The Gallant Six Hundred

[Captain of Dragoons]

Finished reading 'The Gallant Six Hundred: A Tragedy of Obsessions' by John Harris. Older book on the charge published 1974. Picked up at the local library.

Good book focusing on the cavalry (and the four characters - Raglan, Lucan, Cardigan and Nolan) to Balaclava.

The description of the charge itself increased the heart rate. The arthur puts most of the blame on Nolan and Raglan. It is a favourable assessment of Lucan as a divisional commander.

Intersting, have you watched the movie 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' where Nolan realizes his mistake and tries to correct it but is killed by the first shell. This comes from Kinglake who was a patron of the Raglan family who put this foward in his book on Raglan. However the arthur - John Harris - puts foward examples of participants of were part of the charge that did not believe this to be true.

Fitz Maxse (Officer, 13th Light Dragoons)

Letter to The Times: " He had no recollection of Nolan's divergence in the line of the advance....either by deed or gesture until after he was killed"

Letter to his brother: "Nolan, was killed close to me and Kinglake's account is...absurd (this word heavily underlined) as to Nolan wanting to charge any other guns but which he did'.

Nolan began the charge next to his friend Morris who believed that Nolan merely spurred ahead in his wild excitement and was intending to charge the guns down the valley.

All intersting stuff, we will probably never know.

cheers
Edward

[thinredline]

"The first casualty of war is the truth".

With Nolan dead, and everyone else who survived, or witnessed the unfolding events, I can only suggest that you would have to have the criminoligist mind of a superhero as per Sir Arthur Conon Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to work it out.

There is too much water under the bridge since the actual event, and given that most survivors in any form of authority had their personal axe to grind, or more likely "reputations" to maintain, then Nolan seems a perfect scapegoat. Dead men cannot protect their honour or integrity.

I could mention several of his motives for actually purposely misdirecting Cardigan down the North Valley, but would rather speculate on why Lucan halted the Heavy Brigade in their support of the Light Brigade. Certainly, the Light Brigade took losses charging cannon to the front as would be expected, but Rhysov's 2000 cavalry supporting the Russian Artillery was the coup de grace. Had the Heavy Brigade pushed home - the Russian Cavalry may possibly have run, just as they did a few hours previously when the Heavy Brigade had charged them (and uphill at that - go on the Greys and Inniskillens).

I doubt if we will ever know, just like the assasination of JFK, there was too much vested interest and conjecture then to muddy the books. After all each of ten witnesses to an accident will report a different version to some extent.

My summary would be to honour the courage, discipline and professionalism of the 673 officers and men of the Light Brigade. They knew the order was foolhardy if not suicidal, but they did it, and took the guns irrespective, if only for a short while ! Says a lot about the men in our armed forces.

Thinredline

[obriendavid]

I remember reading in some book a few years ago that the French sent some cavalry down the valley to escort the survivors back and to prevent the Russian cavalry from pursuing. Do you have recollections of this Bob?

I still find it strange that so much is made of the Light Brigade which was a disaster but hardly anyone knows about the charge of the Heavy Brigade which was such an outstanding success.

Cheers
Dave

[thinredline]

Hi Dave,

Balaclava was full of surprises ! The Turks held out in the redoubts long enough for the Brits to mobilise. The Infantry being further away in their encampments (closer to Sevastapol) took longer to come to bear against the Russians.

With the Turks ousted from the Wormov Road Redoubts, the only thing standing in the way of the Russians taking Balaclava Harbour and/or cutting that supply line was 6 companies of the 93rd, invalides and a rag tag of odds and bods who formed "the thin red streak tipped with steel". Supporting them, were 1200 Royal Marines and Artillery on the heights above Balaclava. This artillery helped stop the Russian cavalry advance on the thin red line.

Raglan sent the Heavy Brigade to support, and the main Russian Cavalry force of 2000 appeared uphill of them on the Heavy Brigade's left flank.
The Russians stood and watched as Scarlett wheeled his cavalry into line and then charged piece meal uphill - 850 v's 2000, and put them to flight . A charge even Kellerman could be proud of .

Having been routed, the Russian Cavalry formed up again behind the gun batteries that the infamous charge would be made against later that day. I should point out that the Heavy Brigade also went down the North Valley in support of the Light Brigade, only that they did not press home the charge and were pulled up by Lucan, and retired having lost more casualties to the two crossfires than in their sucessful charge on the Russian Cavalry in the morning.

Having suffered the loss of 475 horses, (out of 673) the Charge effectively finished the Light Brigade as an operational cavalry unit. Those men and horses who did make it back, did so under the harrassment of Cossacks, but thanks to the deployment of the 1st and 4th Chasseurs d' Afrique under D'Allonville, the Russians deployed on the Fedoukine heights had other things on their mind, in fact the French were quite successful, and good on them.

The whole episode swung one way , then the other, and ended up in the loss of the Light Brigade. See how the Alma goes, and maybe the League of Gentlemen would like to muse over what might have been at Balaclava on a 10:1 ratio

Thinredline

[obriendavid]

Balaclava was full of surprises ! The Turks held out in the redoubts long enough for the Brits to mobilise. With the Turks ousted from the Wormov Road Redoubts, the only thing standing in the way of the Russians taking Balaclava Harbour and/or cutting that supply line was 6 companies of the 93rd, invalides and a rag tag of odds and bods who formed "the thin red line tipped with steel".

Bob, the Turks held the redoubts on their own for over an hour and the only British troops that came to support them was a battery of horse artillery, who were also the first troops to retreat. The Turks fought the Russians from redoubt to redoubt unsupported before they finally retreated but 600 of them formed up on the left flank of the 93rd but typically their involvement is generally ignored in British circles.

You'll have gathered from my comments that I am a strong supporter of the Turks during the war and will be happy to command them during the LOGW weekend next year.
Cheers
Dave

[thinredline]

500 Turks heroically held out in Redoubt No.1 for over an hour before being overwhelmed by vastly superior numbers and under overwhelming Artillery fire. There are reports of the survivors of the assault having literally been "put to the sword" It might be interesting to note that the British NCO in charge of the Redoubt guns did manage to spike the three guns there before "ESCAPING". So in Redoubt No.1 Johnny Turk fought and died, whilst the Birtish NCO "escaped"

Maude's Battery of RHA were sent in support, but outgunned, outranged, and short of ammunition were withdrawn under enemy fire.

After Redout No.1 collapsed, the remaining Redoubt garrisons under heavy fire and adavncing vastly superior numbers fled back to Balaclava Harbour. You are of course correct Dave, 600 Turks lined up with the 93rd. and were reinforced by Campbell rallying those fleeing from the Redoubts. Along with the remaining two companies of the 93, (550 Highlanders in total), 100 hundred invalids and 40 men from Balaclava , and the Turks formed the line. But the Turks ran, leaving the Brits on their own when the Russian Cavalry appeared.

One distinction I would make as to the Turks was whether they were Nizam (Regulars), or Redif (Reserves), and Bashi Bazouks (Irregulars in the strictest sense of the term) Tose under British command were Redif.

Whilst 7000 Turks landed at Kalamita Bay they were uncommitted by the Allies at The Alma. Following Balaclava, the Allies basically used them as labourers. Their reputation, as perceived by the Russians was quite different, having fought them before the Crimea, General Bogdanovich also stated in 1877 "The Turkish Infantry is not well suited to action on the open field but nevertheless stubbornly maintains itself in fortifications" Sounds like a precursor to Gallipoli to me

Their actions at Kerch, Eupatoria and Kars were very favourably reported upon by British Staff attached with them. If you also consider that the Tunisian Contingent of 10,000 supplied, 7,000 died on the campaign it shows the level of depravation that they were subjected to.

One thing stands out, their courage was unquestionable, even if it slipped a wee bit at Balaclava after Redoubt No.1 fell.

Omar Pasha it is Mr O'Brien, and maybe we can tinker with R2E to reflect their "stubborness in fortifications"

[obriendavid]

Maude's Battery of RHA were sent in support, but outgunned, outranged, and short of ammunition were withdrawn under enemy fire.

Exactly what was happening to Turks but their reputation gets trashed when they retreat.

There were actually 5 or 6 redoubts but the last one had only been drawn out and the others had only just been started so their defensive capabilities were severely limited but after No1 fell the Turks retreated to the others and had to be winkled out one by one shows their stamina. Most accounts also ignore the fact that the Turks had already fought the Russians to a standstill in the Balkans and they were ready to sign a peace treaty before the so called Allies turned up invaded the Crimea and continued the war for another two years. The Russians in the Balkans were also under threat from the Austrians so that would be another what-if scenario to add into the weekend next year and it would be a good excuse for me to get my Austrians out.

Feldzug Meister, Pasha O'Brien

[thinredline]

Redout 5 was unmanned and incomplete, Redoubt 6, on paper only

As you also menation, partially complete, and brush in front had not been cleared away, giving the Russian skirmishers plenty of cover for the advance.

When it also comes to stamina, "The Sick Old Man of Europe" outlasted their bitter rivals by one year. Tsar Nicholas II got the bullet before the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist

Bob

[Captain of Dragoons]

All Turks aside One of my favorite lines in 'The Gallant Six Hundred: A Tragedy of Obsessions' is made by British Officers when describing the Russian Cavalry after Balaclava:

If the Russian Cavalry had shown more courage - like English Ladies - none of us would of got out alive

When I read that I think I laughed for five minutes.