Orders

This story won a weekly flash fiction contest





Orders

The Colonel sat astride his horse and waited while the rest of the regiment formed the line of battle.

He had his orders and even he didn’t agree with them he was not one to disobey.  He opened the button on his tunic and pulled out the folded sheets and read once again how his brigade was ordered to attack the Russian artillery positions at the end of the valley.  His regiment, the Thirteen Light Dragoons would follow the orders. 

He saw his officers and non-coms dressing the line of cavalry.  He saw the other regiments under the Earl of Cardigan were also forming.  The general staff must know something that his own intelligence had failed to provide him.  He could understand attacking the redoubts along the side of the valley but this  valley is a mile long and the entire Light Brigade charging down that valley would make an excellent target for those Russians along the sides.  Perhaps the Russians had already withdrawn from those positions.

Lord Raglan was the commanding general and surely he would not be sending us forward like this if it were not for some important purpose.  I wonder what he knows.  I only wish we could finish with Crimean business once and for all here at Balaclava.  I want to be home for Christmas. 

There’s the signal to advance.  I’ll just pull on my glove and pass the order along.

Let’s go lads, on to victory and glory!

 

Word count 245