Alma River 20 September 1854
Jack had often heard of the Highland regiments; most people reckoned them amongst the best of the British Army, and in his mind, he considered them as nearly equal to the Guards or the Royal Malvens. Today was the first time he"d seen them close up. Expecting mature, bearded warriors of herculean stature as in the novels of Walter Scott, he was surprised to see that save for their exotic uniforms they appeared little different from men in other regiments. The men of the 93rd, the Sutherland Highlanders, looked even younger, if anything, with only a few mature men scattered through the youthful ranks.
General Sir Colin Campbell was the opposite; a man of vast military experience, he had a lined, wrinkled face and the shrewdest eyes Jack had ever seen.
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