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. The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809-1892 This poem was written to memorialize a suicidal charge by light cavalry over open terrain by British forces in the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine) in the Crimean War (1854-56). 247 men of the 637 in the charge were killed or wounded.

Britain entered the war, which was fought by Russia against Turkey, Britain and France, because Russia sought to control the Dardanelles. Russian control of the Dardanelles threatened British sea routes. Many in the west best know of this war today because of Florence Nightingale, who trained and led nurses aiding the wounded during the war in a manner innovative for those times. The War was also noteworthy as an early example of the work of modern war correspondents. The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854 Written 1854 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 Some one had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do & 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 & 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, Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse & 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 wonder'd. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred! Note: This poem, including punctuation, is reproduced from a scan of the poem written out by Tennyson in his own hand later, in 1864. The scan was made available online by the University of Virginia.

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; Charge of the Light Brigade (25 October 1854) Charge of the Light Brigade (25 October 1854) . 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: Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. 3.

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, 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 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.

The Charge of the Light Brigade was in fact the last of four phases in the Battle of Balaclava that was fought on the 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War between Russia, Turkey, Britain and France, and immortalised in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem above. For many, the Charge alone represents the Battle of Balaclava as it has overshadowed the remainder of the battle in common memory. The Battle of Balaclava occurred due to the Russians attempting to cut the British supply lines that led from their main supply port at Balaclava to the siege lines surrounding Sebastopol. After the Russians had seized the outer perimeter of defences (Redoubts 1 to 4 out of six) on the Woronzov (Causeway) Heights in the early morning, they had attempted to force their way towards Kadikoi and Balaclava with first, a small force of cavalry that was repulsed in the action known as the 'Thin Red Line' and then with the main Russian cavalry force, that was repulsed with the Charge of the Heavy Brigade.

An opportunity at this point had been lost as Lucan had had a chance to attack the Russian cavalry's flank as it engaged the Heavy Brigade but had refused to move as Raglan had ordered him to defend his position. Forward the Light Brigade Having been badly shaken up by the charge of the Heavy Brigade under Brigadier-General James Scarlett, Lieutenant-General I I Ryzhov and his cavalry reformed at the eastern end of the North Valley protected by Zhaboritski's infantry and artillery on the Fedioukine Hills and other Russian forces on the Woronzov Heights. There was a long delay however in following up the success of Scarlett and the Heavy brigade as the two infantry divisions under the Duke of Cambridge and Sir George Cathcart took a very long time to start moving and reach the field of battle. Lord Raglan had hoped that they could be used to recapture the Woronzov Heights, starting with No. 3 redoubt. The best time to have made such an attack was shortly after the Russian cavalry force had routed over the Heights. Unfortunately, the opportunity had been missed by the time Lord Raglan decided to use the cavalry to dislodge the Russians.

At about 10.15 he dispatched an order to Lord Lucan: 'Cavalry to advance and take advantage of any opportunity to recover the Heights. They will be supported by the infantry which have been ordered to advance on two fronts.' There was only one Heights to recover, that of the Woronzov Heights, and that he was to be supported by infantry meant the 1st and 4th Divisions were on their way to make a co-ordinated assault on the Heights. There should have been little doubt in Lucan's mind as to the meaning of the order, although at that moment only one infantry division would have been visible. He immediately moved the Light Brigade into the North Valley and kept the Heavy Brigade in the South Valley near No. 6 redoubt. At this point, Lucan decided to wait for infantry support before moving against what would be prepared enemy positions. Unfortunately, Lucan did not have the vantage point Raglan had, who could see the Russians preparing to haul away a number of the guns they had captured at the redoubts. As captured guns were often used to claim victory, Raglan was anxious to stop the Russians from hauling the guns away.

After waiting a little longer (partly to see if the remainder of the infantry appeared) he dictated another order to General Airey, the one that would become the centre of much controversy. '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. Immediate' The order was given to Captain Edward Nolan to deliver to Lucan as time was of the essence and Nolan was an excellent horseman who had served in the Austrian Army and had written a couple of books on cavalry tactics. Unfortunately, Nolan was also highly critical of the cavalry's performance in general thus far, and of Lucan's personal leadership in particular. Lucan read the message with consternation and asked for clarification. Nolan, excited by his contempt for Lucan and wanting to see the cavalry actually do something, replied 'Lord Raglan's orders are, that the cavalry should attack immediately.' Lucan retorted 'Attack sir! Attack what?

What guns, sir?' Nolan's response, almost insubordination, was 'There, my lord, is your enemy; there are your guns.' Lucan was fuming at Nolan's disrespectful attitude, and sadly, pride prevented him from questioning Nolan further. But, Nolan should not have needed to be more exact and the two orders should have been read together, which Raglan later maintained was his intention. However Lucan (perhaps having seen the last order as merely a warning order of upcoming action), reading the fourth order separately from the third, decided to attack in the vague direction Nolan had flung his arm, towards the Don battery at the eastern end of the North Valley and not seek to recover the guns on the Woronzov Heights. Lucan made his way over to the Earl of Cardigan, who commanded the Light Brigade and was stationed in front of the 13th Light Dragoons with his horse, Ronald. Again, the interplay of personalities was significant. The antipathy between the two men meant there was virtually no chance of a substantial or rational discussion about the orders. Lucan gave the order to advance down the valley.

Cardigan saluted with his drawn sword and said 'Certainly, sir; but allow me to point out to you that the Russians have a battery in the valley to our front, and batteries and rifleman on each flank.' Lucan replied 'I know it, but Lord Raglan will have it. We have no choice but to obey.' The scene was set for one of the most glorious, if not senseless engagements in British military history. Cardigan turned away and (supposedly) muttered 'Here goes the last of the Brudenells.' As the divisional commander left, he ordered the 11th Hussars (Lt Col John Douglas) to move out of the first line with the 13th Light Dragoons (Captain John Oldham) and 17th Lancers (Captain William Morris), to a position behind the 17th Lancers, becoming the second line. What was now the third line had the 8th Hussars (Lt Col Frederick Shewell) and 4th Light Dragoons (Lt Col Lord George Paget) in it. Each regiment would be in extended line, two deep. He also gave Cardigan a final warning: 'Advance very steadily and quietly'.

The guns were 1¼ miles away and horses and riders should not arrive too tired after a prolonged gallop. Into the Valley of Death, Rode the Six Hundred Lucan saw this as a divisional action, and so rode with his staff between the two brigades. The Heavy Brigade (Scarlett) was formed into three lines as well with the Scots Greys and The Royals in the first line, the Iniskilling Dragoons in the second line and 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards in the third line. The Heavy Brigade would not be able to keep pace with the Light Brigade or manoeuvre as easily, hence Lucan's caution to Cardigan. As soon as the advance started, the Russians withdrew from around No. 3 redoubt, but this was going to have little impact on the firepower the British cavalry were going to face. Cardigan quickly moved into a trot, probably well aware of the dangers they were about to face. The regiments kept pace.

One of the three outsiders (the other two being Sardinian officers, Maggiore Govone and Luogotenente Landriani, despite the fact that Sardinia had yet to enter the war), Captain Nolan, was riding with his friend, Captain Morris of the 17th Lancers, when he suddenly moved ahead of Cardigan, crossing his front from left to right, turning in his saddle while shouting and waving his sword aloft. At this point a shell landed close to Cardigan who remained unhurt. Nolan however, was mortally wounded by a shell splinter through the chest and the horse circled around to the right with Nolan emitting an unearthly shriek before falling to the ground. Much debate has raged about Nolan's intentions at this point. Many see his action as a final desperate bid to correct the course after realising that the Light Brigade were mistakenly headed for the wrong objective (Cardigan having literally taken Nolan's gesture earlier as the direction of advance) or that he had falsely indicated that the objective was the Don Cossack battery at the eastern end of the North Valley, and had realised the enormity of his action and tried to correct it.

Certainly he failed to mention anything to Captain Morris while he was with him, and the Light Brigade had travelled only a relatively short distance, so it would be difficult to assess whether he could have realised the intended target was the wrong one. The final truth will never be known. Meanwhile, the Heavy Brigade had got underway. Inevitably it lost ground as the Light Brigade increased speed, and a dangerous gap started to open up between the brigades. Lucan attempted to keep the Light Brigade in sight but lost sight of them as the smoke and dust grew thicker. Captain Charteris fell dead at his side and his other two ADCs were wounded or unhorsed. Lucan himself was wounded and his horse hit twice. He realised that the Heavy Brigade was coming under increasing fire from both sides as the Russians were beginning to realise the seriousness of the situation. If both brigades had managed to stay together there would have been sense going on, but Lucan, realising that to continue would be to risk both brigades, while withdrawing would allow the Heavy Brigade to cover the Light as it returned down the valley.

'They have sacrificed the Light Brigade: they shall not the Heavy, if I can help it' remarked Lucan to his wounded ADC, Lord William Paulet. It was a wise decision as the brigade's casualties had already started to mount. By the time Lucan had decided to retire the Heavy Brigade out of range, Cardigan was already running the gauntlet of fire from three sides. Still, at this stage the enemy fire was not concentrated and Cardigan was keeping a tight rein on the Brigade's movement. Captain White of the 17th Lancers tried to force the pace but was held in check by Cardigan. Gaps were beginning to appear in the ranks, and some eighty yards from the objective, the Don Battery let fly with a collective salvo, which devastated the first line. The second and third lines by this time had fallen out of formation and the regiments were in effect echeloned back from the left. Some of the remaining first line stopped to fight the gunners while some of the 17th Lancers with Captain Morris went around the guns and charged the nearest Russian cavalry, many of who broke and fled.

Morris was later surrounded and captured, but managed to break free (after seeing Lieutenant Wombwell, Cardigan's ADC, make a break and jump onto a stray horse) and eventually make it back up the valley, whereupon he discovered the body of his friend, Captain Nolan. He fainted, to wake up safe in a British tent. Cardigan emerged unscathed and managed to escape the clutches of a group of Russian Cossacks who Prince Radzvill had offered a reward to if they could capture him alive. He rode back westward duty done, and upon reaching Scarlett complained about Nolan's ill-discipline. The Heavy Brigade commander cut him short by telling him he had just ridden over his body. The Crimean War The Crimean War [ Victorian Web Home —> Victorian Political History —> Victorian Social History —> Crimean War ] Part II of the author's "Mark Twain on the Crimean War." In-text citations refer to items in the bibliography [ GPL ]. ontinuing our assumption that there may be some historical truth to "Luck," the obvious starting point for any investigation is the Crimean War. It is generally accepted that after the Napoleonic Wars, the British army went into a decline.

According to Lord Garnet Wolseley, war "as an art was not studied, and hence, when the Crimean War broke out, so ignorant were our generals and our colonels, it is a marvel to me that any of us survived. Our officers had no training. They never read a book upon military matters, and at the mess, when allusion was made to tactics, or military problems, the offender was summarily told to 'shut up.' Hence, at the Crimea, our officers were totally ignorant . . . " (Stead, 278). So it comes as no surprise that the Crimean War has long provided historians with a wealth of examples of incompetent generalship. Even contemporaries were aware of the deficiencies of the senior officer corps. The long list of derisive descriptions and nicknames for generals shows the low esteem in which they were held. One general was called an "old imbecile bully," another a "nincompoop" and "a shocking old dolt," yet another a "terrible fool" (Edgerton, 87). Subaltern officers in the Crimea seemed to vie to outdo each other in original descriptions of how stupid their commanding officers were.

One was called "the biggest fool in the army," and another had the distinction of being "the biggest fool ever" (Hibbert 1961, 126, 198). For our purposes, the names of these generals — now known only to specialists — are neither here nor there. Not one of them has ever passed for a military genius. If Twain had anyone in mind when writing "Luck," it was not one of them. The British commander Lord Raglan was loved by some and respected by most, but no one considered him a very great general, including Raglan himself. The French commander, Canrobert, was by some accounts more popular among the British troops than any British general; indeed, he was said by one British officer to be the only one who had "not made a fool of himself" (Hibbert 1961, 217). But it was Lord Wolseley, writing more than 50 years later, who offered the most comprehensive indictment of the incompetence of commanders and staff officers in the Crimea. "Good heavens! What generals then had charge of England's only army, and of her honour and fighting reputation!

They were served to a large extent by incompetent staff officers as useless as themselves; many of them merely flaneurs 'about town,' who knew as little of war and its science as they did of the Differential Calculus! Almost all our officers at that time were uneducated as soldiers, and many of those placed upon the staff of the Army at the beginning of the war were absolutely unfit for positions they had secured through family or political interest. There were, of course, a few brilliant exceptions, but they made the incompetence of the many all the more remarkable." He added, "Before the Crimean War began there were few incentives for officers to study their profession scientifically. The great bulk of the staff at home, and most of those selected for staff work with the army sent to Turkey, were chosen for family reasons. However, that was soon changed, for they were found to be mostly incompetent for all practical work in the field. Clever educated professional soldiers took their places as vacancies occurred. I knew the officers well who were, as late as the fall of Sebastopol, the quarter-master-generals of two of our five divisions, and they were not men whom I would have entrusted with a subaltern's picket in the field.

Had they been private soldiers I don't think any colonel would have made them corporals" (Wolseley 1903, 95f, n. 100). Wolseley made exactly the same comment about his superior officers that the reverend made about Scoresby, particularly the remark that he "was actually gazetted to a captaincy in a marching regiment . . . I could just barely have stood it if they had made him a cornet . . . " (Merry Tales, 71). Wolseley later reiterated his view that many officers were unfit for their posts, and should not have been promoted. "We had several stupid men amongst those who served in the Crimea, who could not, I think, have passed the examinations now required for entrance into that corps [of engineers]." As we have seen, Scoresby only passed his examinations due to incredible luck. But Wolseley's censures were not restricted to the engineers. The generals, too, were out-of-date. "No new light, no useful gleam of imagination or originality ever illuminated whatever may have been their reasoning powers" (Wolseley 1903, 136-137).

"If the Russians at Sebastopol had not been very badly led not one of our men could have escaped," Wolseley recalled during an interview. "Our officers were very ignorant of their profession; the Russians were worse. I always think that, so far from complaining of the reverses we had suffered, it was a miracle any of us returned to tell the tale" (Stead, 282). Wolseley's charges have been echoed by modern historians, who point out that "formal standards of professional education were low" (Baumgart, 76). An officer's promotion was not based on merit but rather "depended on the number of his seniors who died, were promoted outside the regiment, exchanged into other regiments, resigned or retired" (Glover, 26). The result was that many commanding officers were aged, and so it is perhaps more understandable that younger officers became impatient and regarded their superiors as overly hesitant and out-of-touch. In sum, it is hardly surprising that Twain chose the Crimean War as the setting for his example of military blundering. He knew he was on safe terrain. No one was likely to object that this war had been characterized by anything but monumental stupidity.

When his audience read the words "Crimean War," they practically expected a tale of incompetence. Inkerman wain, who had visited the Crimea in 1867, blanks out the name of the battle in which Scoresby won his honors, but if we assume for the moment that the story is based, however loosely, on fact, there are only two that can be considered: Inkerman and Balaclava. In the late 1990s, when I was teaching "Luck" at a Lyceum in Moldova, not far from the Crimea, my patriotic students (patriotic for Russia) were always quick to point out that nothing like what Twain describes happened in reality. True enough, there was no headlong flight of a Russian army at the sight of a British regiment. But there were many instances in this war of smaller British units attacking and defeating much larger Russian formations — though apparently none of Russians running away from such attacks without first putting up a fight. For example, assistant-surgeon Wolseley (brother of Garnet) found his field hospital surrounded during the fighting for the Sandbag Battery at Inkerman.

The doctor gave the order to all men within earshot: "Fix bayonets, charge, and keep up the hill." "The soldiery answered him with a burst of hurras, sprang forward to the charge and in the next instant were tearing their way through the thicket of Russians. They suffered, it is believed, heavy loss in proportion to their scanty number; but they achieved their purpose, and came out at length on the southern or English side of the force which had undertaken to block their path" (Kinglake, III, 196-197). Leo Tolstoy, who saw action in the Crimea, called the poor Russian performance at Inkerman a "treasonable, an outrageous action. 10th and 11th divisions attacked the enemy's flank, turned it and spiked 37 pieces. Then the enemy brought up 6,000 carbines, only 6,000 against our 30 [thousand] strong force. And we retreated, losing some 6,000 brave men" (Tolstoy, 16).

Though the 26-year-old Tolstoy was not present at the battles of Inkerman or Balaclava, he did serve as an artillery officer during the later siege of Sebastopol. A modern historian has summed up the action at Inkerman as follows: "And so on this part of the front also, thousands of the dispirited enemy were retreating before the determined charges of a few hundred men." While in this battle the French held back, the British army was "saved from a similar inactivity by one of those sudden, unauthorised displays of initiative and heroism for which the battle of Inkerman will always be famous" (Hibbert 1961, 172, 193). Though the Crimean War provided few if any examples of brilliant generalship, it did offer many instances of inspired heroism.

Lord Wolseley also addressed this when he acknowledged "the helpless, feckless ignorance of war displayed by many of our generals and their inept staff upon that occasion." He went on to note, "The fighting characteristics of our soldiers and regimental officers were so conspicuous throughout the Battle of Inkerman that we have been content to forget the culpable professional ignorance of those who had been selected to command them." (Wolseley 1903, 142-143). Balaclava he closest parallels to the events in "Luck" occurred, however, not at Inkerman but at Balaclava, the scene of the two most famous cavalry charges of the war. The first of these was led by General Scarlett, commander of the Heavy Brigade. When advancing up the Causeway Heights, "he had no idea of the [Russian] forces opposing him. Even when they appeared over the crest of the hill he did not know their full numbers, which were, in fact, three thousand. He himself had six squadrons (a total of eight hundred) . . . Scarlett's success was due to his swiftness of decision.

Seeing that the Russians were virtually at a halt he decided that a quick assault would be productive of considerable results. To accomplish this he wheeled into line the left column, which consisted of only three hundred sabres (swordsmen on horseback) and led the charge himself . . . But the main effect was caused by the vigour, speed and determination of the charging squadrons, not only as they arrived but in the way they fought when once among the Russians. The latter, perhaps thinking that another similar charge must be on the way at any moment, gave ground, broke up, and finally rode fast away from the scene. It was an incredible situation, eight hundred men putting three thousand to rout" (Warner, 64-65). The similarities to Scoresby's attack are too obvious to require commentary. But today it is another cavalry charge at Balaclava that is better remembered. "The famous 'charge of the Light Brigade' is still celebrated for the astonishing bravery of the British cavalry, and justly so. But it was also one of the more spectacular blunders in the history of war" (Edgerton, 94).

Shortly after the charge of the Heavy Brigade, Lord Raglan , having a commanding view of the battlefield, saw that the Russians were preparing to remove some captured British cannon. To Captain Nolan he gave the order for the Light Brigade, under the command of Lord Cardigan , to prevent this. The order was imprecise as to the location of the enemy, this being obvious to Raglan on his high perch. Captain Nolan rode off down the hill to relay the order to Lord Lucan , Cardigan's immediate superior. It was well known that Lucan and Cardigan, who happened to be related as brothers-in-law, detested each other. On top of that, both men were held in equally low esteem by their fellow officers.

Cardigan was regarded as "invincibly stupid," and Nolan's personal opinion was that Lucan and Cardigan were "the two greatest fools in the entire history of the British army." Another cavalry officer observed, "As to Lord Cardigan, he has as much brains as my boot, and is only equaled in want of intellect by his relation Lord 'Look-on.' " George Lucan had acquired the derisive nickname "Look-on" because earlier, during the battle of the Alma, he had done nothing to help the French when they had come under attack, but had merely "looked on." This cavalry officer continued, "Without mincing words, two bigger fools could not be picked out of the British Army to take command" (Edgerton, 94, 96; see discussion of Kinglake ). But even if he had been a military genius, Lucan could not have understood the order he received. From his ground-level vantage point he could not see the Russian troops — atop a hill a bit to his right — that Raglan had meant. Instead, the only enemy forces visible to him were at the far end of a valley, a bit to the west or left of where Raglan intended him to go.

Attacking them would be tantamount to suicide. The Russians "were perfectly arranged to deal with any British formations that would be so monumentally stupid as to move straight down the middle of the valley where they would be assailed from the front and both flanks all at the same time" (Gibbs, 211). When Lucan quite reasonably asked Nolan for clarification, the captain contemptuously waved his hand in the general direction of the enemy and said, "There, my lord, is your enemy!" So the obedient Lucan (historian Edgerton calls him "stupidly obedient,") relayed the order to Lord Cardigan, who was also appalled at the prospect. Not at all foolishly, he asked for confirmation. Lucan replied that it was a positive order from Lord Raglan and that he must attack immediately, even though "this decision to charge represented arrant stupidity" (Edgerton, 98).

So Cardigan, motivated by what Kinglake (V, 364) termed "chivalrous obedience," led his approximately six hundred men into what Tennyson would call the "Valley of Death." Among the first to be killed was Captain Nolan, who at the last minute evidently tried to redirect the charge in the proper direction — in vain. While suffering terrible losses, the Light Brigade succeeded in reaching the Russian position at the end of the valley and taking over some of their cannon, but before long they were driven back down the length of the valley by the vastly superior Russian forces. Canrobert launched a supporting attack which kept the retreat from being quite as frightful as it might have been. In the end, fewer than two hundred made it back to the British lines, Lord Cardigan surprisingly being one of them. At first glance, this famous charge seems less related to the events in "Luck" than the charge of the Heavy Brigade. Yet there are similarities. In Cardigan's case, a misunderstood order (he went to the left of where he should have gone), carried out bravely but idiotically, leads to glory.

In Scoresby's case, an order misunderstood by an idiot — so stupid he doesn't know his right from his left — leads to glory. It is as though Twain took the unquestioning obedience to a senseless order, which characterized the Charge of the Light Brigade, and combined it with the result of the Charge of the Heavy Brigade: the surprising defeat of a numerically superior enemy. And of course he also transposed cavalry to infantry. The Charge of the Light Brigade was certainly an example of bravado, and in part through Tennyson's poem it was mythologized into an example of British bravery. "The public regarded the charge as a deed of spectacular heroism, not often pausing to reflect, like a correspondent in the Spectator: 'The order was a blunder; . . . the Balaklava charge should warn them [the government] how dangerous it is to select officers for staff appointments on any other ground than that of personal fitness'" (Vulliamy, 150). There was "an eagerness [on the part of British public opinion] to find heroes in a wasteful war. The public treated what happened as a victory for courage rather than a defeat through stupidity and blunder.

The surviving members of the Light Brigade and Lord Cardigan, never known as a likable man, became heroic figures when word reached Britain about the brigade's willingness to obey orders at all costs" (Goldberg, 38). The Tennyson connection is instructive, because according to his own account, his poem "was written after reading the first report of the Times correspondent . . . my poem is dactylic, and founded on the phrase, 'Some one had blundered.' " (Poems, II, 369). Though Tennyson made it quite clear that the charge was the result of someone's foolish mistake, nonetheless the impression that remained with the reading public was one of poetic glorification ("When can their glory fade?"). Tennyson also wrote another Crimean War poem, albeit less well known, about the charge of the Heavy Brigade. It evokes the charge of the "gallant three hundred" who charged uphill to attack "thousands of Russians." "Thousands of horsemen had gather'd there on the height" and Scarlett's men "Drove thro' the midst of the foe" who surrounded them.

All the onlookers thought they must be lost in "the heart of the Russian hordes," when suddenly the enemy broke, as the Heavy Brigade . . . 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. In the Epilogue to this poem, the pacifist "Irene" reproaches the Poet by saying, "You praise when you should blame / The barbarism of wars," leading to a long self-justification by the Poet: . . . who loves war for war's own sake Is fool, or crazed, or worse; But let the patriot-soldier take His meed of fame in verse . . . . Irene greets this with a simple but emphatic "No!" leading to another twenty lines of the Poet's self-justification, ending with . . . The song that nerves a nation's heart Is in itself a deed.

Tennyson was not naive in his praise of war and glory, the way some Civil War romantics were whom Twain subjected to withering criticism. Tennyson acknowledged the generals' blunders, and was not only aware of the critics of his war poetry but even included one in his verse — though her objections are clearly marginalized as feminine, if not feminist. In the end, Tennyson seems to come down squarely on the side of poetic glorification as a patriotic, masculine deed. A reading of this poem that justified Irene's point of view would be a reading against the grain. The literary exaltation of war, like the misunderstanding of chivalry, is something that Twain consistently sought to undermine. In "Luck," he took aim at the public's tendency toward hero worshipping. In "The Private History of a Campaign that Failed" (the most substantial of the stories in Merry Tales) he recounted his own inglorious contributions to the Confederate war effort.

"Much of Twain's article is antiheroic in tone, and it consistently ridicules notions of valorous military activity." And again: "Twain dramatizes his doubts about military values and their effect from a skeptical and antiauthoritarian position" (Messent, 144, 149). Thus for Twain, it would not have made much difference whether the obedience on display during the battle of Balaclava had been stupid or chivalrous.

Question: Who memorialized a battle of the Crimean War in his 1854 poem The Charge of the Light Brigade?
Answer: Alfred, Lord Tennyson