"Historic Register, 2nd Dragoons," and inside, "from August 10th, 1854":—

"The average strength of the regiment during the period they have been in Turkey and the Crimea has been 223. They arrived in Turkey on August 10th, 1855, disembarking at Kulalie on the Adriatic side of the Bosphorus. Kulalie is about seven miles north of Scutari. There I joined the regiment from Varna on August 31st, having been transferred from the medical charge of the 93rd Highlanders to that of the Scots Greys on September 22nd.

"The corps embarked on board the Himalaya for the Crimea, and disembarked at the Katchu on September 24th, joining the allied army at the time it was executing its flank march on Balaclava. That night they bivouacked on the Belbee, and the following day came into collision with the enemy at the affair of Mackenzie's Farm, when they succeeded in capturing a quantity of baggage, ammunition, stores, &c.; also in capturing and destroying a portion of the rear guard of Prince Menchikoff's army, and without suffering the loss of a man on their part. The following day they were present at the capture of Balaclava, and bivouacked on the plains in front of that village. On October 25th they took a prominent part in the action in front of Balaclava, when the Russian army attempted to force that position, and they defeated and utterly routed a large body of the enemy's cavalry which had attacked and surrounded them in the proportion of three to one. After this 'feat of arms' they were led into the cross fires of the enemy's batteries, being ordered up to the support of the Light Cavalry Brigade their memorable but disastrous charge. On this occasion they sustained some severe injury, the wounds inflicted being nearly all of a serious nature caused by round shot, shell, grape and rifle balls.

"The loss of the regiment in this action amounted to 2 men killed and 54 wounded, several of whom subsequently died of their wounds, and 4 officers wounded. The three first men who fell were mortally wounded by rifle balls in covering the retreat of the Turks from the redoubts....

"Nothing of importance occurred from this period up to November 5th, when the sanguinary battle of Inkerman took place.

"The Greys were drawn up on the heights in reserve, and did not come into collision with the enemy.

"The regiment remained on the heights before Sebastopol till the beginning of December, when owing to the inclemency of the weather, having sustained considerable losses both in men and horses, they were ordered down to the sheltered valley close to the village of Kadekai, where they passed the winter.

"T. R. Brush, M.D."

"All this while, the string of the 300 red coats were forming Scarlett's slender first line in the valley beneath, and they seemed to be playing parade. At the moment I speak of, the troop officers of the Greys were still facing their men; and their drill rules, it seems, had declared that they must continue to do so till the major of the regiment should at length bring them round by giving the order, Eyes right! Not yet would the Greys consent to be disturbed in their ceremonies by the descending column.

"A singular friendship had long subsisted between the Scots Greys and the Inniskilling Dragoons. It dated from the time of that famous brigade in which three cavalry regiments were so brought together as to express by their aggregate title the union of the three kingdoms, yet offer a sample of each (the 'Royals' represented England)....

"The friendship between the Scottish and the Irish regiment had the ardour of personal friendship, and a tenacity not liable to be relaxed by mere death; for a regiment great in history bears so far a resemblance to the immortal gods as to be old in power and glory, yet have always the freshness of youth. Long intervals of years often passed in which the Greys and the Inniskillings remained parted by distance, but whenever it became known that by some new change of quarters the two regiments would once more be brought together there used to be great joy and preparation.... When last the sworn friends were together in what they might deign to call fighting they were under the field glass of the great Napoleon.

"Then, as now, the Greys charged in the first line, and on the left of the Inniskillings.

"Of the two comrade regiments each had its distinguishing characteristics. The Inniskillings, with still some remaining traces in their corps of the old warlike Orange enthusiasm, were eager, fiery, impetuous. The Scots Greys, with a great power of self-restraint, were yet liable to be wrought upon by their native inborn desire for a fight till it raged like a consuming passion.

"From the exceeding tenacity of their nature, it resulted that the combative impulses, when long baffled by circumstances, were cumulative in their effect; and the events of that day—the capture of British guns under the eyes of our horsemen—the marching, the counter-marching, the marching again, without ever striking a blow, and finally, the dainty dressing of ranks under the eyes of the enemy's host—all these antecedent trials of patience had been heating and still heating the furnace by the very barriers which kept down the flame....

"The Greys were led by Colonel Darby Griffith; and the two squadron leaders who followed him were Major Clarke on the right, and Captain Williams on the left. Handley, Hunter, Buchanan, and Sutherland were the four troop leaders of the regiment; the Adjutant was Lieutenant Miller; the serre-files were Boyd, Nugent, and Lenox Prendergast. And to these, though he did not then hold the Queen's Commission, I add the name of John Wilson, now a cornet, and the acting adjutant of the regiment, for he took a signal part in the fight."

"The Attack of the Scots Greys.

"A soldier who was in the midst of the terrible conflict at Balaclava, and who escaped unhurt, gives the following account of what he felt and saw in that deadly struggle:—

"'We charged. Oh, God! I cannot describe it; they were so superior in numbers; they "out-flanked" us, and we were in the middle of them. I never certainly felt less fear in my life than I did at that time; and I hope God will forgive me, for I felt more like a devil than a man. We fought our way out of them as only Englishmen can fight; and the 4th, 5th, and 6th were there up with us. I escaped without a scratch, thank God, though I was covered with blood; my horse was not even wounded. But oh! the work of slaughter that then began—'twas truly awful; but I suppose it was necessary. We cut them down like sheep, and they did not seem to have power to resist. The plain is covered and covered with dead Russians, and, of course, we left some of our poor comrades on the field. We only lost two and about seven wounded. Well, when we had finished this lot we thought of going home to breakfast; but no, they (the enemy) had some guns over the hills that Lord Raglan sent word were to be charged, and captured at any cost. So off we went again. They received us very quietly into their ground—Lord Lucan leading the Heavies, and Lord Cardigan the Light Brigade. The Light charged first this time, took the guns, cut down the gunners, and then, when they thought all was right, they were met by thousands of Cossacks, who had been in ambush. The Royals, the Greys, the 4th, 5th, and 6th, now charged again. The butchering was repeated; when suddenly a cross front and rear fire opened upon us from the hills—cannon, rifles, and file firing.

"'I cannot attempt to describe to you the scene that ensued—balls, shells, and rockets whizzing about our ears. The men on the right and left of me were both killed on the spot. We hacked our way out of it as well as we could, but were obliged to leave the guns. Colonel Yorke had his leg broken, and all the officers in the front rank were wounded. The Heavy Brigade have not lost many men; but, sad to tell, out of about 600 of the Light Brigade that went into the field, only 400 came out; but this is nothing to what the enemy suffered.'"