Battle of Balaclava The Battle of Balaclava , fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War , was part of the Anglo - French - Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol , Russia ' s principal naval base on the Black Sea . The engagement followed the earlier Allied victory in September at the Battle of the Alma , where the Russian General Menshikov had positioned his army in an attempt to stop the Allies progressing south towards their strategic goal . Alma was the first major encounter fought in the Crimea since the Allied landings at Kalamita Bay on 14 September , and was a clear battlefield success ; but a tardy pursuit by the Allies failed to gain a decisive victory , allowing the Russians to regroup , recover and prepare their defence . The Allies decided against an immediate assault on Sevastopol and instead prepared for a protracted siege . The British , under the command of Lord Raglan , and the French , under Canrobert , positioned their troops to the south of the port on the Chersonese Peninsula : the French Army occupied Kamiesh on the west coast whilst the British moved to the southern port of Balaclava . However , this position committed the British to the defence of the right flank of the Allied siege operations , for which Raglan had insufficient troops . Taking advantage of this exposure , the Russian General Liprandi , with some 25 , 000 men , prepared to attack the defences in and around Balaclava , hoping to disrupt the supply chain between the British base and their siege lines . The battle began with a Russian artillery and infantry attack on the Ottoman redoubt s that formed Balaclava ' s first line of defence . The Ottoman forces initially resisted the Russian assaults , but lacking support they were eventually forced to retreat . When the redoubts fell , the Russian cavalry moved to engage the second defensive line held by the Ottoman and the Scottish 93rd Highland Regiment in what came to be known as the ' Thin Red Line ' . This line held and repulsed the attack ; as did General James Scarlett ' s British Heavy Brigade who charged and defeated the greater proportion of the cavalry advance , forcing the Russians onto the defensive . However , a final Allied cavalry charge , stemming from a misinterpreted order from Raglan , led to one of the most famous and ill - fated events in British military history – the Charge of the Light Brigade . Prelude . On to Sevastopol . The British and French fleets departed from the Bulgarian port of Varna on 5 September 1854 , heading towards Kalamita Bay in the Crimea . By the 14th , the troops began to land ; within four days the Allied force of 61 , 400 infantry , 1 , 200 cavalry and 137 guns , was ashore . Thirty - three miles ( ~ 53 km ) to the south of the landing zone , beyond the Bulganak , Alma , Katcha and Belbek rivers , lay the Russian naval base and fortress of Sevastopol , the key Allied objective in the Crimea . General Menshikov , aware of the Allied presence , prepared his troops on the banks of the River Alma in an effort to halt the Franco - British advance , but on 20 September he was soundly defeated in what was the first major battle in the Crimea . News of Menshikov ' s defeat was met with disbelief by Tsar Nicholas I in St . Petersburg – it seemed it would only be a matter of time before Sevastopol fell . But Allied hesitation , first from the French commander - in - chief , Saint - Arnaud , then by Lord Raglan , allowed the dispirited Russians to escape the battlefield in relative order , allowing Menshikov and his army to reach Sevastopol , reorganise and rebuild their morale . " It is frightful to think what might have happened , " wrote Vice - Admiral Kornilov , " had it not been for this cardinal error of the enemy ' s . " The Allied march south finally recommenced on the morning of 23 September 1854 , but there was as yet no definite plan of action ; it was not until they had passed the River Katcha in sight of Sevastopol itself , that the Allied commanders discussed their options . The original plan had envisaged a move across the River Belbek before attacking the north side ( the Severnaya ) of Sevastopol harbour , defended by the Star Fort ; but recent naval intelligence had revealed that the position was much stronger than had first been realised . John Burgoyne , the British Army ' s most experienced engineer , advocated an attack on Sevastopol from the south which , from all reports , was still an imperfectly entrenched position . This was a view shared by Saint - Arnaud who , having received his own intelligence of Russian reinforcements , had refused to agree to an attack from the north . Burgoyne ' s proposed ' flank march ' required the Allies to go round the city to the east in order to attack the harbour from the south where the defences were weakest . Raglan was inclined to agree , arguing that he had always been disposed to such an operation ; he knew , too , that the problem of re - supply would be eased with the seizing of the southern ports on the Chersonese Peninsula . On 24 September , Menshikov began to move his army out of Sevastopol towards Bakchi Serai and Simferopol , leaving Admirals Kornilov and Nakhimov to organise the 18 , 000 - strong garrison ( mainly sailors and marines ) and prepare the port ' s defences . By venturing into the interior of the Crimea , Menshikov would not only keep open his communications with Russia , but would also be in touch with reinforcements from Odessa or Kertch ; moreover , he would be free to operate in the field and threaten the Allied flank . Whilst Menshikov moved east , the Anglo - French - Turkish army , with the British in the vanguard , continued its march towards the southern coast of the peninsula . The heat was oppressive , the water sparse , and cholera rife , taking a heavy toll on the men including Saint - Arnaud who was already ill with cancer . The march had been a real trial and was not without incident . At one point , on 25 September near MacKenzie ' s Farm , Raglan and his staff in front of the British column stumbled across the rear of the retreating Russians ; with the rest of his army strung out behind in hopeless disorder , Menshikov missed a chance to inflict a major reverse on the British . By the 26th , however , Raglan had reached the village of Kadikoi , and was able to look down on the narrow inlet of Balaclava . That same day Saint - Arnaud , now critically ill , surrendered his command to General Canrobert . Allied deployment . The harbor at Balaclava was too small for both Allied armies to use . By rights the French , who had claimed the honour of holding the right of the line , should have occupied Balaclava whilst the British should have moved west to the ports of Kazatch and Kamiesh . Canrobert offered the British the choice , but badly advised by Admiral Lyons , Raglan chose Balaclava for his base , not realising that the two western bays offered far better facilities as supply ports . Moreover , Raglan committed the British Army to the defence of the right flank of the Allied operation , and would have to ensure the security of both Anglo - French armies against the threat posed by Menshikov ' s forces to the east . The decision by Raglan was a bad mistake , and one for which the British Army was to pay a terrible price . For many , the only justification for the ' flank march ' was an immediate assault upon Sevastopol . George Cathcart , commander of the British 4th Division , pleaded with Raglan for instant action . " I am sure I could walk into it , with scarcely the loss of a man , " wrote Cathcart to Raglan on 28 September from the heights above the eastern approach to the city . " We could leave our packs , and run into it even in open day … We see people walking about the streets in great consternation . . . " But caution prevailed , and plans by Burgoyne for a formal siege , backed by Canrobert , were prepared . When Raglan told Cathcart that nothing would happen until the Allied siege trains had been landed , Cathcart could not hide his irritation , " Land the siege trains ! But my dear Lord Raglan , what the devil is there to knock down ? " Having decided upon which port they would occupy the Allies set about deploying their forces on the Chersonese Peninsula . The peninsula is bounded to the north by Sevastopol Harbour , at the head of which the River Chernaya flows from the south - east . The eastern boundary is formed by a long escarpment , the Sapouné Heights , averaging 600 feet high , and pierced by two passes only : the metalled Woronstov road , and , at the southern end of the heights , the Col , through which ran a steeper and more difficult road leading from the west end of Sevastopol to Balaclava . Sevastopol itself was divided in two by the Dockyard Creek . Two of Canrobert ' s four divisions , supervised by General Forey , were allotted the western siege operations around the city , from the Black Sea to the Dockyard Creek ; the other two divisions , under General Bosquet , would act as a covering force along the Sapouné Heights . To Bosquet ' s north lay the camp of the British 1st Division , and beyond this De Lacy Evans ' 2nd Division guarding the extreme right of the Allied line with the Inkerman Heights to its front and the Chernaya Valley to its right . The port of Balaclava lay outside the main Allied perimeter and had to be provided with a defensive system of its own . The Woronstov Road ran down from the Sapouné Heights along a ridge , running east – west , known as the Causeway Heights , dividing the plain into two sections – the North Valley and the South Valley . Redoubt s upon the Causeway Heights offered Balaclava its first line of defence : five were built upon the heights – approximately 500 yards ( ~ 450 m ) apart – and one upon what came to be known as Canrobert ' s Hill , slightly to the south and covering the extreme right of the British defences ( see map below ) . The redoubts housed a total of nine naval guns , all 12 - pounders from HMS " Diamond " : three in No . 1 redoubt on Canrobert ' s Hill ; two each in redoubts 2 , 3 and 4 . Redoubts 5 and 6 ( the two at the western end of the Causeway Heights ) , were still unfinished and without any guns . These defences were hastily constructed , but they were not small works : No . 1 redoubt held a garrison of 600 Turks , whilst redoubts 2 , 3 , and 4 each held 300 ; all were accompanied by one British artillery NCO . The inner line of defence of the British base was supplied by the 93rd Highlanders and a Royal Artillery field battery stationed at the village of Kadikoi to the north of Balaclava . These were supported by Royal Marines and artillery positioned along the heights above the port , as well as additional Ottoman troops . In addition to these defences Raglan could call upon the 1 , 500 men of Lord Lucan ' s Cavalry Division camped on the western end of the South Valley , along with a troop of Royal Horse Artillery . The total force available for the immediate defence of the British base at Balaclava numbered around 4 , 500 men , supported by 26 guns . Russian plan . As the Allied siege guns bombarded Sevastopol , the Russian reserves were moving to the Crimea . The Russians sought to relieve Sevastopol from bombardment , by marching newly arrived reinforcements from the Danubian front . This force of Russian reinforcements would strike at the allies ' main port of supply — Balaclava . At the forefront of these reinforcements was the 12 Infantry Division – part of the Russian 4th Corps – under General Pavel Liprandi . This division , consisting of the Azovsky , Dnieper , Ukraine and Odessa regiments , along with four batteries of artillery , had arrived from Bessarabia ; by the time the division had reached the Crimea , Menshikov had decided on the plan to use them to attack the Allied rear from Chorgun , and march on Balaclava . The vulnerability of Balaclava was well known to both sides . Undertaking the siege operations around Sevastopol whilst securing the Allies ' eastern flank was stretching the recourses of Raglan ' s dwindling forces – British casualties at the Alma had been high , and many were still suffering from the cholera epidemic ; others simply fell sick from exhaustion . With the arrival of further Russian reinforcements , Menshikov ' s total force in theatre ( including 12 Division ) numbered around 65 , 000 . The remainder of 4th Corps – 10 and 11 Divisions – were also heading towards the Crimea , but Menshikov , under pressure from Nicholas I to strike back at the Allies , decided not to wait for these troops before beginning the attack . The first move by the Russians came on the early morning of 18 October 1854 , when Lieutenant Colonel Rakovitch moved against the village of Chorgun with three infantry battalions , 200 Cossacks and four guns . From here , Liprandi , Rakovitch and Major General Semyakin were able to reconnoitre the Allied redoubts along the Causeway Heights . To the Russian commanders , and , belatedly , to the Royal Engineers , the redoubts were recognised to be too far forward of the inner defensive line of Balaclava to be adequately defended and supported by the British . Russian reconnaissance reports had also indicated that these outer defences were occupied by a mixture of Tunisians , raw recruits and militia , and not of the same calibre of men that had defeated them on the Danube at the beginning of the war . To Liprandi and his generals it seemed a swift strike against the redoubts was certain of success . By 23 October Liprandi had gathered 16 , 000 men , known as the ' Detachment of Chorgun ' , comprising 17 battalions , 30 squadrons and 64 guns . The left column , commanded by Major General Gribbe , was to advance across the Chernaya River and towards the village of Kamara . The centre column , under Major General Semyakin , was divided into two wings : Semyakin himself , commanding the left wing , was to lead his troops south from Chorgun before moving against Canrobert ' s Hill and No . 1 redoubt ; Major General Levutsky , commanding the right wing of the centre column , was tasked to assault No . 2 redoubt farther to the west . Meanwhile the right column , under Colonel Skyuderi , was to advance across the Chernaya via the Tractir Bridge before moving south through the Fedioukine Heights and across the North Valley to attack No . 3 redoubt . The attacks were to be supported by Lieutenant General Ryzhov ' s cavalry . A further force , numbering 4 , 500 men and 14 guns under Major General Zhabokritsky , protected Liprandi ' s right from Allied interference . Once the redoubts had been captured , Zhabokritsky was to occupy the Fedioukine Heights . In total ( including Zhabokritsky ' s force and a reserve held back at the Tractir Bridge ) Liprandi had at his disposal around 25 , 000 men and 78 guns – not enough to threaten the siege lines , but more than enough to compromise the defences at Balaclava whose loss to the Allies would be tremendous . ( See map below ) . Battle . Recent intelligence received by the British had indicated a major Russian attack was imminent . After a considerable number of false alarms the previous week , however , Raglan failed to act , believing that they were needlessly exhausting his men who were turned out on every report . But this latest intelligence proved accurate , and early on 25 October , just before 05 : 00 , Liprandi ’ s troops of the ' Chorgun Detachment ' left their camp and marched off in silence towards the Balaclava valleys . The village of Kamara was the most easterly picket for Allied soldiers , providing a useful observation point for Lucan ' s vedette s . In the dark dawn , a squadron of Russian Cossacks , followed by a host of uhlans , rode slowly towards the village . These troops were the leading elements of Gribbe ' s force . First to discover that the Russians had moved up under cover of dark was the duty field officer of the day , Captain Alexander Low of the 4th Light Dragoons . The picket in Kamara had not seen the advancing Cossacks ( there is some suggestion that they were sleeping ) , and it was only through Low ' s timely arrival and his shouts that they managed to escape and make their way to the nearest redoubt on the Causeway Heights . Behind the Cossacks and uhlans came the Dnieper Regiment along with the artillery . Immediately , Gribbe positioned his ten guns on the slopes to the west of Kamara , leaving his gunners with a clear view of No . 1 redoubt on Canrobert ' s Hill . In accordance with his usual practice Lucan had gone forward at daybreak to inspect the redoubts and outposts , accompanied by his staff Lord George Paget , Lord William Paulet , and Major Thomas McMahon . As they approached Canrobert ' s Hill , two signal flags were observed , signifying the approach of the Russians . Paget , commanding officer of the 4th Light Dragoons ( and commanding officer of the Light Brigade in Cardigan ' s absence ) , later recalled the moment when they realized something was wrong : Redoubts . The Ottoman guns from No . 1 redoubt on Canrobert ' s hill fired on the Russians at around 06 : 00 – the Battle of Balaclava had begun . Lucan despatched Captain Charteris to inform Raglan that the redoubts were under attack . Charteris arrived at around 07 : 00 , but those at the British headquarters had already heard the sound of the guns . Lucan himself rode quickly back towards Kadikoi to confer with Colin Campbell , commander of the Balaclava defences . The two men agreed that this was not another Russian feint , but an attack in force with the intention of taking the British base . Campbell prepared his 93rd Highlanders to meet the enemy , whilst Lucan returned to the cavalry . Leaving the Light Brigade where it stood , Lucan led the Heavy Brigade towards the redoubts , hoping his presence might discourage any further Russian advance on Balaclava . Realizing his show of strength had little impact , however , Lucan led the Heavies back to their original position alongside the Light Brigade . The Ottoman forces were left to face the full force of the Russian assault almost alone . Whilst Gribbe ' s artillery continued to shell No . 1 redoubt , the Russian columns under Levutsky , Semyakin , and Skyuderi began to move into the North Valley . Although the Heavy Brigade had pulled back , the British did send forward their available artillery to assist the Ottoman forces on the Causeway Heights . Captain George Maude ' s troop of horse artillery , I Troop , unlimbered its four 6 - pounder and two 12 - pounder guns between redoubts 2 and 3 , whilst Captain Barker ' s battery , W Battery , of the Royal Artillery , moved out of Balaclava and took its position on Maude ' s left . However , the artillery duel was a very one sided affair . The heavier Russian guns ( some 18 - pounders ) , particularly No . 4 battery under Lieutenant Postikov , together with the riflemen of the Ukraine regiment , took their toll on both men and ordnance . Running short of ammunition and taking hits , Maude ' s troop was forced to retire , their place taken by two guns from Barker ' s battery ( Maude himself was severely wounded ) . As the British artillery fire slackened , Semyakin prepared to storm No . 1 redoubt , personally leading the assault together with three battalions of the Azovsky Regiment under Colonel Krudener . " I waved my hat on both sides . " Recalled Semyakin , " Everybody rushed after me and I was protected by the stern Azovs . " The Ottoman forces on Canrobert ' s Hill resisted stubbornly . Although the attack had begun at 06 : 00 , it was not until 07 : 30 when No . 1 redoubt fell . During that time the 600 Ottoman defenders had suffered from the heavy artillery bombardment ; in the ensuing fight in the redoubt and subsequent pursuit by the Cossacks , an estimated 170 Ottomans were killed . In his first report of the action for " The Times " , William Russell wrote that the Turks ' received a few shots and then bolted ' , but afterwards admitted that he had not been a witness to the start of the battle , confessing , ' Our treatment of the Turks was unfair … ignorant as we were that the Turkish in No . 1 redoubt lost more than a fourth of their number ere they abandoned it to the enemy ' . Later Lucan and Campbell too acknowledged the firmness with which the assault on No 1 redoubt , which was not visible from their vantage point , had been resisted ; it was not until this had been overwhelmed did the defenders abandon redoubts 2 , 3 and 4 . Of the estimated 2 , 500 Russians who took part in the assault the Azovsky Regiment lost two officers and 149 men killed . The remaining redoubts were now in danger of falling into the hands of the oncoming Russians . The battalions of the Ukraine Regiment under Colonel Dudnitsky - Lishin , attacked redoubts Nos . 2 and 3 , whilst the Odessa Regiment under Skyuderi , advanced on redoubt No . 4 . The Ottoman forces in these positions , having already watched their compatriots flee the first redoubt and realizing that the British were not coming to their aid , retreated back towards Balaclava , pursued by the Cossacks who had little trouble dispatching any stray or isolated men ; the few British NCOs could do nothing but spike the guns , rendering them unusable . The Ottoman forces had gained some time for the Allies , but in the end the Turks were forced to abandon the redoubts . By 08 : 00 the Russians were occupying redoubts 1 , 2 and 3 , and , considering it too close to the enemy , had razed redoubt No . 4 . South Valley . Canrobert had been informed of the Russian attack at about 07 : 30 , and had immediately ridden off to join Raglan . Bosquet , having been aroused by the sound of the cannon , had ordered the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division of the French Army – commanded by General Vinoy – to march towards Balaclava in support of the British . Additionally , the 1st Brigade under General Espinasse began to move , along with the divisional artillery and the Chasseurs d ' Afrique . The French 3rd Division was put on alert , and the horse artillery of the reserve harnessed . Raglan had at first thought the Russian advance a feint , possibly designed to occupy him whilst the enemy stormed out of Sevastopol to attack his army overlooking the heights above the city ; but now he saw that he had been wrong . With the first four redoubts on the Causeway Heights either captured or out of action , all that protected Balaclava were Lucan ' s Cavalry Division , together with the 550 men of the 93 Highlanders , Barker ' s W Battery , 100 invalids under Colonel Daveney , and some Ottomans , reinforced by their countrymen from the redoubts who had rallied and formed up alongside them . It was only now that Raglan ordered the British 1st Division under Prince George , Duke of Cambridge , and Cathcart ' s 4th Division , to move into the plain . The 1st Division got away promptly , but when Raglan ' s staff officer informed Cathcart that the Russians were marching on Balaclava , he at first refused to comply , complaining that his men had only just finished their shift in the trenches before Sevastopol . In the end he did move , but the delay brought his division down 40 minutes after the Duke ' s . It would take a least two hours to march an infantry division down from the heights overlooking Sevastopol into the plain of Balaclava . The Russians appeared to have the intentions and the means to capture the British base in a much shorter time . At approximately 07 : 45 , the commander of the Light Brigade , the Earl of Cardigan , reached his cavalry , having arrived from his yacht moored in Balaclava harbour . Raglan , meanwhile , had taken up his position on the Sapouné Heights , 650 feet ( ~ 200 m ) above the plain . Unwilling at this point to risk his cavalry without infantry support ( as he had done throughout the whole campaign ) , Raglan issued his first order to the Cavalry Division at 08 : 00 – " Cavalry to take ground to the left of the second line of redoubts occupied by the Turks " . The order was ambiguous and misleading ( there was no ' second line of redoubts ' and the word ' left ' is dependent on the perspective of the viewer ) , but on this occasion Lucan had interpreted the order correctly , and moved his cavalry to the west , placing them between No . 6 redoubt and the foot of the Sapouné Heights where they could not be seen by , or engage with , the Russians . The new position placed the Light Brigade near , but to one side , of the mouth of the North Valley ; the Heavy Brigade sat on their right . However , 30 minutes after issuing his first order , Raglan now changed his mind and issued his second order at 08 : 30 – " Eight squadrons of heavy Dragoons to be detached towards Balaclava to support the Turks who are wavering " . There was no evidence that the Turks formed up alongside the Highlanders were wavering , but Raglan thought they were , or might soon do so . As each regiment comprised two squadrons , Lucan , with growing frustration , was required to move four of his five Heavy Brigade regiments back onto the open plain and the defensive line of Kadikoi . Although this order meant he had to divide his cavalry – thus reducing the effectiveness of each part – Lucan complied , and ordered General James Scarlett to lead four regiments back to where they had just come from . Ryzhov ' s advance . Liprandi now brought forward Ryzhov ' s cavalry in order to press home his advantage . Ryzhov ' s force consisted of eight squadrons of the 11th Kiev Hussars , six of the 12th Ingermanland Hussars , three of 53 Don Cossack Regiment , and the 1st Ural Cossacks , totalling between 2 , 000 and 3 , 000 men ( sources vary ) , and 16 guns . The Russian cavalry crossed in a south - westerly direction across the Chernaya river and , at about 09 : 00 , streamed into the North Valley . When level with the empty No . 4 redoubt , Ryzhov wheeled to the left , crested the Causeway Heights , and came to a halt ; before him , he could see the Heavy Brigade moving east across his front , whilst away to the south he could discern the Highlanders and Turks immediately to the north of Kadikoi . Ryzhov detached 400 men of the Ingermanland Hussars to turn and head straight for the Allied infantry position . Colin Campbell , commander of the Highland Brigade and thus the 93rd Highlanders , brought his men forward from behind the hillock that had sheltered them from the Russian artillery . With only Balaclava and the Black Sea to their backs , he rode quickly along the line expressing his determination to resist – " Men , remember there is no retreat from here . You must die where you stand . " Campbell had such a poor opinion of the Russian cavalry that he did not bother telling his men to form square ; instead , he lined them up 2 files deep . Raglan on the Sapouné Heights had a grandstand view , as did William Russell who wrote furiously in his notebook : The Russians dash at the Highlanders . The ground flies beneath their horses ' feet ; gathering speed at every stride , they dash on towards that thin red streak topped with a line of steel . The British delivered their first volley at long range and failed to fell a single Russian . A second volley thundered , supported by fire from guns of Barker ' s battery and those of the Marines . This caused the Russians to swerve to their left , which Campbell took as an attempt to turn his right . He sternly checked an inclination to charge with the bayonet , and instead threw forward the 93rd ' s right grenadier company under Captain Ross . This delivered a third volley which decided the issue . Barely five minutes after it had begun the Ingermanland Hussars were in retreat , and heading towards the Causeway Heights : the Russian commander of the brigade had reasoned that such a small , unsquared line of British infantry could not hope to hold out a cavalry charge , therefore there must be a larger force behind them . It was not until later accounts that Russell ' s ' thin red streak ' , became the famous ' Thin Red Line ' . Meanwhile , the main part of Ryzhov ' s cavalry remained static on the southern slopes of the Causeway Heights , some 800 yards ( ~ 730 m ) from Scarlett ' s Heavy Brigade still moving south - east in the South Valley . The eight squadrons of the Heavy Brigade consisted of two each from the Scots Greys , the 6th Dragoons , 4th Dragoon Guards , and the 5th Dragoon Guards ; the brigade ' s remaining two squadrons from the 1st Royal Dragoons were left in their original position to the west of No . 6 redoubt . Although outnumbering the British by two or three to one and having the advantage of the high ground , the Russians seemed shaken by the unexpected presence of Scarlett ' s cavalry . Scarlett , notoriously short - sighted , remained unaware that the Russians were there . However , once he had negotiated a vineyard and the sprawling tented camp of the Light Brigade , he was notified by his ADC , Lieutenant Elliot , of the proximity of the Russian cavalry on their left flank . Scarlett gave the order ' Left wheel into line ' which turned the two advanced regiments into line to face the enemy ; these were shortly followed by the other two regiments forming a second line . Had the Russians charged at this moment they would have caught Scarlett ' s men completely disorganised , yet Ryzhov let the chance slip . Lucan , who had also seen the Russians , rode across with his staff from the Light Brigade to join the Heavies . So impatient was he to attack that he ordered his duty trumpeter , Trumpet Major Joy , to sound the charge – but nothing happened . An attempt to attack before his men were in perfect alignment was contrary to every precept that the officers had learnt back in England , and it was only when the dressing had been completed to his satisfaction did Scarlett order " his " trumpeter , Trumpet Major Monks , to sound the charge . The Heavy Brigade began to move against the Russian cavalrymen . Charge of the Heavy Brigade . The charge of the Heavy Brigade was anything but a charge – the brigade had launched uphill from a standing start , and the short distance between the two combatants had hardly allowed their horses to reach the trot . Moreover , the Russians were at last moving to meet them . Scarlett was first into Ryzhov ' s cavalry , closely followed by his staff , and , initially , just three squadrons – two of the Scots Greys on the left , and one of the 6th ( Inniskilling ) Dragoons on the right , totalling 300 men . The first to feel the force of the British attack were the Ingermanland Hussars , under the command of Major General Khaletsky . Staff - captain Arbuzov later described how they – " … had to fight with the regiment of Queen Victoria ' s Dragoon Guards in their red coats … Neither we nor the English wanted to yield . " A British Dragoon later described the action from his own perspective – " They were so superior in numbers , they outflanked us , and we were in the middle of them … I hope God will forgive me , for I felt more like a devil than a man . " Shortly , the second squadron of the Inniskillings attacked the left flank of the Russians , followed by the 5th Dragoon Guards who crashed into the Russians as they folded around the rear of the Scots Greys . Beyond them the 4th Dragoons , in one unbroken line and to cries of " Faugh A Ballagh " , attacked the right rear of the Russian cavalry ; the force of their impact was such that they were able to hack their way from one flank to the other with the loss of only one man . Finally came the Royal Dragoons who , ignoring their orders to remain behind , attacked on their own initiative , striking the right front of the Russians . Ryzhov had been caught flat - footed , allowing Scarlett ' s cavalry to push ahead , heaving and hacking at their opponents from all sides before gaining the ascendancy . " At length they turned and well they might , " wrote Lieutenant Godman . " We pursued about 300 yards , and then called off with much difficulty , the gunners opened on them , and gave them a fine peppering . " These guns were from C Troop , Royal Horse Artillery under Captain Brandling , whose 24 - pounders dissuaded Ryzhov ' s cavalry from reforming and charging again . The Russians retreated in the direction of the Causeway Heights before halting at the east end of the North Valley . The Charge of the Heavy Brigade had lasted no more than 10 minutes . Ryzhov ' s cavalry suffered 40 – 50 killed and over 200 wounded ; the British lost 10 killed and 98 wounded . Scarlett ' s attack had been a remarkable success , yet it could have been a greater victory . When the Heavies attacked , the Earl of Cardigan ' s Light Brigade was less than 500 yards ( ~ 450 m ) from Ryzhov ' s cavalry . The spectators on the Sapouné Heights , and the officers and men in the Light Brigade watching the Russians retreat in disorder , expected Cardigan to lead a pursuit and finish them off . Captain William Morris of the 17th Lancers urged his commander on , but Cardigan claimed he could not advance given the orders he had received from Lucan to remain in his position ' and to defend it against any attack ' . Lucan later gave a different version to Cardigan ' s . He confirmed he had ordered Cardigan to defend his position , but maintained that his parting orders made it quite clear that he had permission to take advantage of so obvious an opportunity . Whatever the differences the Light Brigade had done nothing but look on . When Morris rode back to his regiment after confronting Cardigan , he could not hide his frustration – " My God , my God , what a chance we are losing . " North Valley . It was approaching 09 : 30 , and the first part of the battle was over . So far Liprandi had enjoyed mixed fortunes : although his cavalry had been repulsed by Campbell ' s ' Thin Red Line ' and Scarlett ' s Heavies , his troops under Gribbe , Semyakin , Levutsky , and Skyuderi , were still in possession of redoubts Nos . 1 – 3 , and had destroyed redoubt No . 4 . In all , the Russians had 11 infantry battalions and 32 guns on the Causeway Heights , while to the north , on the Fedioukine Heights , Zhabokritsky has positioned eight battalions , four squadrons , and 14 guns ( some sources state 10 guns ) . In front of Ryzhov ' s cavalry – drawn up across the eastern end of the North Valley – Liprandi placed the eight guns of the 3 Don Cossack Battery , commanded by Prince Obolensky . These guns , 6 - and 9 - pounders , served by 200 men , stared straight down the North Valley . Liprandi now also had at his disposal six squadrons of Lancers divided into two bodies : three squadrons on the Fedioukine Heights ; three others in a ravine on the side of the Causeway Heights . Raglan was anxious to exploit Scarlett ' s success and drive the Russians off the Causeway Heights , but Cathcart ' s and Cambridge ' s infantry divisions had still not arrived ; every minute that passed gave the Russians more time to prepare their defences for the expected British counter - attack . The British commander believed that the enemy had retreated in such disorder that a show of force by his cavalry – in advance of the infantry ' s arrival – would be enough to persuade the Russians to abandon the Causeway Heights . At 10 : 00 , therefore , he gave his third order of the day to the Cavalry Division – " Cavalry to advance and take advantage of any opportunity to recover the Heights . They will be supported by infantry which have been ordered . Advance on two fronts . " Raglan wished his cavalry to advance immediately , but the ambiguity of the order had again resulted in a misunderstanding . Lucan had assumed he was first to wait for the infantry before moving forward . Accordingly , he ordered the Light Brigade into the North Valley , whilst the Heavy Brigade held the entrance of the South Valley , perhaps in response to the order ' Advance on two fronts ' . Lucan believed he had complied with the order as far as he could until the infantry arrived , but Raglan looked on with growing impatience at his immobile cavalry . It was at this moment when a staff officer ( identity unknown ) shouted out that the Russians in the redoubts on the Causeway Heights were dragging away the captured British guns . The British infantry divisions were now only minutes away , but only the cavalry could move fast enough and prevent the loss of the guns . With growing impatience Raglan dictated to General Richard Airey the fourth and final order to Lord Lucan . This order was to be understood in conjunction with the third as an instruction to do immediately what had been previously ordered : 10 : 45 . Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front – follow the enemy and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns – Troop Horse Artillery may accompany – French cavalry is on your left . R Airey . Immediate . Having read the order scribbled down by Airey , Raglan summoned Captain Louis Nolan of the 15th The King ' s Hussars – Airey ' s hot - tempered aide - de - camp – to deliver it to Lucan . As he turned his horse to head directly down the escarpment , Raglan called after him – " Tell Lord Lucan the cavalry is to attack immediately . " These words sealed the fate of the Light Brigade . Charge of the Light Brigade . Lucan was puzzled by Raglan ' s imprecise order . There was no mention of heights – it referred instead to the front – and gone were all references to infantry . He was to try to ' prevent the enemy carrying away the guns ' but from his position he could not see any guns being carried away . When Lucan questioned the order an excited Nolan told him he was to attack immediately . Nolan ’ s gesture was imprecise , and pointed not to the redoubts and the captured British guns but , it seemed – at least to Lucan and his staff officers present – to the Russian battery guarding Ryzhov ' s cavalry at the end of the valley . Lucan should have questioned Nolan at greater length to eliminate any ambiguity and , perhaps , deduce that ' the front ' meant the Causeway Heights . Seeing Lucan ' s confusion Nolan should have explained what Raglan intended , perhaps making the link – if he himself knew of the connection – between the third and fourth order . Taken aback by Nolan ' s insolence Lucan refused further discussion , and rode over to Cardigan standing in front of his brigade . Both cavalry commanders knew the dangers of attacking down the valley . When Cardigan learnt of what was expected of his brigade , he questioned the sanity of the order as conveyed to him by Lucan , " … allow me to point out to you that there is a battery in front , battery on each flank , and the ground is covered with Russian riflemen . " " I know it . " Said Lucan . " But Lord Raglan will have it . We have no choice but to obey . " The Light Brigade had formed up in two lines . The 13th Light Dragoons , the 17th Lancers , and the 11th Hussars , formed the first line ( the latter regiment was soon moved behind the Lancers to reduce the width of the front ) . Paget commanded the second line formed by the 4th Light Dragoons and the 8th Hussars . Once the brigade had moved off Lucan would follow with the Heavy Brigade in support . At 11 : 10 the Light Brigade began their advance towards the Russians guns over a mile ( ~ 2 km ) away . When the first line was clear of the second , the order was given to ' Trot ' . Initially there was nothing to indicate that Cardigan was not going to conform to Raglan ' s intentions , and it was only after he had travelled some 200 yards ( ~ 180 m ) that the enormity of the misconstrued order became apparent to the spectators on the Sapouné Heights . Instead of inclining to the right towards the redoubts on the Causeway Heights and the captured British guns , the Light Brigade continued towards Obolensky ' s battery at the end of the valley . But it was too late to do anything . Nolan was the first to be killed when he dashed forward ahead of Cardigan , either in an effort to force the pace , or , suddenly realizing the terrible mistake that was being made ( and his part in it ) , in an attempt to change the direction of the brigade towards Raglan ' s intended objective . Whatever the reason , Nolan was hit by a splinter from a shell fired from one of the guns positioned on the Fedioukine Heights . When the proper interval between themselves and the Lights had developed , Lucan led the Heavy Brigade forward . The Heavies were also hit – Lucan himself was slightly wounded , and his horse hit twice – but these men would have suffered more casualties had it not been for the charge of the 150 men of the Chasseurs d ' Afrique . The French cavalry had formed up to the left of the British position . When they had seen the Light Brigade cut up , Major Abdelal led an attack up the Fedioukine Heights to charge the flank of the Russian battery , forcing them to drag away their guns . Yet it was now that Lucan – concluding that the Light Brigade would be wiped out before they reached the Russians at the end of the valley – ordered the Heavy Brigade to halt their advance and retire , leaving Cardigan ' s men without support . Turning to Lord Paulet he justified his action and his desire to preserve at least half of his cavalry division , " They have sacrificed the Light Brigade ; they shall not have the Heavy , if I can help it . " At 11 : 15 the eight Russian guns on the Causeway Heights opened up on the Light Brigade whose front line was now more than halfway down the valley ; for the next 400 yards ( ~ 365 m ) the men would also come under fire from the guns to their front . At a distance of 250 yards ( ~ 230 m ) from Obolensky ' s battery , Cardigan ordered his bugler to sound the ' Gallop ' . " And so we went through this scene of carnage , " reported Paget , " wondering each moment which would be our last … It required a deal of closing in , by this time , to fill up the vacant gaps . " Cardigan now ordered the ' Charge ' . Some amongst the gun crews now doubted they could stop the advance – they could now see the lowered poles of the 17th Lancers . Having fired their last shot of canister some of the Russians turned to run ; others , knowing the consequences of turning their backs on cavalry , drew their sabres . Mêlée and retreat . At 11 : 17 , half of the original 250 men of the 17th and 13th reached Obolensky ' s battery . Some of the survivors fought with the Russians and tried to capture their guns ; others reformed into small groups and prepared to charge the Russian cavalry standing 100 yards ( ~ 90 m ) to the rear . Ryzhov had expected to mop up any Light Brigade survivors but his hussars and Cossacks , unnerved by the British horsemen , panicked and wheeled to escape . " Some of the men fired on their own comrades to clear a passage for themselves , " wrote Lieutenant Kubitovich . " Our hussars were pressed as far as the Chernaya river where there was only one bridge by which they could escape . " The 11th Hussars now joined the mêlée . Colonel Douglass , with 80 survivors , charged and pushed other Russian cavalry back to the Chernaya . Paget ' s 4th Light Dragoons were next to reach the line of cannon , engaging in some ' fierce hand - to - hand encounters ' with the surviving gunners , before he too led his regiment after the fleeing Russians . Last to reach the objective were Colonel Shewell and the 8th Hussars . The regiment missed the battery altogether , except for few on the extreme left who went amongst the remaining artillerymen stubbornly resisting ; but the bulk of the regiment halted behind the guns and formed up in line . All the survivors of the Light Brigade were now behind the Russian guns in the valley , yet the turning point of the action was the realization that Lucan and the Heavy Brigade was not following in support . Russian officers , noticing how vastly superior their numbers were , managed to halt their retreat near the Chernaya , and edge forward their men . The Russian lancer regiments waiting on heights were now ordered down into the valley to form a line behind the British ( the 13th , 17th , and 8th on the right of the valley , the 11th and 4th on the left ) and block their route of escape . Those watching with Raglan thought the Light Brigade completely lost , but unexpectedly the two groups of survivors managed to break through the Russian trap . Still far from the British line , however , they once again came under fire from the guns and marksmen on the Causeway Heights . " The truth must be told , " recorded Lieutenant Koribut Kubitovich , " that this fire hit us just as it did the enemy , " but admitted that , " The English fought with astounding bravery , and when we approached their dismounted and wounded men , even these refused to surrender and continued to fight till the ground was soaked with their blood . " Most of the survivors were back at the British lines by 12 : 00 – the whole affair had lasted no more than 20 minutes . For those that returned there was a mixture of elation and anger , and questions as to what had happened to the Heavy Brigade . " And who I ask is answerable for all this ? Wrote Troop Sergeant Major George Smith of the 11th Hussars . " … it was not unlike leaving the forlorn hope , after storming a town , to fight their own way out again instead of pushing on the supports . We cut their army completely in two , taking their principal battery , driving their cavalry far to the rear . What more could 670 men do ? " But as they thought over what had occurred , the recriminations between Raglan , Lucan , and Cardigan had already begun . Aftermath . The loss of the Light Brigade had been such a traumatic event that the allies were incapable of further action that day . Of the 666 men known to have ridden in the charge ( sources vary slightly ) , 271 became casualties : 110 killed ( less than 17 % ) , 129 wounded , plus another 32 wounded and taken prisoner . Additionally , 375 horses were killed . Raglan could not now risk using his infantry divisions in any attempt to move Liprandi ' s forces from the Causeway Heights . Even if the redoubts were retaken , they would have to be defended by men whose priority was the siege of Sevastopol , and he dared not expose his supply base at Balaclava to further Russian attacks . The British 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions , therefore , returned to the plateau , the former without its Highland regiments who were ordered to remain in the valley under Campbell ’ s command . To the Russians the Battle of Balaclava was a victory and proved a welcome boost in morale – they had captured the British redoubts ( from which seven guns were removed and taken to Sevastopol as trophies ) , and had gained control of the Worontsov Road . The loss of the outer ring of defences severely restricted Allied movements and confined them to a narrow area between Balaclava and Sevastopol . Nearly all officers received awards . General Semyakin received the Order of St . George of the 3rd degree . Gribbe and Levutsky became the cavaliers of the Order of St Stanislav of the 1st degree , and Colonel Krudener was promoted to Major General . General Liprandi was awarded a golden sabre encrusted with diamonds , and inscribed ' For Bravery ' . Semyakin wrote home with news of the action at Balaclava , and what he considered a great success – " Many Turks and English were killed by our Russian bayonets , and many English were pierced with lances of our Uhlans and Cossacks , and by sabres of our Hussars … God grant that the heart of the Tsar rejoices . " All three armies would soon be reinforced : the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , The Duke of Newcastle , promised Raglan that the 3rd , 62nd , and 90th Regiments , would be despatched to the Crimea with a third battery train ; Canrobert , meanwhile , was promised an additional three divisions of infantry from France . The Russians were also receiving reinforcements with the arrival of 10 and 11 Divisions which finally arrived at the beginning of November . These troops brought the strength of Menshikov ' s field army to some 107 , 000 men , but the Russian commander was under severe pressure from St Petersburg to attack the Allied lines and break the siege of Sevastopol . The failure of the British and French to beat the Russians at Balaclava immediately set the stage for a much more bloody battle . For weeks it had been known that the Russians would soon begin a full - scale attack on the besiegers . As a preliminary Menshikov launched a reconnaissance in force on the extreme right of the Allied line ( against the British 2nd Division ) on the Inkerman Heights overlooking the Chernaya river . The attack on 26 October ( the battle became known as ‘ Little Inkerman ’ ) proved a successful action for the British , but the Russians had gleaned all they needed to know about the position . Using this intelligence , Menshikov launched his main attack on the same position one week later on 5 November in what came to be known as the Battle of Inkerman .