The Charge Of The Light Brigade: The Crimean War's Greatest Blunder | History of Warfare | Timeline

this channel is part of the history hit Network [Music] to find a military Expedition which completely encapsulates the popular concept of the British Army in the 19th century one he'd look no further than the battle at balaclava 14 1854 during the Crimean War it is not hard to imagine young boys of the age listening wide-eyed to Great Tales of gallantry from the battlefield their hearts stirring eager for the day when they too would be old enough to take their place in Her Majesty's Army and March proudly away to Glory foreign [Music] foreign [Music] balaclava is filled with acts of heroic courage to be fired by the brave Victory against the odds of Sir Colin Campbell's Thin Red Line and The Dashing charge of the heavy Brigade led by the remarkable Sir James Scarlett but it is the men of the Light Brigade and their Valiant Doom charge immortalized in Tennyson's memorable poem who are now part of British military folklore their story is an epic mix of incredible Valor terrible disaster and the confused mystery surrounding Lord raglan's fateful order to charge the exact reasons for the war on the Crimea were deep-rooted but lay principally in the British government's fear of Russian expansionism Russia at Long Harbor designs on the Balkans in Southeastern Europe and her ambitious Czar Nicholas the first saw the crumbling of the Turkish Empire as a perfect opportunity to further press his claims at the capture of Constantinople would give Russia complete control over the entrance to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus with an already secure and established Naval Base at sevastopol this would open the way for Russia's warships to the Mediterranean and afford a massive influence over foreign trade routes particularly those of Britain and France not surprisingly in the volatile political climate of the 1850s these two countries were determined that a shift in the Strategic balance should not be allowed to happen it was only intense external pressure which had dissuaded Russia from her previous attempts to take control of the Balkans from Turkey Bazaar Nicholas was a man not easily deterred in 1852 he became embroiled in an argument with France over the key of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem then in Turkish territory when the Sultan of turkey decided the dispute in favor of Catholic France Bazaar declared war on Turkey although this was ostensibly to protect the Orthodox religion it was obvious to all that matters of Faith were secondary to Russian territorial ambitions Her First Act of aggression was to invade Moldavia and were lackier the war was vigorously pursued by both sides with many casualties still this was not to be the last conflict between the two countries it was for a benefit concert to Aid the wounded of the 1877 conflict that Peter Elish Tchaikovsky composed the famous slavonic March which is featured in this program Britain was naturally alarmed but recognized Russia as a determined and Powerful enemy and therefore acted with caution limiting her involvement to Naval Patrols in the Black Sea however on the 30th of November 1853 the Russians attacked the Turkish Fleet at anchor in the harbor of cinopi near Constantinople and destroyed it completely with a loss of 4 000 Turkish lives the British and French fleets arrived in time only to rescue the few survivors from the wreckage the reaction in Britain to the news was one of outrage and in an instant a previously dispassionate press was demanding action government ministers were accused of obsequiousness and portrayed in the press as weak and indecisive in particular the press pillared the Prime Minister Lord Aberdeen a punch in particular ran a fierce campaign against him immature was characterized as a Tartan buffoon if you love history then you'll love history hit our extensive library of documentary features everything from the ancient origins of our earliest ancestors to the daring mission to sink the Bismuth history hit has hundreds of exclusive documentaries with unrivaled access to the world's best historians we're committed to Bringing history fans award-winning documentaries and podcasts that you cannot find anywhere else sign up now for a free trial and timeline fans get 50 off their first three months just be sure to use the code timeline at checkout the outcrying the Press did its work suddenly the whole public mood changed something had to be done to help poor beleaguered turkey the sick man of Europe unable to resist the enormous wave of public feeling as still cautious British government demanded in an ultimatum to Russia on the 27th of February 1854 that her troops withdraw from Moldavia and were lack here by the 30th of April or the two countries would be at War and this stipulation for peace was contemptuously ignored by Tsar Nicholas so having concluded a formal Treaty of alliance with France Britain set about building an army to defeat the Russians obviously a full-scale war with the nation as vast as Russia was out of the question and the ward of 1854 was always seen as a short sharp lesson to be handed out to the upstart Russians Britain and France chose to concentrate on two fronts a naval war in the Baltic and on the areas where the main threat to their interests lay the Crimea and the Russian bases at sevastipol this was not a straightforward task Britain had enjoyed nearly 40 years without a major European conflict and the long shadow of the Duke of Wellington still cast itself over the military Wellington had died in 1852 and perhaps in an attempt to provide continuity overall command of the British expeditionary force was given to Lord Raglan and the 66 year old Master of the ordinance and the iron Dukes former military secretary a veteran of Waterloo where he lost his right arm the balaclava campaign was to be his first command of troops in battle Raglan was given five infantry divisions numbering 26 000 men of these five divisions only one of the commanders who led them was under 60 years of age the addition to Cavalry brigades brought the total Army strength to 28 000. it was these same Cavalry who would earn the campaign its special reputation and it was among the ranks of the Cavalry that the most interesting characters were to be found the divisional command of the Cavalry was Lord Lucan a hard-bitten experienced Cavalry man of 54 years whose insistence on strict discipline made him extremely unpopular with officers and troops alike he had no say in the choice of his two subordinates and was mortified to learn that command of the Light Brigade of Cavalry had been entrusted to his brother-in-law Lord cardigan these two men loathed each other and made no attempt to conceal it the acerbic and ill-tappered cardigan had entered the Army late and had gained his first command through the system of purchase under which an officer could buy his commission this purchase system was even then held in distribute as his contemporary cartoon illustrates although Brave Beyond question he had enjoyed a rather uneven military career thus far and the Crimea was to prove no exception command of the other Calvary formation the heavy Brigade was given to Brigadier General James Scarlett a 55 year old and a man who was to fight with great distinction during the campaign British Army in 1854 of course had not been involved in a major war since Waterloo it's sometimes called the almost 40 years peace 39 years of Peace in fact now this inevitably had had a considerable effect on its overall efficiency nothing to do with the courage of the men there'd been quite a few little colonial wars of one sort or another and India as always had a series of campaigns but in terms of the administration of the army and keeping it modernized it was a slightly as I would say behind the times first of all its numbers have been cut down so very considerably by 1854 there was only something like 105 000 men in the British Army and a lot of those were stationed in India and other stations and it was a matter of great difficulty to get together an army of something like 26 000 men to form the peninsula expeditionary Force we also had to accept that the influence of the great Duke of Wellington had not all together been for the good in the long long year since his most famous moment in 1815. he became Ultra conservative in his views and had been very much an opponent of suggested changes and reforms of course he only dies in 1852 two years before the outset of this campaign and of course Lord Raglan is always saying on this campaign what would the dear Duke have done when he has to make a decision he's always trying to think back as to what his former great Chief how he would have tackled a particular problem but probably the worst aspect of the army which fights in the Crimea in 1854 is its Supply and logistical organization foreign 1854 troops left Britain for the Crimean Peninsula amid scenes of wild enthusiasm from an excited public eager to send off Her Majesty's army with a rousing cheer however things started to go wrong almost immediately after an agreeable stay molt her the British troops joined their French allies at Varner in Turkish hell Bulgaria bringing the total number of Allied soldiers crammed into the small dirty hot town to over forty thousand the men of both armies soon became bored and disillusioned as they awaited their orders in cramped in sanitary conditions to add to their woes an outbreak of Cholera swept through the lands carrying off 600 men in only a few days but in August came news that should have signaled the end of the men's privations Russia alarmed the massing of troops by Austria on its eastern border withdrew from Moldavia a malachia thereby complying with the terms of the British ultimatum the war could and should have been averted but the governments of Britain and France would have none of it this was the jingoistic colonial age after all they had sent their soldiers to deliver a punitive blow against the Russians and that was exactly what they intended them to do Lord Aberdeen in particular was now a moving force in the continuation of the war fortified by continued public support for the war Raglan was instructed to attack sevastopol and destroy the Russian Fleet the likely achievement of these ambitious orders was not aided by the fact that no Invasion plan actually existed furthermore little or nothing was known of the Russian strength and even less had been learned about the terrain over which the Allied armies were about to battle Raglan commanded an army now much reduced by disease and in very poor spirits they would have to land in the Crimea totally lacking in logistical support no tents no hospitals and no ambulances accordingly a great deal of Faith was placed in the increase of morale but leaving Bulgaria and the prospective action would bring to the flagging spirits of the man the Allies 27 000 British 30 000 French and seven thousand terms landed unopposed at kilometer Bay in the Crimea on the 14th of September 1854. but it was a full five days before the disembarkation was complete and the Allied Army could begin its March South towards sevastopol which lay 35 miles away thank you the very next day the 20th of September brought the first major engagement of the war in the Crimea if Raglan had been surprised at the calamita bay Landings had met no opposition he was soon to see the reason why arranged along the South Bank of the river Alma lay the forbidding sight of the waiting Russian army comprising 33 000 infantry and 3400 Cavalry with 28 guns set in redoubts he was commanded by its Highness Prince Alexander menschikov who had given the Tsar his personal assurance that the Allied Advance will be checked and the line at Alma hell for at least three weeks allowing time for the strengthening of the defenses at Sebastopol for the first time the two great armies had sight of their enemy the Infantry of both sides were armed with a new Mini a rifle which had replaced the earlier Flintlock baskets which would serve the British army since Waterloo and they're still muzzle loaded it was a far superior weapon accurate up to 800 yards with one round in 16 taking effect it compared very favorably with a one in 459 reportedly achieved by the old flintlock musket during the peninsula War the British in particular were to inflict great losses on tightly packed Russian positions with one ball sometimes accounting for two or three men the battle of the alma began with a French attack commanded by General Campbell bear which although wildly enthusiastic achieved living however the British light and first divisions began to make steady progress for the coal stream and Grenadier guards advancing in Splendid order up the slope shattering the Russian lions with their volleys of fire to the West the French forces managed to turn the Russians Left Flank and the Highland Brigade brilliantly commanded by Sir Colin Campbell routed the enemy right it took just one and a half hours for the Allies to complete a total Victory sending the day's Russians into Retreat towards Sebastopol and winning the British army its first major pitch battle in nearly 40 years for many British soldiers this was actually their first taste of battle and all things considered they had without doubt achieved a notable victory the moment was recalled vividly by Lieutenant Colonel Somerset J Goff calforb an officer on the headquarters staff who served throughout the campaign on the further ads about a mile and a half from the alma the British troops ceased their Pursuit and then arose such a chair the chair from twenty thousand Victorious men even some poor wounded fellows joined in I shall never forget that chair as long as I live I almost pitted the Fallen enemy it must have been so galling to them I heard a man of the guards pointing to some wounded Russians say I say Bill Pleasant for them poor Devils hearing our chaps cheers so the men were tired and many exhausted from lack of water Lord Raglan rode up and down the line of troops and the men cheered him vociferously there was such a shaking of hands one rung the hand of a friend and said God bless you old fellow so glad to see you all right but the victory had not been achieved without cost 362 men of the army of the East lay dead on the field with a further 1600 wounded the Russians whose commanders have been amazed at British courage and discipline sustained over 6 000 casualties while the British took heart and rested few could have known it but there now came the turning point in the whole campaign Lord Lucan whose Cavalry had not seen action at Alma vigorously urged Raglan to send them in pursuit of the fleeing Russians the Raglan refused the official reason this Lord Raglan gave for the failure to pursue immediately after the success at the river line of the alma was that his men were tired and that he had to give them three days rest to catch up and reorganize and be prepared to advance again that doesn't holy sound ring true the Cavalry and the Lord Lucan had not been involved in the battle directly and they were Absolutely Fresh indeed Lord Lucan did press upon Lord Raglan the desirability of following behind the Russians there and then Luke and saw that there was a great opportunity to storm Sebastopol from the north while the Russians were confused and unprepared a bowl switched strike against a weakened enemy which must surely have brought complete victory instead with the French and complete agreement Raglan opted to circumnavigate Sebastopol an attack from the south in so doing he spurned a gilt-edge chance and opened the way for the grueling months of war that was soon to follow the Russian Garrison at sevastopol commanded by Admiral cornilov seized upon its good fortune and set about strengthening its defenses while menchikov withdrew his army to the interior the main priority for the British and French was to secure their lines of Supply which reached them by sea so the army of the East passed around Sebastopol towards the shersonisi plateau it's objective the Two Harbors kamiyesh and balaclava if the troops were to be supplied from England and France it was essential that they should quickly capture a safe deep water Harbor balaclava was chosen as the target and the harbor was secured by the British on September the 26th after only token resistance from his Defenders with the port secure the Infantry moved on to the shersonisi Uplands to the south of Sebastopol leaving the two Cavalry divisions around balaclava crucially it was decided not to attack sevastible immediately can Robert and the French High command insisted on a full artillery bombardment of the town before an attempt could be made and Raglan ever mindful of the need to maintain the strength of the anglo-french alliance once again and concurred but it took eight days of back-breaking work to prepare the artillery batteries time in which the Russian defenses grew stronger as Allied morale weakened supplies had to be transported to three miles from the overcrowded Harbor at balaclava an insurmountable Supply difficulties meant no fruit or vegetables reached the troops only salt beef and biscuits drinking water became contaminated distantly broke out and most dangerously there was again a few cases of Cholera soon hard work sickness and the co-crimea Knights are combined to shatter the Euphoria of the victory at Alma the infamous reputation of the campaign for the harshness of the climate and in sanitary conditions were already beginning to establish itself the war in the Crimea was the first conflict to be recorded by the newborn Art of Photography the images seen here were shot late in the campaign and capture some of the misery which the British troops endured in that desolate landscape wrapped against the bitter cold looking more like refugees than soldiers [Music] foreign [Music] I must say I never felt anything to equal the intensity of the cold the nights became worse instead of improving the wind was so high that it literally blinded one it was with the greatest difficulty that I could make my horse face the storm one was covered with cakes of ice my beard and Mustachio were frozen up into a sort of lump and my eyes felt as if they would be sore for days to come altogether I never remember having suffered so much from the severity of climate what was worse the French had over 1200 cases of Cholera I'm told the troops die like rotten sheep literally falling upon one another It is believed by the French soldiers that many of their comrades were buried before they were actually dead although doubtless they would have died within a few hours still what a horrible idea that the second dying should be hurried into eternity and so awful a manner where the siege Works completed the artillery began its bombardment on the 17th of October but despite a week of shelling which roared death and Havoc to Sebastopol The Garrison would not yield as a baraj failed to force a Garrison into surrender and the colder night set in living conditions in the Allied camps worsened frustration inevitably sees the troops and morale plummeted to add to the Allied problems a new danger appeared intelligence reported that menshikov's 25 000 Russian troops were massing in preparation for an attack on balaclava unconvinced Raglan was skeptical of the reports and made the Fateful decision to disregard them totally and thus allowing the Russians the First Advantage in the celebrated Battle of balaclava on the 25th of October 1854. the man responsible for the defense of the vital Port of balaclava was Sir Colin Campbell an extremely able and experienced 62 year old veteran of the peninsula war and a commander of some repute to secure his defense a line of century doubts have been constructed along the causeway Heights to the north of the port about 800 yards apart and manned mostly by Turkish troops 1200 Royal Marines with 26 guns were placed on the Eastern side of the balaclava Gorge and at the entrance to the gorge were arranged the 93rd Highlanders W battery Royal artillery and a battalion of Turks the nearest Cavalry was half a mile to the South under the command of Lord Lucan but Russians had done their homework well they realized that the nearest infantry reinforcements available to Campbell were on the shersonisi plateau perhaps two hours away menchikov planned A Massive Attack on the redials from the West sending a total of 25 battalions and 78 guns under the command of General liprande to seize the position three more columns were to assault from the East whilst further infantry and Cavalry lay in reserve to the north in the North Valley and fedokini Hills although Raglan remained unconvinced of a potential attack on three doubts Lucan in command of the Cavalry was much more concerned he and Campbell had established a reasonable working relationship which brought a measure of Welcome cooperation between infantry and Cavalry lucan's concern led to daily stand tools for the Cavalry at dawn and thus as the first Russian shells hit number one redials on the 25th of October they at least were prepared to ride to the aid of the Infantry if required with surprise on their side the Russians quickly overran the redoubts the Allied Cavalry in support sustained a large number of casualties and by 7 30 a.m the situation had become hopeless the Russians now controlled all of the redoubts along the causeway Heights it was then that Raglan appeared on the scene and after surveying the battlefield from the Eastern escarpment sent orders to the first and fourth divisions of infantry to march in support of Sir Colin Campbell he also ordered Lucan with his Cavalry to withdraw to the south of the large red house where they could be protected by artillery fire from the surrounding Hills lucum was less than pleased to receive raglan's instruction it left the 93rd Highlanders only 550 strong positioned on a small Ridge North of katikayoi between the Russians and the entrance to the balaclava Gorge Sir Colin Campbell alert to the danger of the situation and managed to augment his Migra troops with 46 or wounded Guardsmen and plus a few Turks from the redoubts and the artillery of w battery before long the Russian guns from the captured redoubts began to find their range so Campbell ordered the 93rd to form up on the reverse slope of the ridge no sooner had this been done then a great many of the Turks lost their nerve and fled towards balaclava leaving the remaining men of the 93rd Highlanders awaiting the appearance of their enemy they were not long coming four eager squadrons of risott's Assad's soon galloped down the North Valley between captured redoubts four and five directly towards Campbell's 93rd Campbell formed his men into two ranks still on the reverse side of the slope ignoring the usual square formation and as a Russian Cavalry Thunder towards them he had his two lines of men make a sudden dramatic appearance at the crest of the ridge The Splendid Campbell rode along the line calling to his troops remember there's no retreat from here men you must die where you stand the charging lasagnes were stunned by the 93rd sudden appearance from Beyond The Ridge and by their unusual formation unsure of how to react their charge began to falter with the impetuous bravery which is characterized as Scottish fighting men over the centuries some men from the ranks of the 93rd instinctively began to Edge towards their foe but Campbell knew this would be fatal 93rd 93rd come over eagerness regaining their composure the Russian Cavalry charged on and as they came within range the order came to fire the first volleycourse havoc in the ranks of Ozarks although not enough to hold the charge at 250 yards range a second volley tore into the Cavalry and they reel to their left in confusion a third body into their right flank sent the hussars into full Retreat towards the causeway Heights harassed by the artillery of w battery and taunted by the ringing cheers of the 93rd Highlanders their heroic stand would be known forever as the Thin Red Line discipline and courage have always been major factors in the history of the British infantry engaged in a campaign and that was just as true in the Victorian era as it had it been into that or the great Duke of Wellington and the wars against Napoleon in many ways there was a sense of having inherited the traditions of the peninsula and of the Waterloo campaign in these regiments and they were famed for their great discipline when it came to the matter of the firefights taking the orders of the officers to fire rather than shooting off as soon as they thought they were within range they were drawn up of course in this famous double line which goes down in history as a Thin Red Line but the first actual mention of it in this particular operation refers to the thin red streak which I think scares an even better idea about how thinly stretched they were to cover the front of this cracked imposing Russian Cavalry attack which was coming in Lord Dragon watch the superb performance of Campbell's 93rd from his position above the battlefield expecting them to be overrun he had ordered Lucan to send Cavalry support to Campbell and Luke and therefore ordered Sir James Scarlett to detach eight squadrons from his heavy Brigade and ride towards kadikayoi in doing so he paved the way for another of the morning's glorious actions Scarlett was a large popular man who had never before seen battle but had been prudent enough to surround himself with the experienced Lieutenant Elliot his ADC and Colonel Beaton who acted in an advisory capacity Scarlett as ordered moved off from the foot of the sapuline ridge towards kadikaiori with his eight squadrons including the first and second Squadron in his killings fourth and fifth Dragoon's guards the Scots Graves and the Royals that Advance took them to the south of the hastily struck Light Brigade camp and vacated only a few hours earlier and passed a large Vineyard it was here that Scarlett first saw what must have been an unexpected sight the remainder of rissoff's Cavalry all 19 squadrons of them were left in all Valley and were heading directly towards them Scarlett realized it once that it'd be impossible to get all of his eight squadrons into formation for some had not cleared the camp or the vineyard roaring the order left wheel into line the second in his killings first and second graze and the fifth Dragoon guards formed up into two lines while scarlet and his officers coolly directed operations with their backs turned on the Russian advance as with the four squadrons of usars who had attacked The Thin Red Line confusion appeared to be set the Russian charge at The crucial moment an inexplicably rissoff halted his 2000 Cavalry only a hundred yards from Scarlet if you've felt the need to redeploy his men in the face of Scarlett's line he had badly underestimated the time available to him and the British strength of will whatever is reason it gave Scarlett the breathing space he needed and afforded him the completely unexpected opportunity to engage a stationary if numerically Superior enemy finally Scarlett shouted his order [Music] and that is Trumpeter to sound trot gallop and charge [Applause] this was to be the famous charge of the heavy Brigade Scarlett Elliott the trumpeter and Scarlett's huge orderly she Gog was first in the Russians at least 50 or 60 yards ahead of the Innis killings and the Scots Grays the remarkable Brigadier General was soon deep inside the Russian ranks thrusting and slicing with his sword within seconds the brass had it in his killings and the bare-skinned Scots Grays joined in the Frantic Fight For Life Corporal Goff of the Innis killings remembered the scene my horse fell and got up again and I was entangled in the saddle with my head and one of my legs on the ground he tried a girl up on but fell again but I managed to get loose a Russian Cossack was going to run me through but McNamara came up and nearly severed his head from his body so thank God I didn't get a scratch I grabbed a radulus horse whereupon a Russian rolled up I seen a pistol in the Oyster paper so I shot him in the arm it dropped his sword and I immediately run him through the body but poor Captain Neville fell from his horse and was wounded by there he had one large wound and three others in the back in these still with his fish to the Grind until thinking that they were gone raised his head to look when a Russian dismounted and cut him with a sword over his head his helmet saved his scalp but his right ear was cut into and some Cavalry rolled over him and if I dreadfully hurt by the horse's hooves private Abbott dismounted I lifted him from the ground and finally made him stand and ended finally by dragging him wildly by bodily strength to a place of safety the terrible melee continued with a tightly packed British Heavies and Russian hussars slashing at each other at the closest possible quarter incredibly only 10 minutes after Scarlett had crashed into the Russian ranks the five squadrons of British Cavalry just 500 strong again the ascendancy over the 2000 Russians and their formation began to crumble a final assault on their right flank by the fourth Dragoon guards was decisive and the Russians began at disorder Retreat towards the causeway Heights in the whole action the heavy Brigade had sustained 78 casualties the Russians 270. the amazing Sir James Scarlet had Five Wounds to his body his ADC Eliot 14. both were classified as likely wounded a French General who observed the whole action was moved to observe the victory of the heavy Brigade was the most glorious thing I ever saw Sir Colin Campbell is 93rd Highlanders cheering behind him Grace Gallant Grace I am 62 years old and if I were young again I should be proud to be in your ranks so the British had won a tremendous second victory in the developing Battle of balaclava Spirits were high and the Russians were in some disarray surely none could have foreseen the disaster that less than two hours hence were before the unfortunate Light Brigade rissoff withdrew his confused embattered Cavalry to the relative safety of the north Valley's Eastern end where they joined the eight guns of the third Don Cossack field battery in close proximity with a further 22 Russian guns making a formidable 30 pieces of artillery ranged on three sides of the valley it was to be 90 long minutes before the first moves were made to engage them time in which they took stock of the situation and reorganized their ranks time which proved fatal for the Light Brigade Raglan was desperate to take advantage of Scarlett's Victory with his heavy Brigade but he was frustrated in his plans by the painfully slow progress of the infantry divisions originally ordered onto the plane to support the 93rd Highlanders [Music] Raglan had intended the incomplete to join with the Cavalry and recapture the readouts still occupied by the Russians but he eventually lost patience and at 10 15 am sent the order to Lucan Cavalry to advance and take advantage of any opportunity to recover the heights they will be supported by the Infantry which has been ordered to advance on two fronts it was now that confusion and uncertainty began to take a grip on proceedings Luke informed up the light in heavy brigades at the West End of the North Valley between the fedakini hills and the causeway Heights he now expected to be ordered against the Russians who had been previously defeated by the heavy Brigade but with the additional guns the Russians were now in well-prepared positions and could not be attacked without infantry support what Lucan could not see however owing to the undulation of the terrain was Russian Artillery attempting to carry away guns from the redoubts on the causeway Heights carrying off the guns traditionally marked a victory in battle and it was against these men that Raglan expected Lucan to attack while Raglan from his position could clearly observe the situation Lucan was completely unaware of the fate of the guns and stayed still while he awaited the arrival of the Infantry he needed to move against his objective Raglan became very annoyed with ruken who still waited in the North Valley while the guns were still being taken away had glucan not advanced in response to his earlier order what on Earth was going on the tragedy of the Light Brigade was about to be played out with typical Victorian regard for the correct form calf hop recall the events today it's now becomes my task to record the sad catastrophe of the day if gallantry courage and daring can compensate in any way for the noble lives that were sacrificed we have every reason to be proud of the chivalry displayed indeed I question whether we can look upon it as a disaster when we consider the impression that Noble little band made upon the foe although the results was not that a victory still it will be remembered as brilliant proof of how little our troops consider the odds opposed to them when Duty points the way Raglan call forward the noted Horsemen Captain Edward Nolan a man with an uneven temper an excitable nature and issued him with his second order to be delivered to Lucan 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 male company French Cavalry is on your left it was raglan's unfortunate decision to entrust Nolan with the order which directly led to the disaster which was to follow Nolan held Lucan in contempt and had been fiercely critical in private of both the man and his Cavalry during the campaign thus far Nolan now had the perfect opportunity to compel Lucan to behave in the manner he believed befitting of a British commander Lucan who could not see the guns being carried away received the order with a mixture of bewilderment and deep concern as to all intents and purposes he was being ordered to charge formed artillery head-on and insisted Nolan return to clarify the command Nolan replied Lord raglan's orders are that the Cavalry should attack immediately to which Luke and snapped attacks her attack what what done sir Lucan of course was justified it is uncertainty he had not seen and could not see the guns in the redoubts on the causeway Heights but by now Nolan was in a state of high excitement and with mounting and subordination he thrust his arm out in the direction of the guns awaiting in excellent position at the end of the North Valley the wrong Valley there my Lord is your enemy there are your guns Lucan possibly flustered by the confusion and Nolan's highly disconcerting manner made the Fatal decision to attack the guns at the end of the North Valley the third Dawn's Cossack battery and not the guns being carried off from the redoubts on the causeway Heights he rode over to his hated brother-in-law Lord cardigan and informed him of his decision cardigan personally pointed out that a battery of guns on three sides awaited them to which Lucan replied I know it but Lord Raglan will have it and we have no choice but to obey tragically the hatred between the two men was so intense that they found it impossible to communicate further rational discussion was out of the question there was therefore no attempt to rectify the order cardigan merely turned away with the words here goes The Last of The Brood nulls and so after Lucan had issued a Stern warning against Andrew haste cardigan gave his order the mcgrade will advance three lines of the Light Brigade began to ride slowly down the van behind them and to their right were Lucan and Scarlet and the heavy Brigade but despite lukan's exhortation to maintain a walk the 600 men of the Light Brigade soon began to trot leaving the Heavies somewhere behind it was then a famous and dramatic scene occurred Captain Nolan who had sought him being granted permission to ride with the 17th Lancers in the Light Brigade suddenly Gallup Ford ahead of Cardigan yelling frantically and waving his Sable had he at last real Isaac cardigan and his Cavalry were about to attack the wrong guns was Nolan's extraordinary Behavior A desperate attempt to redirect the charge away from the waiting Cossack battery and towards the readouts on the causeway Heights history will never know for as Nolan surged forward he was shot through the chest therefore becoming the first fatality of the charge Nolan was the first man killed some grapeshawn hit him in the chest his horse turned and carried him to the rear so our advancing squadrons his screams were heard far above the battle and he fell dead from his saddle near the spot where the order had been given for the charge the face of our Cavalry increased every moment until they went thundering along the valley making the ground tremble beneath them the awful Slaughter that was going on from the fire the enemy poured into them apparently did not check their career on they went headlong to the death disregarding oughts but the subject of their attack behind the smoke and dust of the light began Lord Lucan and the Heavies were struggling to keep up before long a dangerous Gap had opened up between the two brigades and Lucan was faced with an agonizing decision should he press on and try to join the Light Brigade which you could see being cut to Ribbons before him or should he halt cut his losses and cover their inevitable Retreat down the North Valley Lucan could see little pointing continuing and so ordered the heavy Brigade to Halt shouting they've sacrificed the Light Brigade they shall not have the heavy if I can help it meanwhile the Light Brigade with Lord cardigan at its head sword ever at the slope continue to display The Dauntless courage and discipline which were to be the fame of every Victorian Army they were at the center of a storm of Cannon and grape shot which tore into their charging ranks leaving the air filled with the terrible screams of dying men and maimed in terrified horses the first line was only 100 yards from the Russian guns when they loosed off a final Dreadful volley of grape shots which ripped the line asunder leaving only 150 men remaining on Horseback incredibly Lord cardigan was among them and he rode almost contemptuously between the guns before coming face to face with the Russian Cavalry waiting behind the artillery cardigan his objective reached his duty done wheeled his horse around and canted back up the valley now soon had the light brigade's fortunate survivors arrived at the guns then they were faced with a further desperate Battle For Life as the waiting Russian Cossacks fell upon them yelling wildly bravely the Light Brigade fought on sabering the Gunners a series of bitter hand-to-hand fights ensued a sword met Lance men were run through and heads and limbs were hacked and severed as soon as the Russians saw that all our squadrons had arrived at the guns they sent a large body of Lancers to cut off our retreat Colonel shelwell at once ordered the eighthousars to wheel about and charge and was himself first to enter the Russian Lancers they offered but FEMA resistance then the eighth passed through them at four times their strength cutting down all in their way while the remainder dispersed to right and left away was thus clear for the remainder of our Cavalry to retire on a pose but not unmolested as the enemy opened upon them with grape from both sides which combined fire made fearful Havoc of the Gallant remnant of the Light Brigade two squadrons of the freak it made a brilliant attack on the Russian batteries on to their left front in silencing several guns and retiring only under overwhelming fire from the Russian Infantry it was a daring Act and one well worthy of their reputed ELO foreign the losses our light's Cavalry sustained in this Splendid but unfortunate charge were very great the shattered remains of the Light Brigade returned in battered and bleeding groups down the North Valley Lord cardigan ever the military man sought out Lucan to complain bitterly about the behavior of Captain Nolan he then grew up was left of his exhausted command man it's a mad brain trick it is no fault of mine the recriminations began almost instantly Raglan unable to believe what he had witnessed remonstrated with cardigan what do you mean sir by attacking a battery contrary to all the usages of warfare and the customs of the service my Lord I hope you will not blame me for I received the order to attack from my Superior officer in front of the troops Ken cardigan's answer with an accusing gesture towards Lucan sir said Raglan quietly you have lost the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade lasted approximately 25 minutes and covered a distance of a mile and a quarter 673 men started out on that Doom Journey towards the guns the finest Brigade of light Cavalry Britain could muster and all desperate to see action when it was over the Brigade could boast only 195 fully fit men 113 laid dead in the valley and 247 more were badly wounded unable to bear arms 475 horses had been killed with a further 42 injured the Light Brigade had paid a terrible price for its ride to Glory a day that had started so well for the British had ended in disaster the Russians had all but destroyed the Light Brigade and they had captured the guns from the readouts they still held part of the causeway Heights the British were left to reflect on a series of missed opportunities and misunderstandings in the first place the outcome of the battle of balaclava was that it denied the Russian their objective in making the attack which was of course to attack the port of balaclava destroy our bases and supply lines and thereby make our position on the camps facing Sebastopol untenable strategically you can't say it had a very great effect at all the campaign in the peninsula was going to drag on to the following September before Sebastopol itself was actually evacuated by the Russians and the war begins to move to its conclusion but of course the reason why it enters so much folklore is that it contains no less than three major episodes which the British people identified with immediately after they had reports of the battle and which had become part of our sort of national myth ever since what if Raglan at pressed home his Advantage after the battle of Alma if you take more seriously the reports of the intended Russian attack on the redials of balaclava if cardigan pursued the fleeing Russian Cavalry after the charge of the heavy Brigade perhaps most crucially of all had there not occurred that tragic confusion which sent the Light Brigade on its Infamous mission of death these questions will forever remain unanswered but they did at least leave an everlasting testimony to the courage and bravery of a gallon 600. Cannon to the right of them Cannon to the left of them cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered storm that bit shocked and shell boldly they rode and well into the chores of death into the mouth of Hell wrote the 600. [Music] [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Timeline - World History Documentaries

Views: 340,631

Keywords: Balaklava, Battle analysis, British regiments, Cavallery charges, Charge of the Light Brigade, Military campaigns, Military history, Military museums, Military uniforms, Russian Empire, Russian history, Thin Red Line, Timeline, Timeline - World History Documentaries, Timeline World History, War aftermath, War chronicles, War poetry, War propaganda, War technology, War veterans

Id: r0MK4_OyaCg

Length: 52min 33sec (3153 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 28 2023