Chapter V

The Greys landed in England on January 12th, 1816, and on the 14th joined the depot at Canterbury.

The establishment was soon ordered to be reduced to 544 all told.

In June, 1817, they marched from Canterbury to Scotland.

In July, 1818, they went to Ireland.

Returning to England, the Regiment landed at Bristol in May, 1821, and marched to Birmingham and Coventry. In July, it went to London to attend the coronation of King George IV. In August, the establishment was further reduced to 6 troops.

In the summer of 1822 the Regiment marched to Scotland.

On August 15th, George IV. landed at Leith, where he was received by the Regiment, and the Regiment had the honour of attending upon him during his stay in Scotland. In July, 1823, the Regiment left Scotland, and was at first stationed at Newcastle-on-Tyne and Carlisle. In the summer of 1824, it was at Manchester and Nottingham; in May, 1825, at Coventry, Birmingham, and Northampton. In June, it was quartered near London--at Hammersmith and Turnham Green. On June 28th, the Greys, together with other cavalry and a brigade of Horse Artillery, were reviewed on Hounslow Heath by the Duke of York. The Greys now marched to Norwich and Ipswich. Early in 1826 they went to Ireland. In May, 1830, they embarked at Cork for Bristol, and marched into quarters at Dorchester, Weymouth, and Trowbridge; from whence they proceeded, in November, to Windsor.

On November 9th, Queen Adelaide inspected two squadrons in the riding-house at Pimlico. Before the end of November, the Regiment marched to Maidstone.

In 1831, they were at Brighton, Chichester, and Warley. In 1832, in Birmingham. In 1833, in York. In 1834, they marched to Edinburgh. In 1835, they were quartered at Leeds. In May, 1836, they embarked at Liverpool for Ireland. The rest of the movements of the Regiment are, roughly: Brighton, 1841, Exeter, 1842 and 1843; Ipswich, 1844; Edinburgh, 1845; Dundalk, 1846; Clonmel, 1847; Athlone, 1848 and 1849; Longford, 1850; Canterbury, 1851; Dorchester, 1852; Birmingham, 1853; Nottingham, 1854.

Now next, in regard to the Crimea, it would be absurd to try to adjust or supplement the following records. They are of unique interest. The Greys reached the Crimea on September 24th, 1854.

A folio volume, the property of the Regiment, lettered--

"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.+"

I now put on record the following exceedingly pertinent passages from Kinglake's "Invasion of the Crimea," Vol. V., p. 98, &c., 6th edition, 1877:--

"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 _Illustrated London News_ of November 25th, 1854, has two large illustrations, one a full page, called "The Action at Balaclava: Charge of the Scots Greys, October 25th," and the other a double page illustration, "The Battle of Balaclava: Attack of the Scots Greys." The reference is to the following:--

"+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.

Who died in the Crimea 1854, and was buried at Scutari.]

"'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.'"