Battle of Balaclava

An 1854 battle of the Crimean War fought near Sevastopol, remembered for the British defense of the Thin Red Line and the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Charge of the Light Brigade: A British cavalry charge into a Russian artillery-filled valley during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854. The most famous action began when an ambiguous order sent the brigade into the North Valley.
Crimean War: A war fought from 1853 to 1856 between Russia and an alliance including the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and Sardinia. Balaclava was one episode in the Allied campaign against Russian power in Crimea.
FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan: A British field marshal who commanded the Allied army in Crimea during the Crimean War. His orders to the cavalry became central to explanations of the Light Brigade’s charge.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (poem): A poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1854 about the Light Brigade’s charge at Balaclava. It turned a military disaster into a celebrated account of obedience and sacrifice.
Thin Red Line: The nickname for the 93rd Highlanders’ defense against Russian cavalry at Balaclava. The regiment’s stand on the British right helped prevent a Russian breakthrough toward Balaclava.
Balaklava: A port town on Crimea’s southern coast, used as the British base during the siege of Sevastopol. Its harbor and supply routes made its defense central to the battle’s stakes.
James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan: A British cavalry officer who commanded the Light Brigade at Balaclava. He led the brigade into the North Valley and survived the charge.
Florence Nightingale: A British nurse and hospital reformer who worked with the army during the Crimean War. Her work at Scutari became part of the public reckoning with conditions revealed by the war.
Heavy Brigade charge: A British cavalry attack that broke a larger Russian cavalry force at Balaclava. Its successful countercharge contrasted with the Light Brigade’s disastrous advance.
Sevastopol: A port city on the Black Sea whose Russian naval base was besieged by Allied forces during the Crimean War. The campaign’s siege of Sevastopol shaped the battle’s strategic purpose.

Linked from 7 pages