to leave england for the hospital field there was very little hope of recovery from sickness. but then as now the various british regiments took their part in the trench work without complaint and in good heart—and when possible with the greatest distinction.

the 93rd sutherland highlanders were raised in 1799, and sailed for the cape of good hope in 1806. after that they saw little active service of any distinction until the crimea, though their sister regiment the argyllshire highlanders, raised in 1794, took part in the peninsular war, but not in waterloo. the two regiments became the 91st and 93rd argyll and sutherland highlanders in 1881.

the sutherland highlanders took up their position before balaclava with the knowledge that it was of first-rate importance to the safety of the whole army. the outer line of defences was held by some 5000 turks; between the outer line and the inner line were 1500 cavalry, while the 93rd lay in front of the village of kadikoi. the importance of balaclava lay in its position. lying upon the sea coast, it was not merely in communication with the outer world, but the only channel by which the allies could receive their ammunition and stores. were the russians to take possession of balaclava they would cut the british lines of communication at one swoop. it was therefore practically certain that sooner or later an attack would be made, and on the night of the 24th sir colin was informed by the turks that the russian advance was imminent. it came with the breaking of dawn, when the grey hordes of the enemy were seen flocking like ghosts down the hill-side, moving forward toward the turkish redoubts. compared with the little force defending balaclava, the number of the enemy was infinitely superior, comprising 25 battalions of infantry, 34 squadrons of cavalry, and 78 guns. presently their artillery found the range of the troops in the first redoubt, and in a very short time the turks were in flight. once this line of fortifications was taken it was hopeless to hold the corresponding flanks. the whole first line was beaten within a few minutes. the sutherlands, drawn up under sir colin campbell, stood at attention watching the fleeing columns of the turks heading directly towards them. perceiving that the highlanders were perfectly at their ease, the turks made a feeble rally and formed on either flank. the russian advance was continued without halt, and their guns soon opened on the 93rd. to prevent unnecessary loss, sir colin drew back the regiment behind the slope of the hill, and from there awaited the next move. presently the enemy’s cavalry, leaving the main body, galloped straight for his position. the moment of trial had come. instantly he drew up the highlanders in a line only two deep, shouting to them, “now, men, remember there is no retreat from here. you must die where you stand!” at which there was a low murmur, “ay, ay, sir colin; an need be, we’ll do that!” the whole line was advanced to the top of the hill, a movement that so excited the men that they nearly charged the russians. but that was not sir colin’s intention, and halting them he calmly awaited the onslaught of the russian cavalry, merely giving the order for the sutherlands to stand in line. the noise of the thundering hoofs grew ever louder. it echoed in the ears of the turks, and as dense masses of horses bounded in all their picturesque strength towards them, they broke on the instant and ran in a frenzy of terror to the rear, extending their hands to the vessels riding at anchor, and shouting in their panic, “ship! ship!” to the eastern mind it seemed the merest folly to await such a crash of cavalry.

but not a man of the 93rd moved. just as the french cuirassiers at quatre bras had come flaunting their swords and breastplates in the sunlight, so the russian cavalry, on that winter’s morn, came rushing in their hundreds upon the ‘thin red line.’ lord wolseley has written that the pace of their advance must have been three hundred and fifty yards a minute, while behind them squadron upon squadron—like the successive waves of a sea—raced their supports. “in other parts of the field,” an eye-witness has recorded, “with breathless suspense every one waited the bursting of the wave upon the line of gaelic rock.” suddenly, when it was feared the highlanders in their forlorn bravery were already overwhelmed, the splutter of fire passed down the line. it was done without flurry or haste, but the effect was incalculable. the whole front rank of the cavalry stumbled and recoiled; horses and men fell, the second rank was baffled and helpless, the speed was in an instant checked, and the sutherlands, calmly reloading, discharged a second volley into the enemy. but the russians were not beaten so easily. breaking away, a detachment of cavalry cantered off to attack the 93rd on the flank. quite calmly sir colin wheeled a company of his men to face them. this was done without any confusion, and another volley decided the action. it was stated afterwards that although few of the russians were killed, nearly every man and horse was wounded. it had been a desperate moment, for, as kinglake remarks, “the advance of the russian squadrons marked what might well seem at the moment to be an ugly if not desperate crisis in the defence of the english seaport. few or none at the time could have had safe grounds for believing that, before the arrival of succours, liprandi (the russian commander) would be at all once stayed in his career of victory, and in the judgment of those, if any there were, who suffered themselves to grow thoughtful, the whole power of our people in the plain and in the port of balaclava must have seemed to be in jeopardy; for not only had the enemy overmastered the outer line of defence and triumphantly broken in through it, but also, having a weight of numbers, which for the moment stood as that of an army to a regiment, he already had made bold to be driving his cavalry at the very heart of the english resources. if, in such a condition of things, some few hundreds of infantrymen stood shoulder to shoulder in line confronting the victor upon open ground, and maintaining from first to last their composure, their cheerfulness, nay, even their soldierly mirth, they proved themselves brave men by a test that was other than that of sharp combat, but hardly less trying.”

after balaclava the highland brigade were employed in besieging sevastopol, and on september 8, 1855, a scheme was nearly carried into effect that might have resulted in the fall of the russian position by assault. sir colin campbell drew out a plan in which the black watch were to advance to the attack, while the remainder of the division supported them. about midnight on the 8th, therefore, when the fire of the russian troops had become almost silent, a little party went forward to the redan to reconnoitre. to their astonishment there was no one to be seen, save the wounded and the dying. in the silence of the night the russian forces had evacuated, leaving sevastopol to fall into the hands of the allies.

there is little more to tell of the part that the highland brigade took in the crimean campaign. after the fall of sevastopol the black watch was stationed at kamara until peace was declared, and in due course arrived in england, accompanied by the camerons and the sutherlands. they little knew what trials lay before them. already in the far-distant land of india the clouds were beginning to gather upon the horizon. already in many a silent street the whisper was passing from lip to lip that was destined, within a few short months, to reverberate down the passages of time.