what happened in the charge of the light brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan

against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War.

Full Answer

What was the charge of the Light Brigade?

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854, in the Crimean War.

Who was in charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Hastings?

The charge was made by the Light Brigade of the British cavalry, which consisted of the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars, under the command of Major General James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan. Also present that day was the Heavy Brigade, commanded by Major General James Yorke Scarlett,...

What happened to the Light Brigade in the Battle of Trafalgar?

The Light Brigade faced withering fire from three sides which devastated their force on the ride, yet they were able to engage the Russian forces at the end of the valley and force them back from the redoubt. Nonetheless, they suffered heavy casualties and were soon forced to retire.

What happened to Nolan during the charge on the Light Brigade?

The charge. The Light Brigade set off down the valley with Cardigan in front, leading the charge on his horse Ronald. Almost at once, Nolan rushed across the front, passing in front of Cardigan. It may be that he realised that the charge was aimed at the wrong target and was attempting to stop or turn the brigade,...

Was the charge of the Light Brigade a mistake?

The order for the cavalry charge proved catastrophic for the British cavalrymen: a disastrous mistake riddled with misinformation and miscommunication. The calamitous charge was to be remembered for both its bravery and tragedy.

Who took blame for the Charge of the Light Brigade?

Who was to blame for the Charge of the Light Brigade? In truth, all three principals – Raglan, Lucan and Nolan – bear some responsibility. Even if it had been interpreted accurately, Raglan's final order to Lucan was probably unnecessary.

Who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade?

And Shropshire-born John Ashley Kilvert, who served as Mayor of Wednesbury in 1905, was a surviving hero of what is considered the bloodiest, bravest and most notorious blunder in British military history. The charge by the 11th Hussars at Balaklava, Crimea, on October 25, 1854, was the result of a misunderstood order.

Why did the soldiers ride to their death?

The poem tells the story of a brigade consisting of 600 soldiers who rode on horseback into the “valley of death” for half a league (about one and a half miles). They were obeying a command to charge the enemy forces that had been seizing their guns.

How many survived the Light Brigade?

195 survivorsDuring the charge, Lord Cardigan's light cavalry brigade attacked Russian cannons in “the valley of death.” The brigade defeated the gunners, but was counter-attacked by roughly 2,160 Russian light cavalry. It lost 469 of its 664 cavalrymen. Outnumbered 11-to-1, the 195 survivors retreated.

How many horses were killed filming the Charge of the Light Brigade?

25For the filming of the climactic charge, 125 horses were trip-wired. Of those, 25 were killed outright or had to be put down afterward. The resulting public furor caused the US Congress to pass laws to protect animals used in motion pictures.

Was the charge of the Light Brigade a true story?

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War.

Why is it called the Light Brigade?

Here's a quick explanation: a "brigade" is group of soldiers. They're called "Light" to separate them from the "Heavy Brigade," another kind of cavalry unit at the time.

What was the blunder Who do you think had blundered?

the 'blunder' is a big mistake . the question is in reference to the poem - "The Charge of the Light Brigade," by Tennyson. the little brigade was mislead by the central command. as a result they attacked the well-armed Russian artillery battery instead the one which they were intended to attack.

What happened to Lord Cardigan after the Charge of the Light Brigade?

Cardigan was prosecuted in 1841 for injuring in a duel one of his former officers, another long-serving professional. He was acquitted on a legal technicality, notwithstanding his boast on arrest that "I have hit my man".

Why was the charge of the light brigade written?

'The Charge of the Light Brigade' is a poem by Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The piece was written in response to actual events which took place as part of the Crimean War. The result of a miscommunication, the Charge led to many deaths.

Who won the Crimean War?

The British won thanks to the dogged determination of their infantry, who were supported as the day went on by French reinforcements. The British suffered 2,500 killed and the French 1,700. Russians losses amounted to 12,000.

Who led the Light Brigade?

Charge of the Light Brigade. In an event alternately described as one of the most heroic or disastrous episodes in British military history, Lord James Cardigan leads a charge of the Light Brigade cavalry against well-defended Russian artillery during the Crimean War. The British were winning the Battle of Balaclava when Cardigan received his order ...

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Who won the Battle of Balaclava?

The British were winning the Battle of Balaclava when Cardigan received his order to attack the Russians. His cavalry gallantly charged down the valley and were decimated by the heavy Russian guns, suffering 40 percent casualties.

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What was the charge of the Light Brigade?from en.wikipedia.org

The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War . Lord Raglan had intended to send the Light Brigade to prevent the Russians from removing captured guns from overrun Turkish positions, a task for which the light cavalry were well-suited. However, there was miscommunication in the chain of command and the Light Brigade was instead sent on a frontal assault against a different artillery battery, one well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire. The Light Brigade reached the battery under withering direct fire and scattered some of the gunners, but they were forced to retreat immediately, and the assault ended with very high British casualties and no decisive gains.

What was the Light Brigade sent on?from en.wikipedia.org

However, there was miscommunication in the chain of command and the Light Brigade was instead sent on a frontal assault against a different artillery battery , one well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire.

How many troops did Lucan command?from en.wikipedia.org

In response to the order, Lucan instructed Cardigan to lead his command of about 670 troopers of the Light Brigade straight into the valley between the Fedyukhin Heights and the Causeway Heights. (Russell's report in The Times recorded that just short of 200 men were sick or for other reasons left behind in camp on the day, leaving "607 sabres" to take part in the charge.) In his poem, " The Charge of the Light Brigade " (1854), Tennyson dubbed this hollow "The Valley of Death".

What was Captain Nolan's response to Raglan's aide de camp?from historic-uk.com

The response from Captain Nolan was to gesticulate towards the North Valley instead of the Causeway which was the intended position for attack.

Why did Lord Raglan not carry out his message?from historic-uk.com

Unfortunately, due to lack of communication or some misunderstanding between Raglan and the commander of the Cavalry, George Bingham, Earl of Lucan, this was not carried out.

How would the charge have turned out if conducted differently?from en.wikipedia.org

The analysis suggested that a charge toward the redoubt on the Causeway Heights, as Raglan had apparently intended, would have led to even higher British casualties. By contrast, the charge might have succeeded if the Heavy Brigade had accompanied the Light Brigade along the valley, as Lucan had initially directed.

What was the focal point of the Battle of Balaklava?from historic-uk.com

The focal point of this confrontation was the important strategic naval base of Sevastopol. The Allied forces decided to lay siege to the port of Sevastapol.

How many members of the Light Brigade were there?

At their bidding, the roughly 670 members of the Light Brigade drew their sabres and lances and began their infamous mile-and-a-quarter-long charge with Russians shooting at them from three directions (though never from all three at once). The first man to fall was Raglan’s aide-de-camp.

How long did Lucan wait for the infantry?

As a result, Lucan’s men sat around for 45 minutes waiting for the infantry to arrive. At that point, Raglan issued a new order, telling the cavalry to “advance rapidly to the front … and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns.”. From his vantage point, however, Lucan could not see any guns being removed.

What did Lord Raglan order?

He ordered the cavalry, consisting of both the Heavy and Light brigades, to advance with infantry support “and take advantage of any opportunity to recover” the lost ground. Lord Raglan expected the cavalrymen to move immediately, with the infantry to come later. But George Bingham, the earl of Lucan, who commanded the cavalry , thought he wanted them to attack together. As a result, Lucan’s men sat around for 45 minutes waiting for the infantry to arrive. At that point, Raglan issued a new order, telling the cavalry to “advance rapidly to the front … and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns.” From his vantage point, however, Lucan could not see any guns being removed. Confused, he asked Raglan’s aide-de-camp where to attack, but instead of pointing to the Causeway Heights, the aide allegedly waved his arm in the direction of a Russian artillery battery at the far end of an exposed valley.

What happened in 1853?

Fighting officially broke out in October 1853, and the following month the Russians decimated the Ottoman fleet in a surprise attack. But although Nicholas referred to the declining Ottoman Empire as the “sick man of Europe,” his land forces made little progress in their push south, underscored by the failed siege of a fortress in present-day Bulgaria. Meanwhile, in March 1854, Britain and France declared war and immediately bombarded the then-Russian city of Odessa. With Austria likewise threatening to jump into the fray, Nicholas withdrew from Romania. Rather than declare victory, however, Britain and France decided to punitively target the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, located on the Crimean Peninsula. On September 13, 1854, a joint allied force of over 60,000 troops sailed into Kalamita Bay, about 33 miles north of their objective. Due to stormy weather, it took five days for them to fully disembark. Believing the conflict would be over quickly, they brought neither winter clothing nor medical supplies. They moreover lacked accurate maps, had little idea how many Russian troops opposed them and flouted the dietary restrictions of the Muslim Ottoman soldiers within their ranks. To make matters worse, a cholera outbreak erupted.

What was the Crimean War?

A major conflict of the 19th century, the Crimean War claimed at least 500,000 lives, more than even the American Civil War, and had a profound impact on such renowned personalities as British nurse Florence Nightingale and Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It got its start in and around Jerusalem, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where Orthodox Christian and Catholic monks had been engaging in fierce, sometimes deadly brawls for years over who would control various holy sites. Following one such violent squabble in 1852, Czar Nicholas I of Russia, a self-proclaimed defender of Orthodox Christianity, demanded the right to exercise protection over the Ottoman Empire’s millions of Christian subjects. Upon being rejected, he then sent his army, the largest in the world, to occupy two Ottoman principalities in present-day Romania. The czar also purportedly had his eyes on Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, which if taken would give his navy unfettered access to the Mediterranean Sea. Unnerved by this expansionism, Britain and France sent their own warships to the area and vowed to defend Ottoman sovereignty.

Who won the Battle of Balaclava?

Despite failing to overrun Balaclava, the Russians claimed victory in the battle, parading their captured artillery guns through Sevastopol. Yet they would surrender the city and naval base nearly a year later, after which they agreed to give up a small chunk of territory and to keep their warships out of the Black Sea in exchange for peace. Meanwhile, the Light Brigade’s exploits had already become legendary in Britain, thanks largely to Alfred Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Named poet laureate a few years earlier by Queen Victoria, he praised the bravery of the men as they rode into the “valley of death.” His poem “The Charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava,” on the other hand, never quite captured the public’s imagination.

Who was the earl of Cardigan in the Bath Riots?

The 1917 Bath Riots. Lucan next approached his brother-in-law James Brudenell, the earl of Cardigan, who commanded the Light Brigade. The two men loathed each other so much they were barely on speaking terms. And neither was apparently respected by the troops.

What is the charge of the light brigade?

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” celebrates the self-sacrifice and heroism of the cavalrymen, suggesting that bravery consists of doing one's duty even when it leads to almost certain death. Read the full text of “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.

Who wrote the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade"?

Ask a question. Ask a question. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” was written by the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in response to a battle during the Crimean War (1853-1855). In this battle, a British cavalry unit—the “Light Brigade”—was commanded to charge against a Russian artillery unit. The order was almost suicidal, and ...

What is the Crimean War?

The Crimean War — A brief history of the Crimean War from Britain's National Archives. The Poem Read Aloud — Colm O'Sullivan recites "The Charge of the Light Brigade". Poem of the Week — A brief essay on "The Charge of the Light Brigade" from Carol Rumens at The Guardian.

Who was the first to fall in the Light Brigade?

The first to fall was Captain Nolan, Raglan’s aide-de-camp.

Who was the British commander in charge of the Light Brigade?

This decision led to one of the most crucial parts of the battle, now known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. The decision taken by Lord Fitzroy Somerset Raglan who was the British commander-in-chief at Crimea, was to look towards the Causeway Heights, where it was believed the Russians were seizing artillery guns. Lord Raglan.

Why did Lucan give the order for the Heavy Brigade to halt and retreat?

The decision taken by Lucan was said to be based on the desire to preserve his cavalry division, the ominous prospects of the Light Brigade being already unsalvageable as far as he could see . “Why add more casualties to the list?” Lucan is reported to have said to Lord Paulet.

What was Captain Nolan's response to Raglan's aide de camp?

The response from Captain Nolan was to gesticulate towards the North Valley instead of the Causeway which was the intended position for attack.

Why did Lord Raglan not carry out his message?

Unfortunately, due to lack of communication or some misunderstanding between Raglan and the commander of the Cavalry, George Bingham, Earl of Lucan, this was not carried out.

What was the charge against Russian forces?

The charge against Russian forces was part of the Battle of Balaclava, a conflict making up a much larger series of events known as the Crimean War. The order for the cavalry charge proved catastrophic for the British cavalrymen: a disastrous mistake riddled with misinformation and miscommunication.

Did the Light Brigade fight the Russians?

Meanwhile as the Light Brigade charged into an endless smog of doom, those who did survive engaged in battle with the Russians, attempting to seize the guns as they did so. They regrouped into smaller numbers and prepared to charge the Russian cavalry. It is said that the Russians attempted to deal with any survivors swiftly but the Cossacks and other troops were unnerved to see the British horsemen charging towards them and panicked. The Russian cavalry pulled back.

Who was to blame for the Charge of the Light Brigade?

In truth, all three principals – Raglan, Lucan and Nolan – bear some responsibility. Even if it had been interpreted accurately, Raglan’s final order to Lucan was probably unnecessary. After all, the naval guns had been spiked and could not be fired, the infantry had nearly arrived, and even a “demonstration” by cavalry along the Causeway Heights would have incurred casualties. He should, moreover, have taken into account the fact that Lucan’s view of the battlefield was much more limited than his and made the final order more precise (by mentioning the ‘Heights’, for example).

Where is the Light Brigade site?

The site on the edge of the Sapouné Ridge, from where Raglan and his staff are said to have observed the battle of Balaklava, is today marked by a viewing platform. When I visited it, I was struck by the panoramic view it afforded of the battlefield.

Why did Lucan want to move the cavalry forward on both sides of a relatively gentle slope?

He was not – as some commentators have suggested – ordering cavalry to attack fixed positions up a steep hillside; but instead wanted Lucan to move the cavalry forward on both sides of a relatively gentle slope, and possibly even along it, to hasten the Russian withdrawal and encourage them to abandon the British guns.

What did Lord Cardigan say to his trumpeter?

At 11.10am, stationed with his two staff officers at the head of the Light Brigade, Lord Cardigan turned to his trumpeter: “Sound the advance!”

Where was Lucan located in the Causeway Heights?

Within 15 minutes, Nolan had reached 
the valley floor and located Lucan on rising ground at the near end of the Causeway Heights. He handed over the order, which Lucan read with alarm. Now he was being asked to recover the guns without infantry support. He complained to Nolan about 
the “uselessness” and “dangers” of such 
an operation.

What department was in charge of resupply at the end of November?

By the end of November, so overwhelmed was the Commissariat (the department in charge of resupply), and so poor the single road up to the plateau, that many of the goods that did reach Balaklava were left to rot on the quays. “The English,” wrote a French officer, “will actually exchange their boots for something to eat… It’s pitiful to see such superb men asking permission to gorge themselves on the dregs in our mess tins.”

What happened to the 13th?

A corporal of the 13th was “struck by a shot or shell full in the face, completely smashing it , his blood and brains spattering us who rode near”. A sergeant of the 17th had his head taken off by roundshot, “yet for about 30 yards further the headless body kept the saddle, the lance at the charge firmly gripped under the right arm”.

What was the charge of the Light Brigade?

October 25, 1854 — The Charge of the Light Brigade is infamous as an act of bravery in the face all insurmountable odds. On the 25th October 1854 members of the British light cavalry led a charge by mistake into the heart of the Russian Imperial army. 110 soldiers died in the charge, 161 were injured and 475 horses killed. The British Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson would go on to immortalize the event in his poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.

What were the consequences of the charge of the Light Brigade?

A Royal Commission was set up in 1858 after the war to investigate the way the army was run during the Crimean War. A lack of supplies and medical treatment were other issues.

What did the events of that day reveal?

The events of that day reveal more than just bravery, they portray a Victorian army and society on the verge of change. They show an army, still largely controlled by aristocratic officers, long used to influence as their birthright, whose personal vendettas and infighting often led to incompetence on the field.

Where did Lord Cardigan live?

Lord Cardigan returned home to initial acclaim for his bravery. He made a speech in his hometown of Northampton, claiming he had camped in a tent on the field with his troops and personally rallied his forces after the charge to harry the enemy.

Who ordered Lord Cardigan to charge?

Lord Lucan ordered Lord Cardigan to charge, the two figures open hostility prevented any true questioning of the orders. Lord Cardigan led the charge just after 11am. Lord Raglan and his staff watched in horror from their elevated position.

Who did Lord Lucan blame for the loss of the Lord?

Lord Raglan blamed Lord Lucan for the loss, Lord Lucan in turn blamed Lord Raglan and Nolan. Lord Lucan made a speech defending his actions in House of Lords on 19th March 1855. Although he was eventually promoted to lieutenant general in 1858 and later general and field marshal, he never again saw active duty.

Who held Lord Lucan in contempt?

Nolan also appears to have held Lord Lucan in contempt and seems to have compounded the hastily and badly written orders by indicating not the guns and cavalry meant by Lord Raglan but the main Russian army 20,000 strong and their guns.

What was the order given to the Russians to move artillery?

The order was given: The cavalry, both Light and Heavy Brigades, plus infantry, would assault the ridges and recover the heavy guns.

Was there a silent movie about the charge?

There's also a film, back in 1936, starring Errol Flynn. (Also a silent film in 1928.) The actual charge, however, like a lot of things military that get all shiny when translated into art, was a "suicidal" disaster that shouldn't have happened.

Did the British soldiers act with courage?

There's no question that the British soldiers acted with extreme courage in the face of incompetent leadership. And in a note of irony (or justice, depending on your perspective), the first to fall was the message bearer who'd waved his arm in the wrong direction. The Russians must not have gotten the memo about "not shooting the messenger."