THE 'THIN RED LINE' BATTLES TO DEFEND BALAKLAVA
From 'Military Operations of the Crimean War' by Michael Hargreave Mawson, OMRS and CWRS


      "On the 25th October 1854, Menschikoff [the Russian commander] made a major assault on the right of the besieging armies, whose forward defence works were a few half- hearted gun emplacements along the line of the road from Sebastopol to [the north] manned by Turkish militia. Although the Turks fought bravely for over two hours, they were driven back as Lord Raglan [the British commander] arrived at his vantage point on the Sapoune Ridge.

      "The fleeing Turks reformed on either side of the four companies of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders under Sir Colin Campbell, which were the only troops between the oncoming Russians and the British base at Balaklava. Shortly afterwards a further two companies of the Highlanders, and a rag-tag of men from the port (including invalids from the hospital) joined this last line of defence, and these men came under Russian artillery fire. Campbell withdrew them a few yards to the comparative safety of the dead ground behind a low bank. A strong force of Russian cavalry moved in their direction. Campbell formed his men into line (not square, which was the accepted way for infantry to face a cavalry charge), and the probing Russian advance was driven off with volleys of musket fire. This action became known as 'the thin red line,' from the report of W. H. Russell to his readers wherein he described 'a thin red streak, tipped with a line of steel.'" Lt. Ewen Henry Macpherson, Old Cluny's second son was part of that line. A piece of the 93rd's Regimental colours displayed that day can be seen at Panel 44.

For a description of the rest of the battle see 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' at Item 49h.