THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 187 Raglan's order, and persuaded himself that, in- chap stead of the cavalry advancing (as directed) with _____ the prospect of being supported by the infantry, it was the infantry that ought first to advance, the cavalry acting only in support.* The avoid- ance of delay, as we saw, was the very object which the English Commander had in view when he resolved to appeal to his squadrons. In the mind of Lord Raglan, the length of the ground which still had to be traversed by his infantry was a reason for appealing to the cavalry arm ; whilst, on the other hand, Lord Lucan judged that that same length of ground was a reason for delaying his advance ; so that the very exigency which caused Lord Raglan to desire the immediate aid of the cavalry was the one which induced Lord Lucan to withhold it. From, the height which he had occupied during the whole morning, and with the officers of his Staff around him, Lord Eaglan watched for the moment when his cavalry, in obedience to the orders he had despatched, would begin its ad- vance, and he watched with the expectation — an expectation which w r e now know to have been well founded — that the movement would cause
- Lord Lucan's own account of the way in which he attempt-
ed to construe this order, and of the mental process by which he attained his conclusion, is as follows : ' Lord Lucan having ' taken up the position clearly directed, was prepared to carry ' out the remainder of his instructions by endeavouring to ' effect the only object, and in the only way that could ration - 1 ally [have] been intended — viz., to give all the support pos- 1 sible to the infantry in the recapture of the redoubts, and ' subsequently to cut off all their defenders.'
