Page:The Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire.djvu/507

Rh Afterwards these lines were stricken out, and do not appear in the poem as printed in the editions of Tennyson's works.

"The commander of the French army justly remarked of this charge, C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre ("It is magnificent, but it is not war"). Twelve thousand Russians had attacked the English with the intention of taking Balaklava and its port, but they were compelled to



to the end of the valley. They had re-formed, with their artillery in front, and infantry and cavalry immediately behind. By the misunderstanding of the order of Lord Raglan, the British commander-in-chief. Lord Lucan, who commanded the cavalry division, ordered Lord Cardigan to charge with his light cavalry.

"In other words the light cavalry, six hundred and seventy strong, were to attack twelve thousand Russians with thirty cannon on their front. The charge was over a plain a mile and a half long, and the Russians had a battery of field artillery on each side of the valley within