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self were on the parapet near together. We held our position for nearly two hours, unable to advance against the crushing fire of the enemy, who not only occupied an extended and flanking position, but actually outnumbered us. Still we were unwilling to give up what we had gained. At length, the order to retire was given, and now came the most dreadful part of the business; for a retreat is always worse than an advance. Everyone was in such a hurry to get down the ladders, and we were so closely packed together, that the whole mass of men on the steep parapet overbalanced, and they fell together in the ditch, head-foremost. I shall never forget that horrible moment. Several hundred men fell headlong together, all with bayonets fixed or with drawn swords. Numbers must have been run through by falling on the bayonets and have had their limbs broke by the weight falling on them. It is miraculous to me how I escaped so well. I was at the top of the ladder, when I fell with the rest, so that I was not so much underneath the others. I turned aside several bayonets with my hands which nearly ran into me, my sword was wrenched out of my hand and I lost it. It was every one for himself at that moment. As we scrambled up the counterscarp, the Russians, who had charged back into the Redan, on the signs of our retiring, mounted the parapet and threw at us in the ditch, stones, grape-shot, muskets with fixed bayonets, live shells, and actually hatches(sic) and axes. We returned to our trenches through a fire of grape and musketry, which was now, if anything heavier than before, and the ground was thickly strewn with our killed and wounded. By God’s mercy I again crossed in safety. The only hurts I received are of a trifling nature – one on the left wrist, not deep, but a large piece of skin broken off by a bayonet in the fall; slighter grazes on my legs, and considerable stiffness of the whole body. A stone thrown by a Russian hit me on the head, but did not hurt much. The French continued to hold the Malakoff works, though heavy musketry was kept up there till dark. We got our regiment together as much as possible after reaching the trenches, but could only find four officers and about half the men. Poor Col. Cuddy was killed with a musket-ball passing through his neck and dividing his spine. Major Cure had his arm broken by a bullet, also J. Hume. R. Hume was rather severely peppered on one side with stones and gravel knocked up by a round shot. Richards has a severe contusion of the ankle from grape shot, Johnson a bayonet wound in the leg and bullet graze on the head; and Roseby contused by the fall. Out of ten officers of ours-