Armchair History: The Charge of the Light Brigade

Introduction

• Presenter: Griffin Johnson
• Collaboration with Brandon F on YouTube
  • Brandon covers cultural aspects
  • Griffin covers the specific event: Charge of the Light Brigade

Context: Crimean War

• Second year of the Crimean War
• British forces besieging Russian garrison in Sevastopol
• Russian attempt to break siege by attacking port city of Balaclava
  • Aimed to disrupt Allied supply line
• British and Turkish forces deployed against Russians

Battle Overview

• Russian army captured the first defensive line but failed at the main line held by British and Turkish
• British Heavy Brigade engaged early while Light Brigade remained static
  • Frustration for cavalry expert Captain Nolan

Key Figures

• Captain Nolan: Cavalry expert, advocated for Light Brigade's engagement
• Lord Raglan: Head commander, cautious about deploying Light Brigade
• Lord Lucan: Commander of both Heavy and Light Brigades
• Lord Cardigan: Commander of Light Brigade

The Order

• Eventually, Lord Raglan decides to deploy Light Brigade
• Task: Eliminate Russian soldiers carrying away British artillery
• Nolan delivers ambiguous verbal order to Lucan
  • Confusion about direction due to miscommunication
  • Possible intentional misdirection by Nolan

The Charge

• Light Brigade mistaken direction towards full Russian army
• Entered valley under heavy artillery and infantry fire
• Captain Nolan killed early in charge

The Encounter

• Heavy casualties for Light Brigade
• French cavalry temporarily assists
• Failure of Heavy Brigade to support due to feud between commanders

Aftermath

• Many casualties, no practical gain
• Russian acknowledgment of British bravery
• Speculation about Nolan’s true intentions

Conclusion

• Discussion on Nolan’s intentions ongoing among historians

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to patrons and Armchair History team
• Encouragement to view associated content on broader conflict impact
• Promotion of collaborator Brandon F and future content announcements