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Old 8th October 2022, 08:56 PM   #21
Jim McDougall
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It has been a bit confusing sorting through accounts of the charge in quite a few books etc. as I wanted to understand just how many guns were the Light Brigade charging into. The numbers and positions of some vary, but it does seem mostly the Russian guns were of course field or horse artillery.

As earlier noted, the original intent of the order to the Light Brigade was to 'advance' to prevent the Russians from taking away the British guns in the redoubts on Causeway Heights.....NOT to charge the Russian guns down the North Valley!

The British guns were in four of the six redoubts captured earlier in the morning by the Russians, and believed two per redoubt. These were 12 pounder naval guns from the British ships and actually hastily constructed using boards from those same ships. Manned by Turks, they were abandoned after while under attack, no British support was forthcoming.

When Lord Raglan ordered the Light Brigade to advance to these guns, the order went to Lord Lucan, who was with the Heavy Brigade but in command of the entire cavalry there. He could not see the guns Raglan referred to, and Nolan , the officer delivering the order, in frustration pointed to the North Valley without pointing out the guns Raglan meant were on the Causeway Heights.

The Russians were using horses and lasso to move the British guns in redoubts 1,2,3 in #4 the guns were spiked and thrown down the hill.

The Light Brigade advanced knowing they were going directly into a gauntlet of Russian guns, not realizing they were meant to wheel right to the Causeway, not continue in a suicidal charge. The Heavy Brigade as well as the Royal Horse artillery were following to strengthen the potential action at Causeway.

As they advanced, the Russian guns on the left on Fedouikin Hills opened fire, there were 10 guns, the Brigades were moving at a trot and the pace gradually quickened, then as the other Russian artillery at the right on Causeway opened fire. Ironically, these were in the positions near the redoubts where the Russians were removing the British guns.

As this crossfire continued , the Light Brigade pace was feverishly increased as numbers of men and horses fell;
The French cavalry at that time took out and silenced the ten guns on the left, the Heavy Brigade seeing the cannons directly ahead at the end of the valley could see the hopeless situation and dropped back to retreat. With the guns silenced they were under no threat on the return.

The Light Brigade however, now moving faster, though no charge was ever sounded, were being torn to shreds by the Russian batteries to the right, along with musket fire from the flanks. The cannon at the end they were now riding directly into were the 3rd Don Cossacks with 6 pounder guns as well as the formidable 12 pounders known as unicorns. They had been firing round shot but were now firing exploding shells as well.

Almost ironically, among the men who had made it into the battery, in the chaos and melee, some were preparing to take the Russian guns! as I found in one reference. They were unable to regroup, and Cardigan told them they had done enough when the men insisted they were ready to 'go again' What was left of the Light Brigade straggled back down the valley.

As was well said in one reference " this charge was glorified by a poet, not a soldier".

The tragic sacrifice had accomplished nothing strategically, and in most military histories of the Crimean War, gets scant notice in the overall study.
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Last edited by Jim McDougall; 9th October 2022 at 02:49 AM.
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