Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/312

 286 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. CHAP, ing a material part of his small brilliant cavalry ' force. He therefore declined to let his horse- men push forward without the support of a powerful artillery ; and the orders he sent by the Adjutant-General directed that the cavalry should escort the foot-batteries to the front. In delivering this instruction, Estcourt cautioned Lord Lucan, and told liiin ' that tlic cavalry were ' not to attack.' Lord Cardigan, with one-half of the cavalry force, was directed to escort the guns which were to go to the right, whilst Lord Lucan in person went forward with the rest of the cavalry, and escorted the guns advancing on our left. Lord Lucan, riding in advance of the guns wnth a squadron of the 17th Lancers, came upon many of the enemy's stragglers in retreat, and he ordered the horsemen who were with him, supported by another squadron, to pursue and take prison- ers. A troop of the lllli Hussars had been ordered (it was said by Lord Raglan himself) to do the same thing, and the 17th had already taken a great many prisoners, when the operation was stopped by special orders from Lord Rag- lan. What Lord Ivaglan had meant was, that the troopers employed in taking prisoners should be spread out as skirmishers ; and when he saw that they were acting in serried ranks, and were going on far in advance, he became anxious lest some of the enemy's guns should be brought to bear upon them, and occasi(Ui him a loss in that one description of force with which the Allies were