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With the Bengal Tigers in the Crimea

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With the Bengal Tigers in the Crimea
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Author(s): James O’Malley
Date Published: 2012/09
Page Count: 140
Softcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-981-8
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-980-1

At war against the Russians in the Victorian era

This book, originally entitled, The Life of James O’Malley, gave few clues as to its content. In fact, it is an engaging eye-witness account of the war in the Crimea, with all of its attendant privations, savage violence and disease, as experienced by an ordinary British infantryman, told in simple but graphic detail. O’Malley joined the Leicestershire regiment, the 17th Foot—known proudly as the Royal Bengal Tigers—following exemplary service in India. The regiment was stationed in O’Malley’s native Ireland and he there enlisted and learned the fundamentals of a good soldier of the grenadier company. The Crimean War saw his regiment sent to the trenches before Sebastopol and O’Malley’s descriptions of the conflict there will strike all readers of military history as tellingly reminiscent of the trench warfare of the Great War some 60 years later. The British Army during this campaign was woefully ill equipped to fight a campaign in the Crimea, as most students will know, and O’Malley’s descriptions of the conditions he and his comrades endured particularly from the encroaching winter are most poignant. O’Malley’s book was poorly produced in its original edition and has been substantially re-worked by the Leonaur editors for modern readers. The original title of the work perhaps guaranteed its comparative obscurity so it will be welcomed as a new addition to the libraries of those interested in the period.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.

Every now and then a shell would fall amongst our men and this meant a gap in our ranks. However by our taking notice of the flashing of the guns we were pretty well enabled to judge where the shot or shell as the case might be would fall and we took care not to be in or near that place. On arrival at Green Hill battery half our number were told off as working, and the other half for a covering party. The party to which I belonged had been told off for a very dangerous duty under the command of Lieutenant Thompson, viz: to gather earth and fill sand bags and carry it fifty yards on our shoulders for the purpose of building a battery on the fourth parallel. We were under a desperately fierce fire the whole night, from the Russian flag-staff battery. Several times they prevented us from carrying on work. We had a good many men wounded and were not sorry when the hour of twelve had arrived when we retired for a brief season from labour, for refreshment consisting of biscuit, water, and a glass of rum: the latter was thankfully received from the hands of the colour sergeant who had been told off with four men to attend to the office of catering out this very needful reviver.<br>
Having somewhat appeased the wants of the gnawing worm of hunger with the hard tack and aforesaid accompaniments, we had barely finished the last morsel when we were alarmed by the outlying sentries retiring into the trenches crying out: “Stand to your arms! the Russians are coming in strong force” which was soon confirmed by the appearance of a dark column moving steadily up the hill side, towards us. This news put us on the qui vive with a determination to give them as warm a reception as they had ever had. We had a splendid leader in Colonel Lord Russell, one of the bravest men that ever buckled on a sword.<br>
In the meantime our artillery had opened a withering fire on the advancing mass and we made good use of our muskets as we blazed away continuously, but notwithstanding this seething fire which mowed them down like grass they continued to advance in good order, with a persistence and recklessness of life, worthy of a better cause. They poured into our trenches but as they came on we gave them the bayonet after discharging the contents of the barrels in their faces. This was one of the bloodiest encounters ever seen since the earth was cursed by war, and as the enemy again and again charged us, we got so jammed up as to be quite unable to shorten arms, and as we pulled the bayonet out of one man, we dashed the brains out of another with the butt-end and when we could not reach their heads we struck them on the shins.<br>
Some of our men got clinched with the Russians and fists were frequently in use. The Russians must have had frightful loss when we ultimately drove them back, as 78 lay dead right in the trenches to say nothing of those who dropped outside or crawled away to die of their wounds elsewhere. That brave officer Captain King was in command and gave us the word to use the bayonet on the bodies of our antagonists and give it them strong, and we did as they very soon found to their cost. We formed up in close column and by this quick movement we were at a decided advantage and made the fray so hot for the foe, that they began to lose courage and gave back, trying to save their bacon being then the principal thought uppermost in their minds.<br>
Once clear of the trenches they lost no time in doubling back on to their batteries, with us in full pursuit, but the said batteries being at no great distance we were unable to pursue them far, certainly not as far as we should have liked, for of course no sooner were our movements observed, than a most tremendous fire was opened upon us, and common sense dictated that it would be sheer madness to do anything but return to cover. We reckoned that the Muscovites must have lost between 400 and 500 men over that attack, and perhaps more. On getting back to the trenches, the work commenced of sorting out the wounded from the dead, Russians and British lying side by side. We assisted the doctors in doing all that could be done for those not past human skill and in placing them on stretchers, by which means they were conveyed to the hospital. Every now and then a shell would fall amongst our men and this meant a gap in our ranks. However by our taking notice of the flashing of the guns we were pretty well enabled to judge where the shot or shell as the case might be would fall and we took care not to be in or near that place. On arrival at Green Hill battery half our number were told off as working, and the other half for a covering party. The party to which I belonged had been told off for a very dangerous duty under the command of Lieutenant Thompson, viz: to gather earth and fill sand bags and carry it fifty yards on our shoulders for the purpose of building a battery on the fourth parallel. We were under a desperately fierce fire the whole night, from the Russian flag-staff battery. Several times they prevented us from carrying on work. We had a good many men wounded and were not sorry when the hour of twelve had arrived when we retired for a brief season from labour, for refreshment consisting of biscuit, water, and a glass of rum: the latter was thankfully received from the hands of the colour sergeant who had been told off with four men to attend to the office of catering out this very needful reviver.<br>
Having somewhat appeased the wants of the gnawing worm of hunger with the hard tack and aforesaid accompaniments, we had barely finished the last morsel when we were alarmed by the outlying sentries retiring into the trenches crying out: “Stand to your arms! the Russians are coming in strong force” which was soon confirmed by the appearance of a dark column moving steadily up the hill side, towards us. This news put us on the qui vive with a determination to give them as warm a reception as they had ever had. We had a splendid leader in Colonel Lord Russell, one of the bravest men that ever buckled on a sword.<br>
In the meantime our artillery had opened a withering fire on the advancing mass and we made good use of our muskets as we blazed away continuously, but notwithstanding this seething fire which mowed them down like grass they continued to advance in good order, with a persistence and recklessness of life, worthy of a better cause. They poured into our trenches but as they came on we gave them the bayonet after discharging the contents of the barrels in their faces. This was one of the bloodiest encounters ever seen since the earth was cursed by war, and as the enemy again and again charged us, we got so jammed up as to be quite unable to shorten arms, and as we pulled the bayonet out of one man, we dashed the brains out of another with the butt-end and when we could not reach their heads we struck them on the shins.<br>
Some of our men got clinched with the Russians and fists were frequently in use. The Russians must have had frightful loss when we ultimately drove them back, as 78 lay dead right in the trenches to say nothing of those who dropped outside or crawled away to die of their wounds elsewhere. That brave officer Captain King was in command and gave us the word to use the bayonet on the bodies of our antagonists and give it them strong, and we did as they very soon found to their cost. We formed up in close column and by this quick movement we were at a decided advantage and made the fray so hot for the foe, that they began to lose courage and gave back, trying to save their bacon being then the principal thought uppermost in their minds.<br>
Once clear of the trenches they lost no time in doubling back on to their batteries, with us in full pursuit, but the said batteries being at no great distance we were unable to pursue them far, certainly not as far as we should have liked, for of course no sooner were our movements observed, than a most tremendous fire was opened upon us, and common sense dictated that it would be sheer madness to do anything but return to cover. We reckoned that the Muscovites must have lost between 400 and 500 men over that attack, and perhaps more. On getting back to the trenches, the work commenced of sorting out the wounded from the dead, Russians and British lying side by side. We assisted the doctors in doing all that could be done for those not past human skill and in placing them on stretchers, by which means they were conveyed to the hospital.