The Charge of the Light Brigade - Storynory Storynory The Charge of the Light Brigade Introduction by Bertie. Poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Read by Richard. Proofread by Jana Elizabeth. Hello, this is Richard, The charge of the Light Brigade is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It commemorates one of the bravest, and stupidest acts of war in history. The charge took place in the year 1854, when Britain’s Queen Victoria was on the throne. The British and the French were fighting the Russians in Crimea, which is part of Russia that is joined onto Ukraine and sticks out into the Black Sea. Turkey is not far away, and the allies had come to help her against The Russian Empire. The British Army was led by a group of aristocrats who were not known for their intelligence. Two of them, Lord Cardigan and Lord Lucan, were brothers-in-law who detested each other heartily. Cardigan was 57 years old. He was well known for his wealth, extravagance, smartness, snobbery, and incompetence.

In this war, he was commanding the Light Brigade, lightly armed, and fast moving cavalry who were suited to chasing down the enemy with sabres and lances. They wore little body armour, but looked splendid in their red uniforms and gold braid, especially when they sat astride their galloping horses. At the Battle of Balaclava, the overall commander, Lord Raglan, could see the lie of the land from his position on a hill top. He wanted the Light Brigade to pursue a group of Russian gunners who were already pulling their cannons away from the battle. The task was ideal for them. He wrote down this order and gave it to a messenger who took it to Lord Lucan, who was lower down and unable to see the whole battle. Lord Lucan passed on the order to his brother- in-law. As he did so, he pointed in the wrong direction, towards a different group of Russian guns that were dug in and ready for a fight. Cardigan received the order. He did not hesitate or question it, even though to carry it out was suicidal. Presumably he did not want to show any trace of fear in front of the relative whom he despised.

Cardigan led the Light Brigade in a mad, death doomed charge. Lord Nolan rode out in front of him, trying to call out that he was going the wrong way, but he was quickly killed. The insanely brave soldiers galloped into a valley with 50 Russian guns positioned on three sides. Most of the brigade was blown to bits, but a few reached the guns at the end of the valley before retreating. Cardigan somehow survived, and that evening he ate a fine dinner washed down with champagne. Six weeks after the Charge of the Light Brigade, Alfred Tennyson published his verses about the event. He was Queen Victoria’s Poet Laureate and it was his job to commemorate events of national importance. His verses celebrate the heroism of the soldiers, but of course do not mention the stupidity of the commanders who caused the catastrophic blunder. Listen out for the galloping rhythm and smell the gunpowder. 1. Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Charge for the guns!” he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Was there a man dismay’d?

Not tho’ the soldier knew Someone had blunder’d: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flash’d all their sabres bare, Flash’d as they turn’d in air, Sabring the gunners there, All the world wonder’d: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro’ the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel’d from the sabre stroke Shatter’d and sunder’d. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro’ the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred. And that was ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Bertie says that the poem has helped make the bravery of the Light Brigade famous for all time. Tennyson was great at firing off this kind of lyric, but he also wrote beautiful and romantic poems, such as ‘The Lady of Shalott’ that you can listen to, here on Storynory.com. For now, from me, Richard, Goodbye. SparkNotes: Tennyson’s Poetry: “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (page 2) “The Charge of the Light Brigade” “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (page 2) → “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, page 1 “Crossing the Bar” page 2 of 2 Form This poem is comprised of six numbered stanzas varying in length from six to twelve lines. Each line is in dimeter, which means it has two stressed syllables; moreover, each stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed syllables, making the rhythm dactylic.

The use of “falling” rhythm, in which the stress is on the first beat of each metrical unit, and then “falls off” for the rest of the length of the meter, is appropriate in a poem about the devastating fall of the British brigade. The rhyme scheme varies with each stanza. Often, Tennyson uses the same rhyme (and occasionally even the same final word) for several consecutive lines: “Flashed all their sabres bare / Flashed as they turned in air / Sab’ring the gunners there.” The poem also makes use of anaphora, in which the same word is repeated at the beginning of several consecutive lines: “Cannon to right of them / Cannon to left of them / Cannon in front of them.” Here the method creates a sense of unrelenting assault; at each line our eyes meet the word “cannon,” just as the soldiers meet their flying shells at each turn. Commentary “The Charge of the Light Brigade” recalls a disastrous historical military engagement that took place during the initial phase of the Crimean War fought between Turkey and Russia (1854-56).

Under the command of Lord Raglan, British forces entered the war in September 1854 to prevent the Russians from obtaining control of the important sea routes through the Dardanelles. From the beginning, the war was plagued by a series of misunderstandings and tactical blunders, one of which serves as the subject of this poem: on October 25, 1854, as the Russians were seizing guns from British soldiers, Lord Raglan sent desperate orders to his Light Cavalry Brigade to fend off the Russians. Finally, one of his orders was acted upon, and the brigade began charging—but in the wrong direction! Over 650 men rushed forward, and well over 100 died within the next few minutes. As a result of the battle, Britain lost possession of the majority of its forward defenses and the only metaled road in the area. In the 21st century, the British involvement in the Crimean War is dismissed as an instance of military incompetence; we remember it only for the heroism displayed in it by Florence Nightingale, the famous nurse. However, for Tennyson and most of his contemporaries, the war seemed necessary and just.

He wrote this poem as a celebration of the heroic soldiers in the Light Brigade who fell in service to their commander and their cause. The poem glorifies war and courage, even in cases of complete inefficiency and waste. Unlike the medieval and mythical subject of “The Lady of Shalott” or the deeply personal grief of “Tears, Idle Tears,” this poem instead deals with an important political development in Tennyson’s day. As such, it is part of a sequence of political and military poems that Tennyson wrote after he became Poet Laureate of England in 1850, including “Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington” (1852) and “Riflemen, Form” (1859). These poems reflect Tennyson’s emerging national consciousness and his sense of compulsion to express his political views. This poem is effective largely because of the way it conveys the movement and sound of the charge via a strong, repetitive falling meter: “Half a league, half a league / Half a league onward.” The plodding pace of the repetitions seems to subsume all individual impulsiveness in ponderous collective action.

The poem does not speak of individual troops but rather of “the six hundred” and then “all that was left of them.” Even Lord Raglan, who played such an important role in the battle, is only vaguely referred to in the line “someone had blundered.” Interestingly, Tennyson omitted this critical and somewhat subversive line in the 1855 version of this poem, but the writer John Ruskin later convinced him to restore it for the sake of the poem’s artistry. Although it underwent several revisions following its initial publication in 1854, the poem as it stands today is a moving tribute to courage and heroism in the face of devastating defeat. The Battle of Balaclava - Crimean War - Charge of the Light Brigade The Battle of Balaclava The Charge of the Light Brigade, the Charge of the Heavy Brigade and the Thin Red Line War: Crimean War Place: On the southern Crimean coast in the Ukraine. Combatants: British, French and Turkish troops against the Imperial Russian Army. Generals: Lieutenant General the Earl of Raglan commanded the British Army, General Saint-Arnaud commanded the French Army. Prince Menshikov commanded the Russian Army.

The Russian commander of the Balaclava assault was General Liprandi, Menshikov’s second in command. Click here or on image to buy a Print Uniforms, arms and equipment: See the main Crimean War site on britishbattles.com. Winner: Balaclava is a battle honour for all the British regiments that took part. It is usually a pre-condition for a battle honour that the battle is a victory for British arms. Balaclava was a strategic defeat. The Russians captured seven guns and at the end of the battle held the ground they had attacked. Against this the three episodes in the battle; the Charge of the Heavy Brigade, the Thin Red Line and the Charge of the Light Brigade, are such icons of courage and achievement for the British Army, that it is not surprising the military authorities awarded Balaclava as a battle honour to the regiments involved. 1st Royal Dragoons 4th Dragoon Guards: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 5th Dragoon Guards: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 1st Royal Dragoons: now the Blues and Royals. Royal Scots Greys: now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

6th Inniskilling Dragoons: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 4th Light Dragoons: now the Queen’s Royal Hussars. 8th Hussars: now the Queen’s Royal Hussars. 11th Hussars: now the King’s Royal Husars. 13th Light Dragoons: now the Light Dragoons. 17th Lancers: now the Queen’s Royal Lancers. 93rd Highlanders: now the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. All these regiments have Balaclava as a battle honour. Account: In mid-September 1854 the British and French armies with a small Turkish contingent landed on the Western Crimean coast 30 miles north of Sevastopol with the aim of capturing this important Russian Black Sea naval base. An officer of the 93rd Highlanders The allied armies marched south along the coast and fought the battle of the Alma on that river, defeating the Russian army and driving it back towards the city. Lord Raglan and Marshal St Arnaud, the two commanders in chief, resolved to march around the inland side of Sevastopol and begin siege operations against the city from the South.

Once the march had been completed the French established their base at Kamiesh on the south western tip of the Crimea, south of Sevastopol, while the British took Balaclava as their base, 15 miles along the coast to the East. The Battle of Balaclava (this map appears in the best selling book, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Gonn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden, in the section Famous Battles-Part Two) The Russian commander, Prince Menshikov, marched his army out of Sevastopol to the North East, leaving a garrison to conduct the defence of the city. The allies were thereby left with two tasks; the siege of the city and holding off Menshikov’s army. During October 1854 reinforcements came in to Menshikov’s army from elsewhere in the Crimea and further afield in Russia until his army was larger than that of the allies. The 93rd Highlanders repel the Russian Cavalry On 25th October 1854 Menshikov launched an assault across the Tchernaya River to the North East of Balaclava with the aim of capturing the British base.

The assault was commanded by his deputy, General Liprandi. Liprandi crossed the Tractir Bridge across the river and advanced on the positions held by Turkish troops along the Causeway Heights. He commanded twenty-five battalions of infantry, twenty-three squadrons of cavalry, thirteen squadrons of Cossack light horse and sixty-six guns. Supporting General Liprandi by occupying the Fedioukine Hills was a further force commanded by General Jabrokritski, of seven battalions and fourteen guns. The total force comprised 20,000 infantry, 3,500 cavalry and 76 guns. A trooper of the 13the Light Dragoons on picquet duty The Woronzoff Road running along the ridge of the Causeway Heights provided an important communication for the British, being the only firm road from Balaclava up to the siege works at Sevastopol. The Turkish troops were building six redoubts along the Heights to protect the road and defend Balaclava. The work was not far progressed. Nine 12 pounder naval guns bolstered these positions.

After a heavy bombardment the Turkish troops were driven out of the Number One redoubt on Canrobert’s Hill, suffering some 400 casualties of a garrison of 500. A French Chasseurs D'Afrique Lord Raglan from his headquarters on the Sapouné Heights to the West saw the threat to Balaclava and his lines of communications. The only British troops between the Russian force and the port were the two cavalry brigades which had their encampments in the valley, the 93rd Highlanders and a small force of marines. Raglan ordered the 2nd and 4th Divisions to march down from their camps outside the Sevastopol siege lines to support the cavalry and highlanders. There was considerable delay in persuading the divisional commanders to make the arduous journey down to the valleys at Balaclava. Many of the regiments had spent the night in the trenches and were exhausted and only days previously a similar alarm had caused the infantry to make just this march to find it was a false alarm.

Following the Russians’ successful attack on the Turkish troops in Number One Redoubt the garrisons of the other earthworks left their positions and made for Balaclava, some of the Turkish soldiers being belaboured by a Scottish soldier’s wife as they fled through the camp of the 93rd Highlanders. Sergeant Major Bailey of the Royal Dragoons The Charge of the Heavy Brigade: As the Russian infantry and guns pushed the Turks out of the redoubts a force of 3,000 Russian cavalry moved from the North Valley onto the Causeway Heights with the intention of advancing across the South Valley to occupy Balaclava. At the same time the British Heavy Brigade, of 900 cavalrymen commanded by Major General James Scarlett, was moving eastwards into the South Valley. The main section of the brigade comprised six squadrons of the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons and the 5th Dragoon Guards, in two columns. Following these columns were the 1st Royal Dragoons and the 4th Dragoon Guards, another four squadrons.

Lord Raglan and his staff on the Sapouné Heights, looking down from the high ground, could see the two cavalry forces converging. The Russians and the Heavy Brigade could not see each other, until the Russian cavalry came over the Causeway Heights and began their descend into the South Valley. In front of them, marching across their line of advance, was the Heavy Brigade. The Charge of the Heavy Brigade: the Royal Scots Greys attack the Russian cavalry. the Grey's 2nd Squadron was led in the charge by Captain Samuel Toosey Williams. Captain Williams died in Scutari on 25th November 1854 of exhaustion and exposure suffered in the period around the battle and the Great Storm of 15th November 1854. A memorial to this officer can be seen in the tiny church of Buscot, Oxfordshire where his parents lived. General Scarlett acted immediately, forming his left column into line and leading them into the attack on the Russian cavalry force. The squadrons of the other column followed as a second line and the Royals and 4th Dragoon Guards hurried up to join the attack as quickly as they could.

The Charge of the Heavy Brigade (The Greys and the Royals) French Chasseurs D'Afrique : The 4th Chasseurs D'Afrique, a mounted regiment, charged the Russians on the Fedioukine Hills and cleared the flank of the Light Brigade, saving them from fire on that side during the retreat from the charge As the Heavy Brigade charged, the Russian cavalry force halted so that it received the Heavy Brigade charge stationary. The Russian commander appeared to be seeking to extend his line after crossing the Causeway Heights. The first line of Scots Greys and Inniskillings struck the Russian cavalry, followed by the second line of Inniskillings and 5th Dragoon Guards. The wings of the Russian formation closed in behind the two lines and the Royal Dragoons charged the wings in the rear. The two forces struggled on the hillside until the 4th Dragoon Guards came up and delivered a further charge into the Russian flank. In Hamley’s words “Then -almost as it seemed in a moment, and simultaneously- the whole Russian mass gave way, and fled, at speed and in disorder, beyond the hill, vanishing behind the slope some four or five minutes after they had first swept over it”.

In the rush to charge the Russians the brigade commander, General Scarlett, with his adc Lieutenant Alick Elliot, his trumpeter and orderly outstripped the line of troopers and plunged into the Russian ranks initially alone. Scarlett suffered five wounds and Elliot fourteen wounds. Lord Raglan sent down the message to Scarlett “Well done”. The Thin Red Line: As the force of Russian cavalry came over the lip of the Causeway Heights before engaging the Heavy Brigade, a force of four squadrons detached from the main body and headed directly for Balaclava. In their path lay the 93rd Highlanders under Sir Colin Campbell, the commander of the Highland Brigade. Two Turkish battalions fled on the Russians advance. As the Russians approached, Campbell brought the 93rd from concealment and formed line across the cavalry’s line of advance. The staff on Sapouné Hill saw what William Russell, the Times correspondent, described as a “thin red line tipped with steel” (in his initial report the expression used was “a thin red streak…”) Lord Cardigan leading the Light Brigade in the Charge Hamley reports that the 93rd fired one volley at extreme range and the Russian cavalry withdrew.

Other authorities state that the highlanders fired a second volley, also at considerable range. The unyielding presence of the single Highland regiment caused the Russians to abandon their intention of taking Balaclava. The Charge of the Light Brigade: While the Heavy Brigade engaged the Russian cavalry force in the South Valley, the Light Brigade was in position at the western end of the North Valley. Following its defeat by Scarlett’s brigade, the Russian cavalry recrossed the Causeway Heights into the North Valley, presenting an opportunity for the Light Brigade to attack them in flank and complete the rout begun by Scarlett’s charge. Lord Cardigan failed to take the opportunity, even though the commanding officer of the17th Lancers, Captain Morris, pressed him to attack and in the light of Cardigan’s refusal sought permission to charge with his regiment, a request Cardigan also refused. Morris returned to his regiment striking his thigh and saying “What an opportunity we have missed”. Raglan’s failure to commit the cavalry to offensive action in the campaign to date had caused considerable frustration in the cavalry division and derision in the rest of the army.

On the Bulganek and Alma Rivers during the march towards Sevastopol in September 1854 Raglan had refused to permit the Light Brigade to attack, causing the army to give the divisional commander the nickname of Lord “Look-on”, attributing the division’s inaction to him. Click here to purchase a Giclee Print of this Picture Now at Balaclava, in the absence of the infantry, the cavalry was required to play a major role. The Heavy Brigade had played its part to the full. The opportunity was passing to the Light Brigade and Cardigan refused to act. There seems to be no doubting Cardigan’s personal courage. He claimed that Lucan had forbidden him to take offensive action. The opportunity for the Light Brigade was particularly apparent to Raglan’s staff watching from the Sapouné Hills, amongst whom there was considerable excitement, particularly on the part of Captain Lewis Nolan of the 15th Hussars, General Airey’s adc, a fine horseman and a ferocious advocate of the aggressive use of cavalry.

Lord Raglan's Order to the Cavalry to attack As the Russian cavalry force withdrew along the North Valley to take up a position behind a battery of eight guns at the far end, Raglan’s staff saw that the Russians on the Causeway Heights were preparing to remove the naval guns captured from the Turks in the redoubts. Loss of guns was a clear indicator of success or failure in battle and could not be allowed to go unchallenged. The two British infantry divisions had still not reached the valley floor so that the only force available to prevent the removal of the guns was the cavalry division. The alarm is given in the Cavalry Camp : Dawn 25th October 1854 At Raglan’s direction General Airey wrote the famous order to Lucan, stating: “Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. Troop of horse artillery may accompany. French cavalry is on your left. Immediate.” Because of the urgency of the message and the difficulty in reaching the valley floor from the Sapouné Hills the order was entrusted to Captain Lewis Nolan. The authorities agree this was an unfortunate choice.

Hamley describes Nolan as “the author of a book on cavalry tactics, in which faith in the power of that arm is carried to an extreme”. An Officer of the 11th Hussars Nolan, a mercurial professional cavalry officer who had begun his career in an Austrian hussar regiment, entertained a contempt for Lucan and was constantly irked by the failure to use the cavalry decisively. Nolan rode headlong down the steep slope and delivered Raglan’s order. The text made little sense to Lucan as the preparations for the removal of the guns from the redoubts could not be seen from the valley floor. Lucan asked Nolan which enemy and which guns Raglan was referring to. Nolan is reported to have flung his arm out in the direction of the Russian cavalry force now positioned behind its guns at the end of the North Valley and to have said with some insolence, “There is your enemy. There are your guns, My Lord.” Click here or image to buy a print Raglan’s staff watched horrified from the top of Sapouné Hill as the Light Brigade moved off down the valley and failed to turn up onto the Causeway Heights.

They could see the Russians positioned on the Fedioukine Hills to the north side of the North Valley, with infantry, cavalry and guns, the original force of Russian cavalry attacked by the Heavy Brigade at the end of the North Valley behind the battery of 8 guns and on the Causeway Heights on the south side of the valley, Russian infantry, cavalry and guns in the redoubts abandoned by the Turks. All these troops were ready to fire into the Light Brigade as it attacked down the North Valley. Vedettes of the 13th Light Dragoons It was soon after 11am that the Light Brigade set off behind Lord Cardigan. The 13th Light Dragoons held the right flank of the first line with the 17th Lancers on the left. The 11th Hussars, Cardigan’s regiment, formed the second line, positioned behind the 17th Lancers. In the third line were the 8th Hussars and the 4th Light Dragoons. Lord Lucan followed with the Heavy Brigade, but a short distance into the advance, as the scale of fire became apparent, he halted the brigade and left the Light Brigade to continue down the valley alone.

The 17th Lancers in the Charge: Lord Cardigan leads the Regiment Captain Nolan joined the ranks of the 17th Lancers, the officer commanding, Captain Morris, being a friend. It is thought Nolan realised the brigade was intended to ascend the Causeway Heights, not to attack down the valley, and that a grave mistake was being made. Nolan rode across in front of Cardigan waving his sword. As he did so he was struck and killed by a shell splinter, one of the first casualties. The distance the Light Brigade had to cover to reach the guns was a mile and a quarter. Advancing at a trot the brigade came under fire within a few minutes; shell fire, cannon balls and rifle fire from the flanking Russian forces striking down riders and horses. After five minutes the brigade came within range of the eight guns at the end of the valley. These guns had a much easier target, firing at the brigade line, around 100 yards in width, rather than at its flank. Casualties spiraled causing the regiments to increase their pace until the lines were at the gallop and order was being lost. By the time the brigade reached the guns, half of its complement were casualties.

The cookhouse of the 8th Hussars Reaching the end of the valley, the Light Brigade plunged into the Russian gun line and slaughtered those of the crews that had not fled. The 13th Light Dragoons with the right hand squadron of the 17th Lancers struck the Russian Battery directly. The left squadron of the 17th passed the battery and attacked Russian cavalry behind. The 11th Hussars passed the battery and attacked the cavalry beyond driving them back and pursuing them as far as the aqueduct. They were in turn pursued for some distance by a force of Russian cavalry and Cossacks. 8th Light Dragoons (Hussars) The charge complete the Light Brigade returned by the route it had come. It did this singly and in small groups, other than two larger parties: one led by Colonel Shewell formed of 70 men of the 8th Hussars and the 17th Lancers; the other led by Lord George Paget of 4th Light Dragoons and 11th Hussars. Each of these bodies was opposed by Russian cavalry who emerged from the hills on either side of the valley, which they charged and dispersed.

The aftermath of the Charge of the Light Brigade: the survivors return The French General Morris directed the 4th Chasseurs D’Afrique, a colonial cavalry regiment, to attack along the Fedioukine Hills and silence the Russian fire on the north side of the valley. This they did with great success and a loss of only 38 casualties. This relieved the British cavalrymen of the fire from the north side of the valley as they returned. Lord Cardigan having ridden through the battery found himself alone, turned and rode back down the valley. He was one of the first to reach British lines where he met Sir George Cathcart. He is reported to have said “I have lost my brigade.” The French Chasseurs D'Afrique attack On its return the Light Brigade had a mounted strength of 195 officers and men from an original strength of 673. 247 men were killed and wounded. 475 horses were killed and 42 wounded. The 13th Light Dragoons mustered 10 mounted men.

Although the First and Fourth British Infantry Divisions were now in the valley and ready to begin an assault on the Causeway Heights along the Woronzoff Road, no further action was taken. The Russians were left in control of the Heights and the road. The infantry divisions returned to their camps. A Russian Cossack sits by his dead horse The Heavy Brigade suffered 92 casualties (9 of whom were killed) in the battle, some of whom were hit at the beginning of the charge down the North Valley.

17th Light Dragoons (Lancers) Victoria Crosses awarded to the regiments at Balaclava: Royal Scots Greys: 2 4th Dragoon Guards: 5 men 5th Dragoon Guards: 2 officers and 13 men 1st Royal Dragoons: 4 officers and 9 men Royal Scots Greys: 4 officers and 55 men 6th Inniskilling Dragoons: 15 men 4th Light Dragoons: 4 officers and 55 men 8th Hussars: 4 officers and 53 men 11th Hussars: 3 officers and 55 men 13th Light Dragoons: 3 officers and 38 men 17th Lancers: 7 officers and 67 men 93rd Highlanders: no casualties.

"Sir Briggs" one of the horse survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade: ridden in the Charge by Lord Tredegar, an officer of the 17th Lancers Follow-up: The main consequence of the battle was that the use of the Woronzoff Road was lost to the British for the winter of 1854/1855, making the disastrous conditions even more difficult. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons Regimental anecdotes and traditions: The Charge of the Light Brigade caused a sensation in Victorian Britain and throughout the world. It quickly became the stuff of legend, Lord Tennyson writing his famous poem: see below. Controversy has raged over the mistake that sent the Light Brigade down the valley instead of up onto the Causeway Heights. Lord Lucan bore most of the blame. Hamley, who was present at the battle, questions the ambiguous wording of Raglan’s order. Without a doubt the extraordinary clash of personalities between Cardigan, Lucan and Nolan played a major part. The one unquestionable feature that emerges from the battle is the courage and persistence of the ordinary troopers and regimental officers of the cavalry regiments that fought at Balaclava.

All the Crimean battles show the mid-Victorian British soldier to have been a very tough breed. The French 4th Chasseurs D’Afrique deserve great praise for their attack along the Fedioukine Hills that relieved the retreating Light Brigade of further gun fire from one of the flanks. Among the various controversies one is whether the charge was begun by a trumpet call and who sounded it. It seems likely that there was no call, just an order to mount followed by the orders “Walk, March”. The pace increased inexorably as the Brigade moved down the valley. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The survivors from the Charge of the Light Brigade : 13th Light Dragoons photographed n 1855 by Roger Fenton Cornet Wilkins, 11th Light Dragonos (Hussars) Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Charge for the guns!' he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew Some one had blundered: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, The charge of the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade! Down the hill, down the hill, thousands of Russians, Thousands of horsemen, drew to the valley–and stay’d; For Scarlett and Scarlett’s three hundred were riding by When the points of the Russian lances arose in the sky; And he call’d, ‘Left wheel into line!’ and they wheel’d and obey’d.

Then he look’d at the host that had halted he knew not why, And he turn’d half round, and he bade his trumpeter sound To the charge, and he rode on ahead, as he waved his blade To the gallant three hundred whose glory will never die– ‘Follow,’ and up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, Follow’d the Heavy Brigade. II. The trumpet, the gallop, the charge, and the might of the fight! Thousands of horsemen had gather’d there on the height, With a wing push’d out to the left and a wing to the right, And who shall escape if they close? but he dash’d up alone Thro’ the great gray slope of men, Sway’d his sabre, and held his own Like an Englishman there and then. All in a moment follow’d with force Three that were next in their fiery course, Wedged themselves in between horse and horse, Fought for their lives in the narrow gap they had made– Four amid thousands! and up the hill, up the hill, Gallopt the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade. III.

Crash’d like a hurricane, Broke thro’ the mass from below, Drove thro’ the midst of the foe, Plunged up and down, to and fro, Rode flashing blow upon blow, Brave Inniskillens and Greys Whirling their sabres in circles of light! And some of us, all in amaze, Who were held for a while from the fight, And were only standing at gaze, When the dark-muffled Russian crowd Folded its wings from the left and the right, And roll’d them around like a cloud,– O, mad for the charge and the battle were we, When our own good redcoats sank from sight, Like drops of blood in a dark-gray sea, And we turn’d to each other, whispering, all dismay’d, ‘Lost are the gallant three hundred of Scarlett’s Brigade!’ IV.

‘Lost one and all’ were the words Mutter’d in our dismay; But they rode like victors and lords Thro’ the forest of lances and swords In the heart of the Russian hordes, They rode, or they stood at bay– Struck with the sword-hand and slew, Down with the bridle-hand drew The foe from the saddle and threw Underfoot there in the fray– Ranged like a storm or stood like a rock In the wave of a stormy day; Till suddenly shock upon shock Stagger’d the mass from without, Drove it in wild disarray, For our men gallopt up with a cheer and a shout, And the foeman surged, and waver’d, and reel’d Up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, out of the field, And over the brow and away. V. Glory to each and to all, and the charge that they made! Glory to all the three hundred, and all the Brigade! Note.–The ‘three hundred’ of the ‘Heavy Brigade’ who made this famous charge were the Scots Greys and the 2d squadron of Inniskillens; the remainder of the ‘Heavy Brigade’ subsequently dashing up to their support.

The ‘three’ were Scarlett’s aide-de-camp, Elliot, and the trumpeter, and Shegog the orderly, who had been close behind him. The Inniskilling Dragoons in the Charge of the Heavy Brigade References: see the main Crimean War site on britishbattles.com. Designed and maintained by Chalfont Web Design © Britishbattles.com 2002 - 2016; Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava The Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville. Photograph Source: Public Domain Battle of Balaclava Conflict & Date: The Battle of Balaclava was fought October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Armies & Commanders: 25,000 men Background: On September 5, 1854, the combined British and French fleets departed the Ottoman port of Varna (in present-day Bulgaria) and moved towards the Crimean Peninsula.

Nine days later, Allied forces began landing on the beaches of Kalamita Bay approximately 33 miles north of the port of Sevastopol. Over the next several days, 62,600 men and 137 guns came ashore. As this force commenced its march south, Prince Aleksandr Menshikov sought to halt the enemy at the Alma River. Meeting at the Battle of Alma on September 20, the Allies won a victory over the Russians and continued their advance south towards Sevastopol. Though the British commander, Lord Raglan, favored a swift pursuit of the beaten enemy, his French counterpart, Marshal Jacques St. Arnaud, preferred a more sedate pace. Slowly moving south, their tardy progress gave Menshikov time to prepare defenses and re-form his beaten army. Passing inland of Sevastopol, the Allies sought to approach the city from the south as naval intelligence suggested the defenses in this area were weaker than those in the north. This move was endorsed by noted engineer Lieutenant General John Fox Burgoyne, son of General John Burgoyne , who was serving as an advisor to Raglan. Enduring a difficult march, Raglan and St.

Arnaud elected to lay siege rather than directly assault the city. Though unpopular with their subordinates, this decision saw work begin on siege lines. To support their operations, the French established a base on the west coast at Kamiesh, while the British took Balaclava in the south. The Allies Establish Themselves: By occupying Balaclava, Raglan committed the British to defending the Allies' right flank, a mission that he lacked the men to accomplish effectively. Located outside of the main Allied lines, work began on providing Balaclava with its own defensive network. To the north of the city were heights which descended into the South Valley. Along the northern edge of the valley were the Causeway Heights across which ran the Woronzoff Road which provided a vital link to the siege operations at Sevastopol. To protect the road, Turkish troops began building a series of redoubts beginning with Redoubt No. 1 in the east on Canrobert's Hill. Above the heights was the North Valley which was bounded by the Fedioukine Hills to the north and the Sapouné Heights to the west.

To defend this area, Raglan had only Lord Lucan's Cavalry Division, which was camped at the western end of the valleys, the 93rd Highlanders, and a contingent of Royal Marines. In the weeks since Alma, Russian reserves had reached the Crimea and Menshikov began planning a strike against the Allies. The Russians Rebound: Having evacuated his army east as the Allies approached, Menshikov entrusted the defense of Sevastopol to Admirals Vladimir Kornilov and Pavel Nakhimov. A savvy move, this allowed the Russian general to continue maneuvering against the enemy while also receiving reinforcements. Gathering around 25,000 men, Menshikov instructed General Pavel Liprandi to move to strike Balaclava from the east. Capturing the village of Chorgun on October 18, Liprandi was able to reconnoiter the Balaclava defenses. Developing his plan of attack, the Russian commander intended for a column to take Kamara in the east, while another attacked the eastern end of Causeway Heights and nearby Canrobert's Hill. These assaults were to be supported by Lieutenant General Iv.

Ryzhov's cavalry while a column under Major General Zhabokritsky moved onto the Fedioukine Heights. Commencing his attack early on October 25, Liprandi's forces were able to take Kamara and overwhelmed the defenders of Redoubt No. 1 on Canrobert's Hill. Pressing forward, they succeeded in taking Redoubts Nos. 2, 3, and 4, while inflicting heavy losses on their Turkish defenders. Witnessing the battle from his headquarters on the Sapouné Heights, Raglan ordered the 1st and 4th Divisions to leave the lines at Sevastopol to aid the 4,500 defenders at Balaclava. General François Canrobert, commanding the French army, also sent reinforcements including the Chasseurs d'Afrique. Clash of the Cavalry: Seeking to exploit his success, Liprandi ordered forward Ryzhov's cavalry. Advancing across the North Valley with between 2,000 to 3,000 men, Ryzhov crested the Causeway Heights before spotting Brigadier General James Scarlett's Heavy (Cavalry) Brigade moving across his front.

He also saw the Allied infantry position, consisting of the 93rd Highlands and the remnants of the Turkish units, in front of the village of Kadikoi. Detaching 400 men of the Ingermanland Hussars, Ryzhov ordered them to clear the infantry. Riding down, the hussars were met with a furious defense by the "Thin Red Line" of the 93rd. Turning the enemy back after a few volleys, the Highlanders held their ground. Scarlett, spotting Ryzhov's main force on his left, wheeled his horsemen and attacked. Halting his troops, Ryzhov met the British charge and worked to envelop them with his larger numbers. In a furious fight, Scarlett's men were able to drive back the Russians, forcing them to retreat back over the heights and up the North Valley ( Map ). Charge of the Light Brigade: Retreating across the front of the Light Brigade, its commander, Lord Cardigan, did not attack as he believed his orders from Lucan required him to hold his position. As a result, a golden opportunity was missed.

Ryzhov's men halted at the east end of the valley and reformed behind a battery of eight guns. Though his cavalry had been repulsed, Liprandi had infantry and artillery on the eastern part of the Causeway Heights as well as Zhabokritsky's men and guns on the Fedioukine Hills. Desiring to retake the initiative, Raglan issued Lucan a confusing order to attack on two fronts with infantry support. As the infantry had not arrived, Raglan did not advance but did deploy the Light Brigade to cover the North Valley, while the Heavy Brigade protected the South Valley. Increasingly impatient at Lucan's lack of activity, Raglan dictated another vague order instructing the cavalry to attack around 10:45 AM. Delivered by hot-headed Captain Louis Nolan, Lucan was confused by Raglan's order. Growing angry, Nolan insolently stated that Raglan desired an attack and began indiscriminately pointing up the North Valley towards Ryzhov's guns rather than to the Causeway Heights. Angered by Nolan's behavior, Lucan sent him away rather than question him further. Riding to Cardigan, Lucan indicated that Raglan desired him to attack up the valley.

Cardigan questioned the order as there were artillery and enemy forces on three sides of the line of advance. To this Lucan replied, "But Lord Raglan will have it. We have no choice but to obey." Mounting up, the Light Brigade moved off down the valley as Raglan, able to see the Russian positions, watched in horror. Charging forward, the Light Brigade was hammered by the Russian artillery losing nearly half its strength before it reached Ryzhov's guns. Following to their left, the Chasseurs d'Afrique swept along Fedioukine Hills driving off the Russians, while the Heavy Brigade moved in their wake until Lucan halted them to avoid taking more losses. Battling around the guns, the Light Brigade drove off some of the Russian cavalry, but was compelled to retreat when they realized that no support was forthcoming. Nearly surrounded, the survivors fought their back up the valley while under fire from the heights. The losses incurred in the charge prevented any additional action by the Allies for the rest of the day. Aftermath: The Battle of Balaclava saw the Allies suffer 615 killed, wounded, and captured, while the Russians lost 627.

Prior to the charge, the Light Brigade possessed a mounted strength of 673 men. This was reduced to 195 after the battle, with 247 killed and wounded and the loss of 475 horses. Short on men, Raglan could not risk further assaults on the heights and they remained in Russian hands. Though not the complete victory that Liprandi had hoped for, the battle severely restricted Allied movement to and from Sevastopol. The fighting also saw the Russians assume a position closer to the Allied lines. In November, Prince Menshikov would use this advanced location to launch another attack that resulted in the Battle of Inkerman . This saw the Allies win a key victory that effectively broke the fighting spirit of the Russian army and put 24 of the 50 battalion engaged out of action. Selected Sources Charge of the Light Brigade Printer Friendly Version >>> What specifically ignited the Crimean War in 1854 has long been forgotten in the collective memory. The conflict erupted in 1854 with the Russian Empire on one side and Britain, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Ottoman Empire on the other. Their dispute centered on which side would have dominant influence in the declining Ottoman Empire.

The wars's major battleground was in Russia's Crimean Peninsula, which gave the conflict its name. British and French forces landed in the Crimea in the fall of 1854 with the objective of attacking Russia's naval base at the city of Sevastopol and thereby weaken its naval presence in the Black Sea. An artist's conception of the Charge of the Light Brigade Although the war itself is only a dim recollection, what is vividly remembered is one valorously tragic incident of the campaign: the headlong cavalry charge of the British Light Brigade into murderous Russian fire; an action immortalized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem. The Charge of the Light Brigade took place during a battle near the city of Balaclava on October 25, 1854. Through a miscommunication of orders, the Light Brigade of approximately 600 horsemen began a headlong charge into a treeless valley with the objective of capturing some Russian field artillery at its end. Unbeknown to them, the valley was ringed on three sides by some 20 battalions of Russian infantry and artillery. The result was disastrous. An estimated 278 of the Light Brigade were killed or wounded.

Observing the charge, a French Marshall remarked: "It is magnificent, but it is not war. It is madness." When news of the action reached London, it caused a national scandal that prompted Tennyson to pen his poem. History remembers the charge of the Light Brigade as an example of the extraordinary bravery of the British soldier in the face of enemy fire in spite of poor leadership. "They swept proudly past, glittering in the morning sun. . ." William Howard Russell was a correspondent for the London Illustrated News and was present at the battle. It was his description that prompted Tennyson's poem. We join Russell's account as the Light Brigade begins its charge: "They swept proudly past, glittering in the morning sun in all the pride and splendor of war. We could hardly believe the evidence of our senses! Surely that handful of men were not going to charge an army in position? Alas! it was but too true - their desperate valor knew no bounds, and far indeed was it removed from its so-called better part - discretion. ADVERTISMENT They advanced in two lines, quickening their pace as they closed towards the enemy.

A more fearful spectacle was never witnessed than by those who, without the power to aid, beheld their heroic countrymen rushing to the arms of death. At the distance of 1200 yards the whole line of the enemy belched forth, from thirty iron mouths, a flood of smoke and flame, through which hissed the deadly balls. Their flight was marked by instant gaps in our ranks, by dead men and horses, by steeds flying wounded or riderless across the plain. The first line was broken - it was joined by the second, they never halted or checked their speed an instant. With diminished ranks, thinned by those thirty guns, which the Russians had laid with the most deadly accuracy, with a halo of flashing steel above their heads, and with a cheer which was many a noble fellow's death cry, they flew into the smoke of the batteries; but ere they were lost from view, the plain was strewed with their bodies and with the carcasses of horses. They were exposed to an oblique fire from the batteries on the hills on both sides, as wed as to a direct fire of musketry.

Through the clouds of smoke we could see their sabers flashing as they rode up to the guns and dashed between 'them, cutting down the gunners as they stood. . .We saw them riding through the guns, as I have said; to our delight we saw them returning, after breaking through a column of Russian infantry, and scattering them like chaff, when the flank fire of the battery on the hill swept them down, scattered and broken as they were. Wounded men and dismounted troopers flying towards us told the sad tale. . . .At the very moment when they were about to retreat, an enormous mass of lancers was hurled upon their flank. Colonel Shewell, of the 8th Hussars, saw the danger, and rode his few men straight at them, cutting his way through with fearful loss. The other regiments turned and engaged in a desperate encounter. With courage too great almost for credence, they were breaking their way through the columns which enveloped them, when there took place an act of atrocity without parallel in the modem warfare of civilized nations. The Russian gunners, when the storm of cavalry passed, returned to their guns.

They saw their own cavalry mingled with the troopers who had just ridden over them, and to the eternal disgrace of the Russian name the miscreants poured a murderous volley of grape and canister on the mass of struggling men and horses, mingling friend and foe in one common ruin. It was as much as our Heavy Cavalry Brigade could do to cover the retreat of the miserable remnants of that band of heroes as they returned to the place they had so lately quitted in all the pride of life. At twenty-five to twelve not a British soldier, except the dead and dying, was left in front of these bloody Muscovite guns." References: This eyewitness account appears in: Russell, William Howard, The British Expedition to the Crimea (1858); Royle, Trevor, Crimea: the Great Crimean War, 1854-1856 (2000). How To Cite This Article: "The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854", EyeWitness to History, (2008). The end of the Crimean war was negotiated at the Congress of Paris in 1856.

During the war Florence Nightingale headed a staff of 38 women nurses that provided nursing care to wounded British soldiers. BBC - History - The Crimean War The Crimean War By Andrew Lambert Last updated 2011-03-29 The Crimean War, famed for the 'Charge of the Light Brigade', would fundamentally alter the balance of power in Europe and set the stage for World War One. On this page Print this page The Vienna Settlement At the end of the Napoleonic wars, the Great Powers assembled in Vienna to restore the European state system – a delicate balance between the various major and minor powers that restrained aggression by the mighty, and upheld the rights of the weak. They hoped to build a permanent peace by suppressing revolutionary republics and upholding stable, orderly monarchies. Despite the divergent aims and ambitions of Russia, Prussia, Austria, Britain and France, a compromise was created, following the brief interruption of Napoleon’s ‘Hundred Days’ and the Battle of Waterloo. Nicholas decided to settle the ‘sick man of Europe’ by carving up the European part of Turkey.

After the Treaty of Vienna the great powers enjoyed three decades of peace, years in which industrial, political, economic, social and nationalist pressures were suppressed or deflected. But eventually the Vienna system broke down. The initial problem was the weakness of the Ottoman-Turkish empire, and the opportunities this provided for European interference in support of the Christian populations. The new president of France, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, exploited Turkish weakness to secure concessions for the Catholic church in Palestine, hoping to gain conservative support for his planned coup d’etat. When Tsar Nicholas I of Russia retaliated, sending a mission to recover Greek Orthodox rights, the Turks simply gave way to both parties, and hoped the issue would go away. Having established the Second Empire, (Louis) Napoleon III lost interest, but Nicholas decided to settle the ‘sick man of Europe’ once and for all. Expecting support from Prussia, Austria and Britain, he planned to carve up the European part of Turkey. He was mistaken, neither Britain nor Austria wanted to see Russia controlling the Dardanelles. Sensing an opening for a useful diplomatic success France joined Britain in support of Turkey, which rejected the Tsar’s outrageous terms.

Top Road to war Istanbul at sunset © In July 1853, Russia occupied the Danubian Principalities (Moldavia and Walachia) to pressure Istanbul, but this threatened Austria’s economic lifeline - the Danube. For a ‘sick man’, Turkey proved remarkably dextrous and aggressive. Outwitting Austria, Britain and France, who still favoured a diplomatic settlement, they declared war in October 1853 and attacked the Russians. In late November, the Russian Black Sea fleet annihilated a Turkish squadron at Sinope. Britain, anxious to secure her trade with Turkey and access to India by maintaining the Ottoman regime, saw this as an insult and popular opinion made a vigorous response inevitable. Britain and France demanded that Russia evacuate, setting their ultimatum to expire in late March 1854. The arriviste French empire, for its part, was desperate for military glory and revenge for its defeat at the hands of Russia in 1812. For them, the Ottoman-Turkish empire was incidental.

Britain and France demanded that Russia evacuate the Danubian Principalities, setting their ultimatum to expire in late March 1854 - the timing determined by the break up of the Baltic ice fields off Reval where the British hoped to annihilate part of the Russian Baltic fleet. Britain always saw its main instrument for the coercion of Russia to be naval force in the north. After all, Russia’s capital was on the Baltic littoral, close to her other great security concern, Poland. The ultimatum expired and although the harbour at Reval was empty, the powerful Anglo-French fleet nonetheless took command of the Baltic, destroying the key fortress of Bomarsund in August 1854. Top Outbreak of war British troops are cheered as they set off for the Crimea © At the outbreak of war, an allied army of 60,000 was already in Turkey to defend Istanbul. Austria then joined French and British demands that Russia evacuate the Danubian Principalities, whereupon Nicholas I actually agreed, thereby calling the allies' bluff. This forced the allied army, which had moved up to Varna on the Bulgarian coast, to change its strategy.

By early August Austrian troops had created a neutral buffer between the combatants. With a powerful force in position, but ravaged by a cholera epidemic, the allies adopted a British plan to land in the Crimea, assault the naval base at Sevastopol and destroy the fleet and dockyard. The Russians were so frightened by the cold courage of the British troopers, they never again dared face them in the open field. They expected this would take 12 weeks. In the event in took twelve months, three major land battles and countless actions between two large and well equipped armies deeply entrenched just outside the city. The battle of the Alma on 20 September 1854 was the first in which new rifled muskets were used, although only by the British and French. This advantage, in concert with superior skill, initiative and numbers, enabled the allies to drive the Russians out of a strong position north of Sevastopol. They failed to follow up the blow by attacking Sevastopol directly, largely to avoid a rupture in allied command system, and marched around the city to begin a regular siege from the south.

This allowed the Russians time to fortify the city, and stage two flank attacks from their field army, based in the central Crimea. The first, the Battle of Balaclava on 24 October, ended with the legendary British ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, which was, although misguided, an astonishingly successful operation of war, with relatively light casualties - only 118 killed out of 620. The Russians were so frightened by the cold courage of the British troopers, they never again dared face them in the open field. On 5 November, a major Russian attack at the Inkerman was beaten back with massive losses by isolated British infantry units. A week later the weather broke, sinking transport ships, ruining vital roads and bringing the campaign to a standstill. Over the winter, the allies were joined by the Italian kingdom of Sardinia, which sent a useful army to secure British and French support for the expulsion of Austria from Italy.

Top Treaty of Paris The 'Valley of the Shadow of Death', near the location of the Charge of the Light Brigade © In the spring of 1855, the allies, heavily reinforced with French troops and employing improved logistics, began to batter their way into Sevastopol, and British gunboats cut Russian supply lines across the Sea of Azov. After a last despairing counter attack in August, the Russians were resigned to defeat and evacuated the city following the storming of the vital Malakhov bastion by French troops on 9 September 1855. With that, the allies settled down to destroy the docks and tinker at the margins of the Russian empire. The Russians, for their part, took the Turkish city of Kars and held off Circassian Shi'ite rebels. The Baltic, where so many key events took place, was ignored, because the casualties were minimal. In the Baltic, the allies had demolished the fortress and arsenal of Sweaborg, outside Helsinki, in August, and threatened Cronstadt and St Petersburg.

With France anxious to end the war and harvest the prestige of victory, Britain needed a strategy to ensure he Russians accepted the demilitarisation of the Black Sea and the European settlement of the Turkish question. The massing of naval forces for an attack on Cronstadt-St Petersburg backed up allied demands, and in early 1856 Russia accepted an Austro-French initiative. Further afield, the allies had also attacked Russia in the White Sea and the Pacific, but it was the heroism and blunders of the Crimea, along with the pioneering nursing work of Florence Nightingale and others, that came to dominate the literature. The Baltic, where so many key events took place, was ignored, because the casualties were minimal. At the Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856, Russia returned southern Bessarabia and the mouth of the Danube to Turkey; Moldavia, Walachia and Serbia were placed under an international rather than a Russian guarantee; the Sultan promised to respect the rights of his Christian subjects; and the Russians were forbidden to maintain a navy on the Black Sea, or refortify Bomarsund.

Top Human cost The Victoria Cross © In military terms, the war was a midway point between Waterloo and World War One. The armies employed Napoleonic uniforms and tactics, but improved weapons. It emphasised the overriding importance of logistics, entrenchments and firepower, anticipating the experience of the American Civil War (1861-1865). In addition it saw the first military use of many innovations, such as armoured warships, the intercontinental electric telegraph, submarine mines and war photography. American experts were quick to visit the Crimean, and published a full report on ‘The Art of War in Europe’ in 1861, just in time to shape their own conflict. The human aspect of the conflict was recognised in Britain by the introduction of the Victoria Cross. The human cost was immense, 25,000 British, 100,000 French and up to a million Russians died, almost all of disease and neglect. The human aspect of the conflict was recognised in Britain by the introduction of the highest decoration for gallantry. Unlike other medals, the Victoria Cross was awarded to officers and men without distinction.

It has long been believed that all Victoria Crosses are made from a captured Russian bronze gun, seized at Sevastopol, but the cannon in question was in fact Chinese. Top Media coverage Roger Fenton's van and assistant © This was the first media war, typified by Times correspondent William Howard Russell, who sent first-hand dispatches from the front line. His reports, often exaggerated or partial, caught the attention of the public, and played a large part in bringing down the prime minister, Lord Aberdeen’s government in January 1855. Roger Fenton’s photographs brought the Crimean battlefields to life, while the electric telegraph enabled news to travel across the continent in hours, not weeks. War became much more immediate - a massive leap forward on the way to our age of instant global coverage by satellite. William Howard Russell refused to become an 'embedded' journalist. Many officers regretted the presence of reporters, regarding them as a source of security leaks, and tried to control the news. But it was without success. To use the modern parlance, Russell refused to become an 'embedded' journalist.

Reports of the suffering of the sick and wounded - and far more were sick than wounded - inspired a number of organisations and individuals to set out for the war zone to minister to the soldiers. Florence Nightingale became national heroine, although her work was essentially hospital management, while Mary Seacole combined a profitable canteen business in the Crimean with combat nursing. By 1856, Britain cared about the health of its soldiers and Florence Nightingale continued to campaign tirelessly to improve their conditions. Top 'Cold War' The British had waged a limited war, relying on naval power, economic blockade, allies and industrial output to secure their aims. In mid-1855, Prime Minister Lord Palmerston had a choice between a limited war and a 'total war' effort to destroy Russia in the field. Total war, of the kind waged during the world wars, would however require widespread social and political reform. He elected instead to limit the war and preserve the existing system. The Ottoman empire, excluded from the Vienna settlement of 1815, was brought into the European political system. Only Britain had the luxury of such choices.

Even so, this conflict was a major success in the 19th century equivalent of the Cold War - the Anglo-Russian rivalry for global empire and influence. Russia would pose no further threat to British interests for close on 30 years. The Crimean War was also a watershed in Western involvement in the Middle East. The Ottoman empire, excluded from the Vienna settlement of 1815, was brought into the European political system. At the same time, the war continued the process of dismantling the Ottoman’s multi-ethnic, multi-faith Eurasian Empire, developing nationalist ambitions in various Ottoman provinces, from Bulgaria to Arabia – ambitions that would exploited in World War One, when new nations and new boundaries would be drawn. The current conflict in Chechnya is another legacy of the much misunderstood Crimean War. Top A new Europe British soldiers go 'over the top' in World War One © More fundamentally, the Crimean War witnessed the collapse of the Vienna Settlement, the system that had enabled Austria, Britain, France, Prussia and Russia to cooperate and maintain peace for three decades. Russia lost the war and with it the myth of Russian might, the legacy of 1812, was shattered.

The other big loser would be neutral Austria. Within a decade it had been expelled from territory held in Germany and Italy and forced to enter into a dual-monarchy with Hungary, formerly a subject province. Multinational empires were on notice - the 19th century was an age of nations. Britain was unable to balance the new system, and the European Great Powers finally returned to war in 1914. The shock of defeat forced Russia to adopt a programme of sweeping internal reforms and industrialisation under Tsar Alexander II, who came to throne in early 1855. Elsewhere, Russia’s defeat facilitated the unification of Germany under Prussian control. While France became the dominant military land power in Europe, this was a temporary situation and one that Prussia (Germany) overturned in 1870-1871. Sardinian intervention ensured the kingdom a central role in the unification of Italy. The Crimean War laid the foundations for two powerful new nation states - Italy and Germany - states that would be united and secured in short, limited conflicts.

The new six-power European system proved less stable than its predecessor, while the expectation that political and diplomatic aims could be satisfied by war led these states to adopt ever closer alliances. Ultimately, Britain was unable to balance the new system and the European Great Powers finally returned to war in 1914, ninety-nine years after the Vienna Settlement. The Crimean War was a decisive turning point in European history, marking the end of the Vienna settlement, and the beginning of a new system.

The Charge by M Adkin (Leo Cooper, 1996) The Crimean War, 1853-1856 by W Baumgart (Arnold, 1999) Britain and the Crimea, 1855-56: Problems of War and Peace by J B Conacher (St Martin's, 1988) Russia’s Crimean War by J S Curtiss (Duke UP, 1979) The Origins of the Crimean War by David M Goldfrank (Longman, 1994) The Crimean War: British Grand Strategy, 1853-56 by Andrew D Lambert (Manchester University Press, 1990) 'I have done my Duty': Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, 1854-56 by Florence Nightingale, (Manchester University Press, 1987) The Banner of Battle: the Story of the Crimean War by Alan Palmer (St Martin's Press, 1987) The Origins of the Crimean Alliance by A P Saab (Virginia UP, 1977) .

Austria, Great Britain and the Crimean War: The destruction of the European Concert by P W Schroeder (Cornell UP, 1972) Top About the author Andrew Lambert is Laughton professor of naval history at King's College, London. His three-part television series 'War at Sea' was broadcast on the BBC in 2004.

Question: The 'Charge of the Light Brigade' took place in which year?
Answer: 1854