History of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade is remembered as one of the most terrible and gallant events in the Crimean War. The Light Brigade was made up of the cavalry of the British military, and was led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces.
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Backdrop
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The Light Brigade
The Crimean War, taking place between 1853 and 1856, was fought between the Russian Empire and the united forces of France, Sardinia, the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire. In October 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava, the British Cavalry and several Russian forts were at a stand off. The charge of the light brigade in question was commanded by Major General the Earl of Cardigan, and was comprised of 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars. Command of the entire cavalry was with Lieutenant General the Earl of Lucan.
The Plan
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The events leading up to the charge began to unfold when Cardigan got the word from the commander of the British military, Lord Raglan, that the Russian military had stolen naval guns and munitions from a British-controlled fort and were carrying them away. By oral instructions carried by Captain Nolan, Raglan ordered for the cavalry to advance and attempt to stop the Russian military from stealing the guns.
The Charge
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When Cardigan asked which guns Raglan was referring to, it is said that Nolan made an arbitrary sweep of his arm, not to the fort to which the guns were stolen from, but to a much more heavily armed and defended fort at the end of the valley they were standing before. Cardigan, leading the charge, ordered the 673 cavalry of the light brigade to charge upon the campsite. Nolan soon after rushed up to Cardigan, perhaps to tell him of his mistake and redirect their course, and was killed by an enemy gun. Grapeshot and canister shot, a kind of cannon ammunition, rained down upon the brigade as they successfully broke through the defenses to the Russian guns, and returned to the British campsite with heavy losses.
Aftermath
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Although Cardigan survived the charge, 278 of the brigade were killed and wounded, with 9 officers and 14 sergeants killed; 335 horses were killed as well. It is said that cavalry of the British Military were much more respected after the event; however commanders responsible for the confusion were looked down upon significantly.
The Poem
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Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem about the events made the Charge of the Light Brigade eternal. Each stanza relates a different event of the charge, famously referring to the valley the brigade charged into as "the valley of death."
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