Lynchburg Daily Virginian

A Repetition of the Charge of Balaklava.—
The London Times of January 13th says:
…On the 1st of January the Spaniards fought
their first considerable battle in Africa. The action
comprised an advance from the sea-coast and
a subsequent and longer conflict in the afternoon,
necessitated by the gallant but ill-judged advance
of Gen. Prim. The most remarkable feature,
however, in the occurrences of the day was an almost
exact parody on the charge of our own Light
Cavalry at Balaklava by two squadrons of the
Spanish Princess Hussars. There was the same
blunder of an aid-de-camp, the same too implicit
obedience of the officer immediately in command,
the same useless rush up a valley bristling with
opponents, the same bloody retreat. It would, of
course, be preposterous to compare the means of
destruction at the disposal of the Moors and the
well-served batteries and steady fire which the
Russians were able to bring into play against the
English Dragoons. Still let honor be given where
honor is due. The Spanish Hussars rode into
their valley of death with as unflinching a courage,
with as firm a determination to do their duty,
as the English Cavalry in October, 1854, and not
a man came back with a stain on his name.
"They rode up to the enemy's guns, and even to
his camp, bringing back with them nothing but
their glory and the memory of their great deed of
arms. Two squadrons of Diego Leon's Hussars
did this. It was as though the spirit of their gallant
chief was with them throughout that fiery
ride. It seems almost a grotesque instance of
history reproducing itself to find that a misinterpreted
speech of the Spanish aid-de-camp who
carried the order produced a similar result to that
which followed poor Nolan's fatal blunder at
Balaklava. The messenger, it is said, applied the
word 'cowards' to the Moors by a fatal error the
officer in command of the Hussars took the word
as intended for himself and his men, and went
off at once at their head into the midst of the enemy's
fire. There were two officers killed and
five wounded—a large proportion out of the two
squadrons engaged.'