Charge of the Light Brigade 1854
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 25 October 1854 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1854 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Ukraine | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Battle of Balaclava | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 44.5378, 33.6242 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Brigade, led by Lord Cardigan, mounted a frontal assault against a Russian artillery battery which was well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire. The charge was the result of a misunderstood order from the commander-in-chief, Lord Raglan, who had intended the Light Brigade to attack a different objective for which light cavalry was better suited, to prevent the Russians from removing captured guns from overrun Turkish positions. The Light Brigade made its charge under withering direct fire and reached its target, scattering some of the gunners, but was forced to retreat immediately.
The events were the subject of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's narrative poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1854), published six weeks after the event. Its lines emphasise the valour of the cavalry in carrying out their orders regardless of the risk. Responsibility for the miscommunication is disputed, as the order was vague and Captain Louis Nolan, who delivered the written orders with some oral interpretation, was killed in the first minute of the assault.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Charge of the Light Brigade (revision 1380693685), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Thin Red Line (Battle of Balaclava) 1854 · 3 km
- Battle of Balaclava 1854 · 6 km
- Battle of Inkerman 1854 · 6 km
- Battle of Malakoff 1855 · 9 km
- Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) 1941 · 10 km
- Battle of the Great Redan 1855 · 12 km
Other battles of the Battle of Balaclava
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