The charge of the light brigade
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| Дата: | 1999 |
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| Формат: | Стаття |
| Мова: | English |
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Кримський науковий центр НАН України і МОН України
1999
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| Назва видання: | Культура народов Причерноморья |
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| Назва журналу: | Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| Цитувати: | The charge of the light brigade / O.V. Shirokov // Культура народов Причерноморья. — 1999. — № 6. — С. 468-471. — Бібліогр.: 12 назв. — англ. |
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irk-123456789-920462016-01-16T03:03:00Z The charge of the light brigade Shirokov, O.V. Материалы V научных чтений 1999 Article The charge of the light brigade / O.V. Shirokov // Культура народов Причерноморья. — 1999. — № 6. — С. 468-471. — Бібліогр.: 12 назв. — англ. 1562-0808 http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/92046 en Культура народов Причерноморья Кримський науковий центр НАН України і МОН України |
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Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
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English |
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Материалы V научных чтений Материалы V научных чтений |
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Материалы V научных чтений Материалы V научных чтений Shirokov, O.V. The charge of the light brigade Культура народов Причерноморья |
| format |
Article |
| author |
Shirokov, O.V. |
| author_facet |
Shirokov, O.V. |
| author_sort |
Shirokov, O.V. |
| title |
The charge of the light brigade |
| title_short |
The charge of the light brigade |
| title_full |
The charge of the light brigade |
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The charge of the light brigade |
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The charge of the light brigade |
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charge of the light brigade |
| publisher |
Кримський науковий центр НАН України і МОН України |
| publishDate |
1999 |
| topic_facet |
Материалы V научных чтений |
| url |
http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/92046 |
| citation_txt |
The charge of the light brigade / O.V. Shirokov // Культура народов Причерноморья. — 1999. — № 6. — С. 468-471. — Бібліогр.: 12 назв. — англ. |
| series |
Культура народов Причерноморья |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT shirokovov thechargeofthelightbrigade AT shirokovov chargeofthelightbrigade |
| first_indexed |
2025-07-06T20:42:55Z |
| last_indexed |
2025-07-06T20:42:55Z |
| _version_ |
1836931692262064128 |
| fulltext |
"THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE"
Shirokov Oleg Vladimirovich, Simferopol, Crimea, SSU engineer, authorised translations
If you’ll ask the average inhabitant of Crimea what they know about the Balaclava battle of
the Crimean War, more than likely you’ll hear; “Yes, I heard something. A lot of Englishmen were
killed.” At the same time perhaps for all Englishmen (as well as Scots, Welsh, Irishmen, many
Americans and Canadians) the image of Balaclava and inglorious battle are merged into one.
Hence, it is not surprising that on arrival in Crimea, representatives of all that nations dream
to see this infamous site. The Prime minister of the Great Britain Winston Churchill during the Yalta
Conference (February 1945) wanted to see this insignificant hill with a small monument, and here his
desire was executed. The author of this article received a letter from Canada from a simple accountant
who lives in a wood far away Crimea (from there he is connected by computer networks with the
entire world). I was surprised at how he seemed to know everything that happened on that day. He
expressed that he has only one dream--to see "Where the Thin Red Line passed". (McLean is
Canadian with Scott’s roots).
James McLean writes: "I am assuming that you know the history and that England joined
Turkey to fight the Russians to stop the Russians from gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea.
England always distrusted Russia. The charge of the Light Brigade was one of the most horrific
military blunders of all time. The only positive result of the disaster is that a famous English
correspondent watched the battle from the heights with the generals and his subsequent articles woke
up the British public to the suffering and ineptitude of the English in the Crimea". This was the first
time in history that massive photography of war was ever made and that had a major impact when
shown to the public".
All care, attention and hopes of the government, society and the press lied within the English
cavalry at this time.
With in the present system, only the first sons inherited their father’s property. All the other
sons had to purchase officer positions. So, of course they willingly came, and were accepted as
cavalry members. Indeed, there were so many purchased positions that the number of officers nearly
equaled the number of privates. Additionally, each thought that it was his duty to enter his service
with a high-quality horse. It was a point of honor. Almost all the horses in the horse regiments were
race champions.
Indeed, because of the large number of special horses that were downed at disembarking and
killed in action, that all English newspapers proclaimed this lose of quality equines a great disaster.
How did this famous fight come to pass? On October 13, 1854 Lord Raglan (the English army
commander-in-chief) and his staff stood on top of the famous Sapun-mount (known not only by
subsequently famous soviet troops storm in 1944, but also that it supplied the local inhabitants with
kyll - clay that was used as soap, "sapun" - soupy in translation). At 6 a.m. Russian general Gribbe
with the group entered the village Kamary (at present Oboronnoye), established their artillery and
began a storm of redoubt. (Redoubt — mil. outwork or fieldwork, square or polygonal and without
flanking defenses). Afterwards the artillery-shooting Azov regiment began its redoubt storm.
Redoubt was taken. On the Turkish side 170 were killed and 10 wounded. The Garrisons of the other
two redoubts left their weapons and ran in side of Balaclava. (Local town). Second, third and forth
redoubts were also taken without heavy action. From the village Khmelnitskoye the Russian artillery
under command of general Ryzhov began its assault. They were moved to Kady-koy (now the
northern part of Balaclava), but an obstacle was in their way: the 93-rd Scots regiment. James
McLean writes: "There had been two skirmishes earlier in the day which were left out of the movies
and the poem also and hence totally ignored. The first was called “The Thin Red Line” which was the
remaining (about) 200 wounded and injured 93rd Scottish Highlanders infantry. Using the same
tactics that Wellington did to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo, the 93rd Scottish Highlanders were lying
down behind a knoll on the road (leading) into Balaclava and as the 4,000 strong Russian cavalry
approached they stood up and fired their rifles".
“Turkey retreated, and herein Englishmen covered themselves with glory,” wrote Karl Marx
and Freidrich Engels (10) in admiration of Scottish bravery. Indeed, this move illustrates an
unmatched bravery which was not even duplicated at kare in a Russian approximation of this tactic:
“Let them be very close to them and only then shoot.”
After they had fired three volleys, the Russian cavalry turned and retreated. Mainly because,
the 93rd was using a new mini-rifle for the first time which fired several hundred yards farther that
what the Russians had previously been accustomed to. The Russian cavalry erroneously believed that
all the fire power was coming from a infantry unit which they could not see and so retreated.
The General could not storm Balaclava without infantry, especially since their purpose was
only to check the enemy; Russian had already “checked” and turned to the left, to Sapun-mount.
Having turned left, they were confronted with a “Heavy Brigade (the English cavalry consisted of
Heavy and Light Brigades.) The Skirmish lasted about eight minutes and the Russian cavalry
disappeared as unexpectedly, as well as happened
The second skirmish was just a short while later between the 800 men Heavy Brigade British
Cavalry and the approximately 4,000 Russian cavalrymen. The hogback (causeway) between the north
and south valleys had 6 redoubts (small forts) which the British had built, but were manned by their
Turkish allies. The Russians had come down the causeway and taken the forts and all of the British
heavy cannons. The battles took place because the British wanted their cannons back. The Heavy
Brigade engaged the Russian cavalry with a surprise assault from the side, charging uphill at them.
The Russian cavalry was completely unnerved and retreated.
Lord Raglan saw from his mount that the Russians were preparing to remove the guns they
had seized. He does not know that this is common in other redoubts, but believed so nevertheless.
Therefore, he sends captain Nolan downwards with a dire order for Lord Lukan to attack and do not
allow the Russians to export the guns.
Instead of continuing to recover the guns, the Heavy Brigade stopped because the officers had
no further orders. This also was a blunder and with the same reason. The field officers in both the
Heavy Brigade and Light Brigade did not come up through the military ranks but were officers by
"purchased commissions". At that time anyone could become a field officer if he so desired by buying
the rank. They had no military background and only acted on orders from the generals.
In the case of the Light Brigade, the generals on the heights looking down could see
everything that was happening and sent orders for the Light Brigade to charge and turn up the valley
and recover the cannons. The Light Brigade was in "dead ground" (invisible from the point) and could
not see where the cannons or the Russians were. Captain Nolan, an extremely able horseman, came
down the precipice with orders from the general about turning and charging up the valley and hitting
the Russians from the side. The mistake was that the English Field Officer in-charge headed into the
wrong valley. As McLean later writes: “While Nolan was trying to turn the troops he was killed.“
Nolan miraculously got down the abrupt hill and gave the order to Lukan at the mountain’s
foot. Because of district relief difficult lord has not seen - where were taken guns, but he saw in the
end of the valley the Russian battery with dozen of cannons and therefore sent the Light Brigade - in a
terrible three-kilometer attack.
From here seven hundred brilliant riders of the Light Brigade were sent, from which only each
fourth remained alive. Nolan, later recognized Lukan`s mistake (remember, he turned up the wrong
canyon) and tried to turn the Brigade left to engage the Russian redoubt. Here he was hit by a Russian
grenade and parished. The cavalrymen nor the commander knew the importance or his orders.
All the Russians felt assured that there would be no military actions on this auspicious day.
Yet here Cardigan’s brigade rushed along the valley. The Russian marksmen opened fire, but the
English rushed ahead so fast that they could not be stopped. Hence, the Englishmen drove Ural, and
Don’s troops back, and Ryzhov’s hussars too hotly rushed through the bridge. Nevertheless,
Cardigan realized that if he advanced any further his troops would be too deep into the Russian rear.
Therefore, at even more of a frenzied pace the English troops turned back after the sounding of
retreat.
However, the Russian military had noted that this mad attack was not supported by either
artillery of infantry. Therefore, the Odessa marksmen, light-batteries and regiments were made ready
the shoot through the valley. If Cardigan had chosen another way as a deviation, history would have
been entirely different.
This Lord’s magnificent contempt of danger or his easy success simply made him hot. So he
send his brigade back by this very same valley, already covered with the bodies of dead Englishmen
and their once magnificent horses.
Volley followed volley, the marksmen having advanced the most frequent fire. Then the
three squadrons of Uhlans rushed with peaks a-tilt. An individual soldier pursued Cardigan but his
horse, renowned throughout all England as a race champion, rushed him quickly from the miserable
remains of the famous Light Brigade.
Here began hell - at the left and from the right - from Fediukhin hills and ex-Turkish redoubts
rushed swarms of projectiles and bullets on the English cavalry. The attack, taking of batteries and
subsequent retreats by the English, all passed under hurricane fire. Englishmen called this place the
valley of death. To us this place is simply known as "Golden gorge" because it’s the location of
perfect champagne production.
The Light Brigade charged the 1.5 miles into the valley with Russian cannons roaring on both
sides and cannons and infantry at the other end of the valley. They charged in 3 lines (total of 700
men on horses). Of the first 300, only 50 reached the turnaround and of the 700, only 200 came back.
This charge is what the “poem was all about,” writes James McLean.
After all this military action, the Cossacks caught the English horses and sold them to there
old officers very cheaply. Saved from death, Cardigan was accused of having disgracefully left
his brigade and fleeing the field of battle. General Suleiman-pasha was brought to military court and
sentenced to death to be later released with a demotion to private for seven years.
Willebrandt was sent to inform the Tsar about the victory at Balaclava. For many days he
rode, and after having reported the victory, soon slept like the dead. When he awoke, he found that
he had been made a colonel of the artillery. Nikolai kissed Willebrandt and left him in the palace to
have dinner and rest.
At Arab-Tabia hill, there is a monument for the lost with a plague in Russian and English
which reads: "In memory of Those who fell in the battle of Balaclava 25th October 1854".
After receiving the news about battle “in hot traces,” K. Marx and F. Engels nevertheless
remarked that "both armies were separated from each other by more than shooting distance and the
firing of guns and cannons was nearly stopped. Suddenly one, strange miscalculation made the
English Light cavalry rush into a senseless attack. They finished in defeat"(10).
Two films were produced about "The Charge Of The Light Brigade", one in 1936 (Warner
Bros.), the second in 1968 (Genres — Adventures, Policy, Drama, War, History).
In the 1936 film (producer, Jack Sullivan) Count Igor Volonoff acts, as well as the exotic,
local inhabitant, Surat Khan. The 1968 film (producer, Tony Richardson) was one of first for the
young actress Vanessa Redgrave, who is now well known because of her films "Blow-Up" by
Antonioni and "The Murder in Orient Express".
The author of this article has seen the Second film during his work on the English cinema
company "Sharpe" (the film was not translated into the Russian language and therefore is unknown in
Crimea and Russia.) The film makers attempted to reproduce the distinct natural conditions of Crimea
while filming in Turkey, but this has resulted in a series of oversights in films, oversights of which it
is necessary tell my readers.
The film begins with an animation plot in which the British audience is told why this
inglorious war was begun. It goes something like this: the English lion sleeps, the French cock
surveys and supervises all that occurs in Europe, a Turkey peacefully grazes in a meadow. Clearly,
this peaceful picture will be infringed upon by the visit of the next symbol of “state” - and here he
goes, the great Russian bear and begins turn the turkey’s neck. The Cock loudly crows and wakes the
sleeping lion. The latter stands up and here begins a fight of two giants (what is not understandable
is why the boxing ring is in the bear’s den, and not in hen-house, or, for example in the lion’s den).
The acting persons of film — Lord Lukan, Lord Raglan, captain Nolan...
On screen — ships, coming to huge bay. The sign on the screen read "Calamita Bay". The
English sailors disembarked for a week and then? went to the desert (resembling something between
the Sahara and Kara-Kum) and eventually went to a powerful river, as big as the Nile with a sign that
said "river Alma". No doubt everyone recognizes our native Crimea (probably a few decreased in
sizes for the last 140 years.)
Similar exaggerations are easy to explain even though Englishmen wont admit their mistakes.
"The Charge Of The Light Brigade" represents an eternal sadness for Englishmen. Because of this the
English want to see the heroism and the difficulties that were overcome by the defenders of the
British army in Crimea — and, certainly, we can excuse them for their small-sized inaccuracy.
James Mc Lean writes: “Thanks for the information. I think the film ‘The Charge of the Light
Brigade’ that you saw was the 1935 movie with Errol Flynn. It was very inaccurate historically. The
film was made again in 1968 which was much more historically accurate but still had many errors[,]
particularly to do with the English officers in order to make a more interesting movie; however the
battle itself was fairly accurate. The film was made this time as an anti-war movie and was a scathing
attack on military and political corruption.”
I think, that after release of last film on this theme enough years have passed and Englishmen
should be able to make a new, more accurate film on the same topic and, at last, on the actual site —
Crimea (and to thus fill up the empty Crimean budget). The Crimean war has attracted large interest
over all of Europe and of course from two young journalists from the Folkisher Beobachter
newspaper: Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels
Many articles were written by them on war histories tracks, such as: "The war in Crimea",
"Battle upon Balaclava", "News from Sevastopol." It is interest that the article "The battle on Alma"
as it seems, used non-checked information, and as a result mistake were made. In the article it is
proved that "...in three miles from the sea the river Alma makes the bend look like half-moon... The
south coast of river is mostly formed by a cliff with heights reaching 300 ft..." (more than 100
meters). Probably the inhabitants from the villages Peschanoiye and Vilino will be strongly
surprised, that very recently their regions had the something resembling The Grand Canyon of
Crimea.
James McLean writes: I am assuming that you don't know why this place is so popular for the
English and British too; forgive me if I am wrong. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote one of the most
famous English poems ever called “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” This is why the Balaclava site
is so popular and why two movies were made about it. Every school boy (or girl) learns this poem in
literature class (at least they used to; maybe not anymore!). All this because the Great Britain school
program includes well-known poems which young Britons are to learn by heart (like our Borodino,
conducting the analogy on location and time).
Moreover he testifies and also about one more tragedy of that time: "By the way, you may not
know why Scottish Highlanders were fighting with the English. The English would go into the high
lands of Scotland to force every able bodied man they came across into their military. If a man
refused, the English would murder him and his entire family. If he joined, the English would provide
for his family and if he fought very well, his family was better provided for".
However, they knew when they were leaving (the Scots) that they would never come back;
they would have to fight until they were killed. Also speaking of the English, did you know that the
English were behind what was called "The High Land Clearances". "During the 18th and 19th
centuries Highland Scots were forced off the highlands and had to flee their homes; at least 50%
either emigrated, were sold into slavery or those who were not strong enough to flee or refused to flee
were killed. The reason was that previously individuals did not own land but each clan owned its own
territory which was used by all clan members. The English brought in specific land ownership and the
land was turned into tracts at large farm land on which there was no place for most of the people so
they were cleared out. If you go through the centuries of English history, the evil and murderous
deeds of the English rank up there with the worst" (By the way during this time the works of Marx
and Engels are also full of lists of abused Scots).
In conclusion, it is necessary to mention that in all of Great Britain (as well as France, USA
and Canada) you will come across hotels, pubs and restaurants named Sevastopol, Balaclava, and
certainly Alma. (And the Alma square, place of princess Diana death too) And English actors took
part in a "Sharpe" serial in Crimea about English heroes too, but on fields of Spain. It showed how to
fight for England. While there they drank our champagne "Zolotaya balka" with pleasure (Golden
gorge), grown from grapes that were fertilized by bones of their ancestors.
The literature:
1. Venikeyev Eugene. Sevastopol routes. Tauria 1988. p.58-59.
2. Cinema encyclopedia on CD.
3. Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), film.
4. Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), film.
5. James McLean. Charge of the Light Brigade, e-mail.
6. K.Marx. F.Engels. Sevastopol. Works. Pub.2. V. 9, p. 449.
7. K.Marx. F.Engels.. Sevastopol Mystification. Works. Pub.2. V. 10, p. 522.
8. K.Marx. F.Engels. Battle on Alma. Works. Pub.2. V. 10,p. 526.
9. K.Marx. F.Engels. Battle on Chiornaya river. Works. Pub. 2. V. 10, p. 541.
10. K.Marx. F.Engels. Balaclava battle. Works. Pub. 2. V. 10, p. 550-556.
11. K.Marx. F.Engels.. Sevastopol battle. Works. Pub. 2. V. 9, p. 449.
12. S.N.Sergeyev-Tsenski. Sevastopol suffer, in 3 vol., St.lit.print., M., 1952, v.1, p. 407 - 448.
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