Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 07.djvu/143

 India in 1836. The regiment was at once ordered home, and on its arrival in 1837 Brudenell found that his father was dead, and that he had succeeded to the earldom and 40,000l. a year.

As Lord Cardigan he was not more successful in getting on with his officers than he had been as Lord Brudenell. Yet he was liberal with his money, and as he spent 10,000l. a year on the regiment, the 11th hussars soon became the smartest cavalry regiment in the service, and was selected afterwards by the queen to bear the title of Prince Albert's Own Hussars. The regiment on its return from India was stationed at Canterbury, and there occurred what was known as the ‘Black Bottle’ riot. Cardigan ordered a certain Captain Reynolds under arrest for a trifling reason, and a feud arose, which again brought him into notoriety. He shortly afterwards met another Captain Reynolds of his regiment at Brighton, and ordered him under arrest for impertinence. A garbled account of this transaction appeared in the ‘Morning Chronicle,’ signed ‘H. T.’ Cardigan found out that the writer was a certain Captain Harvey Tuckett, and immediately challenged him. The duel took place on Wimbledon Common on 12 Sept. 1840, and at the second shot Captain Tuckett was wounded. This duel created immense excitement, and public feeling ran strongly against Cardigan, who demanded his right to be tried by his peers. On 16 Feb. 1841 Lord Denman presided as lord steward, Sir John Campbell, the attorney-general, prosecuted, and Sir William Follett led for the defence. The trial lasted only one day; the prosecution had omitted to prove the identity of Captain Tuckett with Captain Harvey James Tuckett, and Cardigan was declared by all the peers present ‘not guilty upon my honour,’ except the Duke of Cleveland, who said ‘not guilty legally upon my honour.’ Cardigan retained the command of his regiment till his promotion to the rank of major-general in 1847. He lived the ordinary life of a wealthy nobleman until the Crimean war broke out in 1854. He was then sent out in command of a cavalry brigade in Major-general Lord Lucan's division. Lord Lucan and Cardigan, whose sister Lord Lucan had married, were old enemies. Cardigan declared that he understood his command to be independent of Lucan's control, and their hostility appeared both at Varna and the day before the battle of the Alma. When the cavalry division encamped outside Balaclava, Lord Lucan lived in camp with the men and shared their privations, while Cardigan had his luxurious yacht in the harbour, and dined and slept on board. At the attack on Balaclava, when the Russians had been driven back by the 93rd Highlanders, and charged in flank by the heavy cavalry, an order was sent down by Captain Nolan, aide-de-camp to Major-general Airey, that the light brigade was to charge along the southern line of heights and drive the enemy from the Turkish batteries. The order was easy of execution; Lord Lucan must have known along which line the light brigade was to charge, and Captain Nolan knew perfectly whither to lead the troopers. But Cardigan could see nothing from his station, and believed he was to charge straight along the valley in front of him. Lord Lucan did not inform him of his error, and Captain Nolan was unfortunately killed just as he perceived the erroneous direction the brigade was taking and while trying to set it right. Straight down the valley between the Russian batteries along one line of hills, and the captured Turkish batteries on the other, and right at the Russian batteries in his front, Cardigan galloped many yards in front of his men. He was first among the Russian guns, receiving but one slight wound in the leg, and then rode slowly out of the mêlée. Unfortunately for his reputation, although he was the first man among the Russian guns, he was not the last to leave them. Officers and men stood about looking for their general and waiting for orders, and then rode away from the guns in tens and twenties, in twos and threes. Cardigan had played the part of a hero, but not of a general. Great was the excitement in camp after the charge. Lord Raglan was profoundly displeased; some blamed Lord Lucan, some Cardigan, others General Airey, who had only written the order, and others Captain Nolan. In truth, no blame could be fixed on any one. Cardigan faithfully obeyed the order he had misunderstood. His subsequent conduct was unfortunately indiscreet. He returned to England in January 1855, and was treated as a hero. His portrait was in every shop window, and his biography in every newspaper. He was invited to a banquet by the lord mayor at the Mansion House on 6 Feb., and boasted of his prowess after the dinner. He was made inspector-general of cavalry in 1855, which post he held for the usual term of five years, was made K.C.B., a commander of the Legion of Honour, and knight of the second class of the order of the Medjidie, and was promoted lieutenant-general in 1861. He was made colonel of the 5th dragoon guards in 1859, which he exchanged for the colonelcy of his old regiment, the 11th hussars, in August 1860. Not satisfied with all these