The Cause of the Charge of Balaclava

Oct 25^th
1854

by

Thomas Morley

17^TH Lancers
The Man of the Hour

Entered at Stationers Hall.  All Rights Reserved.

The Man of the Hour!

(SEE 19th CENTURY, MAY, 1892.)

THOMAS MORLEY,

Late Sergeant of 17th Lancers,
Captain of Cavalry through American Civil War.

INTRODUCTION.

The charge of the Light Brigade, one of the most magnificent assaults known in Military annals, and one of the greatest blunders known to military tactics, has never yet been properly described.  This may be accounted for by the party bias which has colored all accounts of the battle according to the views entertained by the various writers.  Having seen so many of these accounts for the last forty four years in various newspapers and Magazines, and having been interviewed myself many times I have felt impelled to write what I know about the action, and to give a plain unvarnished account of the same without indulging in any fine language or in technicalities, but using only soldiers’ phrases and giving the details “with malice toward none” and the truth about all.

The British Cavalry in the Crimea consisted of five heavy regiments, called the Heavy Brigade, commanded by General Scarlett, and five light regiments called the Light Brigade, commanded by Lord Cardigan.  Attached to the cavalry was one troop of the Royal Horse Artillery comprising six guns, commanded by Captain Maude.  This Cavalry Division was commanded by the Earl of Lucan who had his headquarters at Balaclava Harbour, his command being in camp about two miles nearer to Sebastopol.  Their duty was to defend Balaclava, which was the depot of supplies for the British Army engaged in the siege of Sebastopol.

In addition to the Cavalry Division Sir Colin Campbell commanded about eight hundred Highlanders (Scotch Infantry), and in camp near Balaclava we had also some sailors and marines stationed on the heights near the harbour and a British frigate was moored so that her broadside could protect it.  There were in addition about twelve hundred irregular Turkish Infantry commanded by Rustem Pasha, stationed in three redoubts, armed with seven old British ship guns, a little more than a mile from the supplies.  There were also three other redoubts thrown up to form a chain on the ridge of the Causeway Heights leading to Sebastopol.  The last three were not mounted with guns.  All these precautions were taken by Lord Raglan in case the Russians should make a descent on Balaclava in force, which they did before daybreak on the 25th of October, 1854.

THE ATTACK.

Lord Lucan knew that the Russians were in strong force near his pickets, and yet he did not strengthen them or patrol the small front he had to protect, while his cavalry pickets knew nothing of the Russian advance until the Turks opened fire, they just saved themselves from capture or annihilation by being better mounted than the enemy.

The Turkish General seemed to have understood his duty better than either Lord Lucan or Sir Colin Campbell, for he advanced his pickets, sent out patrols, and hoisted ensigns in his three redoubts to signal to the British that the Russians were advancing.  Lord Lucan and Sir Colin Campbell and staffs and others riding near the Turkish redoubts before daybreak observed ensigns flying on their parapets and asked one another what it meant, thus exposing their ignorance, but they did not take the trouble to find out the meaning of it, and no one can learn from any history thus far published how long these ensigns had been flying.  They had very likely been flying all night.  Had Sir Colin Campbell but thrown out a Corporal’s guard to watch the redoubts it might have been the means of getting re-enforcements down from Sebastopol before daylight and preventing us from losing the guns and redoubts and the annihilation of the Light Brigade, and the loss of the only road for supplies.  Lord Lucan with his attendant staff went riding round till break of day, when the Turks opened fire, being the first to find the Russians and the first to attack them.  Lord Paget was with Lord Lucan’s staff and when the Turks opened fire he galloped to the Light Brigade and took command in the absence of Lord Cardigan, who was on board his private yacht then lying in Balaclava Harbour.

The British forces, as was the custom, turned out every morning about two hours before daylight, and on this eventful morning the men of the Cavalry Division were standing to their horses for nearly two hours, shivering in the cold fog.

But at the first or second shot fired they mounted, and the heavy Brigade advanced at a trot followed by the Light Brigade and Horse Artillery.  The Light Brigade halted near number 3 redoubt and the heavy Brigade halted two hundred yards in advance of it.

The Horse Artillery took up position just before it came to number 3 redoubt and opened fire on the Russian Artillery, nothing but smoke from their guns being perceived.  The heavy Brigade moved first to its left, then back again to its right, several times.  Lord Lucan calls that a demonstration.  They could not see the Russians, and the Russians could neither see nor hear the heavy Brigade.  If they had, they would not have been firing at the white smoke above the black fog of the Turkish redoubts and our Horse Artillery, but would have sent a volley into the heavy Brigade.  Our Artillery was only wasting the ammunition, and when they finally saw the Russians they had no ammunition, and had made no provision to get any.  Daylight was now approaching and Lord Cardigan arrived fresh from off his yacht.  To think of a General with an important command during an active campaign sleeping on his yacht while his command was about to fight the enemy!

Think of his vessel taking up such valuable space in the harbour, while we could not get ammunition landed nor even medicine!  He no sooner arrived at his Brigade than he ordered it to retire by alternate Regiments, leaving Lucan and his “demonstration” to their fate.  This was done without orders.  We were then supporting the heavy Brigade.  The Light Brigade retired past the Horse Artillery position just as Captain Maude was being carried off on a stretcher severely wounded.  We retired about one hundred yards past his command and remained in that position watching the Artillery fire all its ammunition away.  When it did finally retire, the heavy Brigade also retired.  Lord Lucan had now found out that an army of Russians had manoeuvred around his cavalry pickets, and that thirty guns and ten thousand Infantry had taken up position within one and half mile of Balaclava and supplies, and opened fire on the three Turkish redoubts before his cavalry