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THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 219 ' you won't have an enemy in your front for the chap. t next mile. This — the way you see me going — ' this is the direction to take for doing what Lord • Eaglan has ordered. Bring up the left shoulder, ' and incline to your right as you see me doing. ' This, this is the way to get at the enemy ! ' -f- Failing, however, to surmise that Nolan's object t Lord Cardigan, in writing addressed to myself, has dis- tinctly confirmed the statements which show that Nolan was riding diagonally across the front of the Brigade. Supposing my interpretation to be right, the desire of an officer not onlj to have his chief's order faithfully executed, but likewise to save our superb Light Brigade from self-destruction, might well excuse Nolan's interference ; but it may be also observed that there had obtained at our Headquarters a practice of sending an officer of the Quartermaster-General's Staff to guide Lord Lucan (topographically) in the execution of the orders entrusted to him ; and on that special ground, as well as for the more general reason, Nolan might have imagined that he was war- ranted in trying to save the brigade from the error of taking a route which he knew to be the wrong one. His attempt no doubt was made at a very late moment ; but I have no reason for supposing that Nolan had the least idea of the mistake which was about to be perpetrated, until he saw the brigade begin to advance without having first changed front. After that (if my interpretation be right) he did not lose a moment in his efforts to rescue the brigade from the error into which he then saw it falling. He had just been speaking to Morris, announcing to him, in what I understand to have been a suf- ficiently cool and collected way, that he meant to accompany the brigade ; but the moment the brigade began to advance without having first inclined its front towards what Nolan knew to be the true point of attack he began to move diagonally across the front, and this so fast and with such appearance of excitement — excitement very natural to one who was then in the very act of discovering the fatal error, and eagerly trying to stop it whilst yet it was possible to do so — that Morris shouted out to him, ' That won't do, Nolan ! we've a long way to go, ' and must be stead}'.' See Note XI. in the Appendix.