The Charge of the Light Brigade
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the Charge of the light Brigade raditions by MAJ (GBR A) Rupert JACkSoN t On the 22nd October 2009 the UK contin- the order was drafted by Brigadier airey gent celebrated the charge of the Light Bri- and was carried by captain Louis Edward gade, which was a charge of British cavalry nolan, who carried the further oral instruc- led by Lord cardigan against russian forces tion that the cavalry was to attack immedi- heir during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October ately. When Lucan asked what guns were t 1854 during the crimean War. the charge of referred to, nolan is said to have indicated, the Light Brigade continues to be studied by by a wide sweep of his arm, not the cause- modern military historians and students as way redoubts but the mass of russian guns an example of what can go wrong when ac- in a redoubt at the end of the valley, around curate military intelligence is lacking and a mile away. His reasons for the misdirection orders are unclear. Sir Winston churchill, is unclear, as he was killed in the ensuing who was a keen military historian and a battle. former cavalryman, insisted on taking time In response to the order, Lucan instructed out during the Yalta conference in 1945 to cardigan to lead 673 cavalry men straight see the battlefield for himself. into the valley between the Fedyukhin rmies and the charge was made by the Light Bri- Heights and the causeway Heights, famous- a gade of the British cavalry, consisting of the ly dubbed the “Valley of death” by the poet 4th and 13th Light dragoons, 17th Lancers, tennyson. the opposing russian forces were and the 8th and 11th Hussars, under the commanded by Pavel Liprandi and included O command of Major General the Earl of car- approximately 20 battalions of infantry sup- digan. Overall command of the cavalry re- ported by over fifty artillery pieces. these sided with Lieutenant General the Earl of forces were deployed on both sides and at the Lucan. cardigan and Lucan were brothers- opposite end of the valley. Lucan himself was nat in-law who disliked each other intensely. Lu- to follow with the Heavy Brigade. can received an order from the army com- the Light Brigade set off down the valley, mander Lord raglan stating, in appaulling with cardigan out in front leading the charge. handwriting, that “Lord raglan wishes the almost at once nolan was seen to rush across cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, fol- the front, passing in front of cardigan. It may low the enemy, and try to prevent the enemy be that he had then realized the charge was carrying away the guns. Horse artillery may aimed at the wrong target and was attempt- accompany. French cavalry is on your left. ing to stop or turn the brigade, but he was Immediate.” In fact, raglan had wanted the killed by an artillery shell and the cavalry cavalry to prevent the russians taking away continued on its course. despite a withering some naval guns from the redoubts that they fire from three sides that devastated their had captured on the reverse side of the force on the ride, the Light Brigade was able causeway Heights, the hill forming the left to engage the russian forces at the end of the side of the valley (from the point of view of valley and force them back from the redoubt, the cavalry). but suffered heavy casualties and was soon raglan could see what was happening forced to retire. the surviving russian artil- from his high vantage-point on the west of lerymen returned to their guns and opened the valley, but Lucan and the cavalry were fire once again, with grape and canister, in- unaware of what was going on owing to the discriminately at the mêlée of friend and foe lie of the land where they were drawn up. before them. nrdc-ita magazine Issue14 25 Lucan failed to provide any support for action and its reckless bravery prompted the nat cardigan, and it was speculated that he was French Marshal Pierre Bosquet to state motivated by an enmity for his brother-in- “c’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la law that had lasted some 30 years and had guerre.” (“It is magnificent, but it is not O been intensified during the campaign up to war.”) He continued, in a rarely quoted that point. the troops of the Heavy Brigade phrase: “c’est de la folie” — “it is madness.” a entered the mouth of the valley but did not the russian commanders are said to have rmies and advance further: Lucan’s subsequent expla- initially believed that the British soldiers nation was that he saw no point in having a must have been drunk, and the reputation of second brigade mown down and that he was the British cavalry was significantly en- best positioned where he was to render as- hanced as a result of the charge, though the sistance to Light Brigade survivors return- same cannot be said for their commanders. ing from the charge. the French cavalry, the Slow communications meant that news of t chasseurs d’afrique, were more effective in the disaster did not reach the British public heir that they broke the russian line on the Fedy- until three weeks after the action. the Brit- ukhin Heights and later provided cover for ish commanders’ dispatches from the front the remaining elements of the Light Brigade were published in an extraordinary edition t as they withdrew. War correspondent Wil- of the London Gazette of 12 november 1854. raditions liam russell, who witnessed the battle, de- raglan blamed Lucan for the charge, claim- clared “our Light Brigade was annihilated by ing that “from some misconception of the or- their own rashness, and by the brutality of a der to advance, the Lieutenant-General (Lu- ferocious enemy”. can) considered that he was bound to attack at all hazards, and he accordingly ordered Major-General the Earl of cardigan to move forward with the Light Brigade.” Lucan was furious at being made a scapegoat. raglan claimed he should have exercised his discre- tion, but throughout the campaign up to that date Lucan considered raglan had allowed him no independence at all and required that his orders be followed to the letter. cardigan, who had merely obeyed orders, blamed Lu- can for giving those orders. He returned home a hero and was promoted to Inspector cardigan survived the battle. although General of the cavalry. stories circulated afterwards that he was not Lucan attempted to publish a letter refut- actually present he led the charge from the ing point by point raglan’s London Gazette front and, never looking back, did not see dispatch, but his criticism of his superior what was happening to the troops behind was not tolerated and in March 1855, Lucan him. He reached the russian guns, took part was recalled to England. the charge of the in the fight and then returned alone up the Light Brigade became a subject of consider- valley without bothering to rally or even find able controversy and public dispute on his out what had happened to the survivors. He return. He strongly rejected raglan’s version afterwards said all he could think about was of events, calling it “an imputation reflecting his rage against captain nolan, who he seriously on my professional character”. In thought had tried to take over the leadership an exchange of public correspondence print- of the charge from him. after riding back up ed in the pages of The Times, Lucan blamed the valley he considered he had done all that raglan and his deceased aide-de-camp cap- he could and then, with astonishing sang- tain nolan, who had been the actual deliv- froid, left the field and went on board his erer of the disputed order. Lucan evidently yacht in Balaclava harbour, where he ate a escaped blame for the charge, as he was champagne dinner. made a member of the Order of the Bath in the brigade was not completely destroyed, July of that same year. although he never but did suffer terribly, with 118 men killed, again saw active duty, he reached the rank of 127 wounded. after regrouping, only 195 General in 1865 and was made a Field Mar- men were still with horses. the futility of the shal in the year before his death. 26 Issue14 nrdc-ita magazine.