Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/69

 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 47 as by Sir Colin Campbell; and, both generals chap. corning to the conclusion that this report was well worthy of attention, Lord Bingham (his father's aide-de-camp) was sent by Lord Lucan to Headquarters with a letter from Sir Colin Camp- bell conveying the intelligence. Lord Bingham delivered the letter and the tidings it conveyed to the Quartermaster-General, but did not suc- ceed in obtaining an interview with Lord Baglan, who was then engaged with Canrobert. General Airey, it is true, interrupted the conference of the two Commanders, and showed Lord Baglan the letter ; but the answer first elicited was only a message of acknowledgment sent back in the words, ' Very well ! ' Afterwards Lord Baglan requested that any new occurrence which might take place should be reported to him; but no fresh orders resulted from the information thus furnished. The truth is that only a few days before, Lord Baglan had been induced by a simi- lar report to send down 1000 men of the 4th Division, who had to be marched back when it proved that the enemy was not advancing.* He could ill afford to exhaust the time and strength of his men in those marches and countermarches, and he seems to have come to the conclusion that it would be inexpedient for him to be again despatching reinforcements to the outer line of defence in the plain of Balaclava, unless he should learn that the enemy was actually ad- vancing against it.
 * This was on the 21st of October.