The Crimean War of 1853–1856 was perhaps the first major armed conflict in human history in which the press began to play a serious role.

The mood in England and France was greatly influenced by reports from reporters from the battlefield. The assessment of certain events, as well as the course of the war as a whole, largely depended on what kind of “picture” the newspapermen gave.

If in Russia the Crimean War was reflected later, in the works of writers, then in Britain and France it was journalists who created the canonical idea of ​​the war in Crimea.

A striking example of this is the Battle of Balaklava, which enriched English mythology with two events known as the “charge of the light cavalry” and the “thin red line”.

In mid-October 1854, Russian troops attempted to ease the situation of Sevastopol, blocked by Anglo-Franco-Turkish forces, by striking in the direction of the main British base in Crimea - the port of Balaklava.

The operation was led by the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in Crimea, Prince Menshikov, Lieutenant General Pavel Liprandi.

Turkish run

Liprandi had 16 thousand people at his disposal: the Kiev and Ingermanland Hussars, the Ural and Don Cossacks, the Azov, Dnieper infantry, the Odessa and Ukrainian Jaeger regiments and a number of other units and units.

Balaclava, where the camp and military warehouses of the allied forces were located, was covered by four fortified redoubts, the defense of which was held by Turkish soldiers and British artillerymen.

The striking force of the Allied group at Balaklava, numbering 4,500 people, was two English selected cavalry brigades - the heavy cavalry brigade James Scarlett and light cavalry brigade James Cardigan.

The battle on October 13 (October 25, new style) took place in the valleys north of Balaklava, bounded by the low Fedyukhin Mountains.

At about five o'clock in the morning, Russian infantry drove the Turks out of the first redoubt after a swift bayonet attack.

It should be noted that the Ottoman units located in Crimea were not the best in the Turkish army and were distinguished by low fighting qualities. That is why the three other redoubts, as well as the nine British artillery located on them, fell to the Russians virtually without a fight.

Moreover, the British had to stop the flight of their allies by opening fire on those running.

After the successful start of the battle, General Liprandi ordered the hussar brigade to attack the English artillery park. However, the reconnaissance of the Russian army made a mistake - instead of artillerymen, the hussars encountered a brigade of heavy English cavalry.

The meeting was unexpected for both sides. In the ensuing battle, the Russians managed to push back the British, but the commander of the hussar brigade developed the offensive Lieutenant General Ryzhov did not take risks, withdrawing the unit to its original positions.

"The Thin Red Line"

The key moment of the battle, according to many historians, was the attack of the 1st Ural Cossack Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Khoroshkhin at the position of the 93rd Scottish Infantry Regiment.

According to the English version, this regiment remained the last cover for the Allied forces against the Russian breakthrough into the military camp in Balaklava.

To hold the large front of the Cossack attack, the Scots commander Colin Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in lines of two, instead of the lines of four provided for in such cases by the regulations.

The Scots repulsed the Cossack attack.

The defense of the Scottish Highlanders from the advancing Cossacks was enthusiastically described by English journalists. The Scots' uniform was red, and the Times newspaper correspondent William Russell described the defenders as “a thin red strip bristling with steel.”

The expression “thin red line” as a symbol of courageous defense with the last bit of strength came into stable circulation, first in England and then in other Western countries.

Journalists also described such a dialogue between Campbell and his adjutant John Scott:

There will be no order to leave, guys. You must die where you stand.

Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

In reality, everything was somewhat different from what the British wrote. The 93rd Regiment was not at all the last line of defense. In his rear there were British artillery positions, and in Balaklava itself a detachment of the Royal Marines was ready to enter the battle.

In addition, most of the Russian cavalry was busy fighting with a British heavy cavalry brigade, so the attacking forces were also limited. It is also worth adding that, according to a number of historians, the Scottish regiment defended itself not alone, but with part of the Turkish units that retreated from the redoubts.

But the British to this day prefer to believe in that “thin red line” that English journalists described to them 160 years ago.

The Thin Red Line, painting by Robert Gibbs.

Lord's Wrath in Raglan

After repelling the Cossack attack and the retreat of the hussar brigade to their original positions, the battle seemed to be coming to an end with an outcome acceptable to the allies - Russian troops failed to reach the English camp and disrupt the supply of the expeditionary force of the Anglo-Franco-Turkish forces.

However, Lord Raglan, the commander of the British forces in the Crimea, had a different opinion. The commander, who in his youth lost an arm in the Battle of Waterloo, after which he gave his name to a new type of clothing sleeve that allowed him to hide this defect, was extremely angry at the loss of nine English guns at the beginning of the battle.

The emblems of the army and the state were on the guns, and the lord considered it a shame to meekly leave the English guns to the Russians as a trophy.

Monument to the British fallen in the Crimean War 1854–1856. The monument was erected near Sapun Gora near the Sevastopol-Balaklava road in connection with the 150th anniversary of the end of the Crimean War.

Arriving at the battlefield, when there was already a lull, the commander, pointing his hand at the Russian soldiers who were taking away the guns from the captured redoubts, ordered to recapture the guns at all costs. Order to the commander of the English cavalry Lord Lucan was transmitted in the form of a note with the following content: “Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to move quickly to the front line in pursuit of the enemy, and try to prevent the enemy from taking away the guns. A horse artillery unit may also join. The French cavalry is on your left flank. Immediately".

English cannon meat. Aristocratic

When sent with a note Captain Nolan I gave it to Lord Lucan, who asked: what kind of weapons are we talking about?

The fact is that at the other end of the valley there were well-protected positions of heavy Russian artillery.

Nolan waved his hand vaguely towards the Russian positions, saying something like: “Over there!”

Then Lucan gave the order to the commander of the English light cavalry brigade, Lord Cardigan, to attack the positions of the Russian artillerymen. Cardigan logically objected: a cavalry attack across an open plain on an artillery position would be suicidal. Lucan, without arguing with this, noted: an order is an order.

More than 600 English cavalrymen rushed to the attack. This really came as a surprise to the Russians. Under cross, but rather chaotic fire from Russian positions, the British reached the guns and partially destroyed the artillery crews. However, a counterattack by Russian cavalry forced the British to retreat.

The retreat was terrible - the Russian troops, who understood what was happening, rained down hurricane fire on the cavalrymen, practically destroying the brigade as a combat unit.

Here is the Times' description of the final moment of the attack: “So we watched them rush into the battery; then, to our delight, we saw that they were returning, breaking through the column of Russian infantry, scattering it like a haystack. And then they - having lost formation, scattered throughout the valley - were swept away by a flank salvo from a battery on the hill. The wounded and lost cavalrymen running towards our positions testified more eloquently than any words to their sad fate - yes, they failed, but even the demigods could not have done more... At 11:35 there were no more British soldiers left in front of the damned Muscovite guns except the dead and dying..."

How shame became a legend

The light cavalry brigade, composed of people from the best aristocratic families of England, fought on the best horses, was turned into “cannon fodder”, which was enough for twenty minutes of battle.

Surprisingly, in English history this incident did not remain as “the crime of the bloody Raglan, who filled the Russians with corpses.”

Thanks to the same journalists, and then to figures of English culture, the attack at Balaklava became famous as an example of the highest courage and self-sacrifice, and the expression “light cavalry attack” became a household word, meaning hopeless and reckless, but high heroism.

Now the flanks are blazing with fire.
Cast iron monsters don't rest -
The vents are gushing from each one.
No one hesitated, no one turned around,
No one returned alive from the attack:
Death's jaws tightened.

But they came out of the leviathan's mouth
Six hundred gentlemen of sublime passion -
Then, to remain for centuries.
The battle has subsided, the valley is smoking,
But the glory of heroes will never be eclipsed,
It will never dissipate into dust.

To this day, films are made and books are written about the “charge of the light cavalry” in Britain - this is what competent PR means, turning even criminal stupidity into high valor!

The press decides everything

As for the outcome of the entire Battle of Balaklava, the Russian army, having never reached the English camp, through its actions nevertheless prevented a general assault on Sevastopol, forcing the enemy to go on a siege. Also, as a plus, you can add more than 900 killed, wounded and captured enemy soldiers against 617 people of your own losses, as well as captured English cannons, which Lord Raglan never got to.

Not a brilliant result, but quite passable. But there was no one in Russia to “promote” it the way English journalists “promoted” the “thin red line” and the “light cavalry attack.”

• Balaklava battle. Crimean victories of Russia

  The British called this day "a disaster unsurpassed in history." The light artillery brigades, in which the scions of the noblest families of Britain served, were killed. The valley was watered with the “blue blood” of the English aristocracy. Thus ended the Battle of Balaklava.

  Battle of Balaklava 1854. Significant victory in the Crimean War

  On October 25 (13), 1854, the Battle of Balaklava took place - one of the largest battles of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 between the allied forces of Great Britain, France and Turkey on the one hand, and Russian troops on the other.

  The city and port of Balaklava, located 15 km south of Sevastopol, was the base of the British expeditionary force in the Crimea. A strike by Russian troops on the Allied positions at Balaklava could, if successful, lead to the release of besieged Sevastopol and a disruption in the supply of the British.

  Early in the morning of October 13, 1854, the so-called Chorgun detachment under the command of Lieutenant General P. Liprandi loudly shouted “Hurray!” stormed and captured the Turkish redoubt, bayoneting 170 Turks. The Turks fled, abandoning 9 guns.

  Having captured the Kadyk-Koy heights, the Russians considered the battle over, but the English command gave the order to recapture the guns that the Russians were already planning to take away. And at 11:20 a.m., more than six hundred men from Earl Cardigan’s light cavalry brigade went on the offensive.

  Carried away by the attack, the British slipped past the guns and “fell into the sack” - the Russian cavalry was in front, and infantry was firing at the heights on both sides. A Russian battery, upon which a group of English horsemen jumped out, shot them point blank.

  The Cardigan Light Brigade, in which aristocrats and representatives of famous British families served, ceased to exist. Of more than 600 people, about 200 returned from the attack, which lasted only twenty minutes, and most of them were wounded.

  The winners got a Turkish camp, 11 guns and English horses, which lost their riders in the battle and rushed through the valley. The cannons captured at the redoubts were taken to Sevastopol and carried through the city streets to the sound of bells. Heroes were honored, and 133 of the fallen were served.

  But the Russian troops failed to achieve the goal of the battle - to cut off the English army from the headquarters in Balaklava.

  Balaklava battle. The importance of Crimea for Russia

  Russia, which sought to secure its southern borders and gain access to the Black Sea, has always been at war with Turkey. In 1783, after the Russian-Turkish war, Crimea was annexed to Russian Empire. New cities and ports began to be built: Sevastopol - a fortress and base Black Sea Fleet, Simferopol. Crimea has become integral part the newly created Tauride region.

  

  The majority of the Muslim population left Crimea, moving to Turkey, the region became depopulated and fell into desolation. To revive the peninsula, Prince G. Potemkin, appointed governor of Taurida, began to resettle serfs and retired soldiers from neighboring areas. This is how the new villages of Mazanka, Izomovka, Chistenkoye appeared on the Crimean land... The works of His Serene Highness were not in vain, the economy of Crimea began to develop rapidly, gardens, vineyards, and tobacco plantations were planted.

  Balaklava battle. Civilization wars as a brand of Russia

  Russia, unlike the West, has always led civilizing wars. When economic and cultural transformations began in the occupied territories, contributing to the flourishing of the annexed territories.

  Thus, Crimea from a backward territory gradually turned into a prosperous region with a unique climate given to it by nature, a resort area for residents of Russia, and later the Soviet Union.

  In Crimea, railways were laid, enterprises for processing grain, tobacco, grapes, and fruits were built. Palaces, estates, and villas were built along the entire coast, belonging to the court nobility, wealthy industrialists and landowners. Thus, in a matter of years, Yalta turned from a village into a famous aristocratic resort.

  Balaklava battle. The battle for Crimea today

  Crimea has more than once become the scene of fierce battles and battles. The bloodiest war of the 19th century in Russia was even called the Crimean War (1853-1856). The period was also bloody Civil War in Crimea (1918-1920). Crimea changed hands several times - there were fierce battles between the Red and White armies. In 1920, Crimea became part of Soviet Russia.

  During the Great Patriotic War The fiery wave of the front swept through the Crimean peninsula more than once. Here, on Crimean soil, not tens but hundreds of thousands died Soviet soldiers and officers.

  Today in Crimea it takes place another battle. This time between the skin West and the urethral-muscular Russia. There is a battle going on using the latest advances in misinformation and disorientation. So-called hybrid wars, when fraternal peoples are skillfully directed at each other.

  

The Battle of Balaklava took place at the end of October 1854. This was one of the first battles between Russian troops and the forces of the allies - Britain, France and Turkey during the Crimean War of 1853-1856.

By this time, the Allies defeated the Russian troops on the Alma River (near the village of Vilino, Bakhchisarai region) and approached Sevastopol. The British gained a foothold in Balaklava and began to move towards the white stone. The siege of Sevastopol began.

The command of the Russian army decided to cut off the forward positions of the British troops, which were located in the territory from Sapun Mountain to the third bastion (now Brestskaya Street), from the supply base in Balaklava, which would make it possible to lift or significantly weaken the siege of Sevastopol. To do this, it was necessary to capture the redoubts on the hills in the Balaklava Valley and come within direct range of Balaklava.

On October 25, before dawn, a 16,000-strong Russian army under the command of Lieutenant General Pavel Liprandi approached the Allied positions from Mount Gasforta. He was opposed mainly by British regiments and Turkish units under the command of Lord Fitzroy Raglan. The total number of allied forces during the battle reached 4.5 thousand people.

Russian soldiers drove the Turks out of the first redoubt with a bayonet attack. The Turks abandoned the three remaining fortifications with cannons without a fight. According to various sources, Liprandi's troops received 9 or 11 British guns as a trophy. After this success, the cavalry brigade of Lieutenant General Ryzhov advanced to attack the British positions. A fierce battle ensued between the Russian hussars and the English dragoons. The British retreated, but Ryzhov did not build on his success and also returned to his previous positions. However, the British attribute the victory in this part of the battle to themselves.

At the same time, the 1st Ural Cossack Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Khoroshkhin attacked the Scots infantry regiment. The infantry lined up in lines of two (usually four soldiers in a line) to cover the wide front of the cavalry attack. As a result, the Russians had to retreat.

After this, one of the greatest tragedies of the British army occurred - the death of the light brigade under the command of Lord Cardigan. In just 20 minutes, Russian cannons killed the elite of the British Empire: among the wounded and dead were representatives and heirs of the most noble families of Foggy Albion. The causes of this tragedy are still being debated in Great Britain.

Some historians consider the main culprit of that tragedy to be Lord Raglan, who sent cavalry to recapture the British guns captured by the Russians. In those days, the capture of cannons was considered a great disgrace for commanders. Others blame Lord Cardigan, who commanded the brigade, and Captain Nolan, who brought the order for the attack. The military did not understand the direction of the attack and, instead of the redoubt left by the Turks, galloped to distant Russian fortifications. As a result of the attack, the British came under the crossfire of Russian cannons, and the last volley at the British cavalry was fired virtually at point-blank range. The surviving light dragoons, lancers and hussars managed to break into the redoubt, but, realizing the futility of a further attack, Cardigan ordered a retreat. The British also rode towards their positions under fire. Of the 625 British cavalry, 102 were killed, 128 seriously wounded, and 58 captured. In addition, the light brigade lost more than half of its horses. To this day, British schoolchildren learn by heart the poet Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade", which immortalized one of the most tragic events in British history.

The valley is two miles long - the redoubt is not far away...
Hearing: “On horseback, forward!”
Through the valley of death, under a barrage of grapeshot,
The brave gallop six hundred.
Cannonade thunders on the threshold of hell,
Breasts are placed under the muzzles of guns -
But six hundred rush and rush.

Despite the victory, the Russians received no tangible benefits from this battle. The British base was not captured, and the supplies of the British troops were not affected. At the same time, the Battle of Balaklava significantly strengthened the morale of the defenders of Sevastopol, which helped keep the city from being captured by the enemy for a long time.

To give an example of a military campaign that fully corresponds to the generally accepted idea of ​​the 19th century, it is enough to name the Battle of Balaklava, which took place in 1854 during the Crimean War. It is not difficult to imagine young men of that era listening with wide eyes to fascinating stories of heroism shown on the battlefield. With bated breath, they dream of the day when, having matured, they will be able to take their place in Her Majesty's army and rush to glory with their heads held high.

Legends of the battle

The Battle of Balaklava is replete with examples of heroic courage and brilliant victories against all odds, such as Sir Colin Campbell's Thin Red Line and the daring charge of the heavy brigade under the command of the outstanding commander James Scarlett. But it was the cavalrymen of the light brigade whose desperate attack was immortalized by Alfred Tennyson in his poem, which became part of English military folklore. Their story, an epic combination of unprecedented courage, terrible disaster and the unsolved mystery of Lord Raglan's fateful order to attack.

Causes of the Crimean War

The real reasons have deep roots, but they are mainly connected with the British government's rejection of Russian expansion. Russia has long had its sights set on the Balkans in southeastern Europe. The ambitious Tsar Nicholas I saw her in ruins Turkish Empire an excellent opportunity to make your claims known. would give Russia full control over the entrance to the Black and Mediterranean seas. Having a fortified naval base in Sevastopol, Russia would have gained open access to the Mediterranean Sea for its navy, and at the same time the ability to influence external trade routes, mainly English and French. It is not surprising that in the unstable critical atmosphere of the mid-19th century, these two countries were determined not to allow the strategic balance to be upset. Only strong external pressure forced Russia to abandon its original plans to establish control over the Balkans.

Declaration of war

Tsar Nicholas was not one to give up easily. In 1852, he disputed in France the right to the key to the main gate of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which at that time belonged to Turkey. When the Turkish Sultan decided their dispute in favor of Catholic France, the Tsar declared And although this was ostensibly done to protect the Orthodox faith, it was obvious to everyone that issues of faith were secondary to Russian territorial ambitions. The war became fierce with numerous losses for both sides. However, this was not the last conflict between the two countries. For a charity concert to help those wounded in the 1877 conflict, P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote his famous “Slavic March”.

Russian army attack

Britain was naturally alarmed. But, realizing that Russia is a determined and serious enemy, it showed restraint, limiting itself to naval patrols of the Black Sea. However, on November 30, 1853, the Russians attacked the Turkish fleet anchored near Constantinople and completely destroyed it, killing 4,000 Turks. When the British and French ships approached the scene, they had no choice but to rescue survivors from the wreckage.

This news caused widespread outrage in Britain. The press, dispassionate up to this point, began to demand active action. Government ministers were accused by the press of servility, weakness and indecisiveness. In particular, the press pilloried the Prime Minister.

Such publications had a great resonance, and the public mood changed dramatically. Something had to be done to help the unfortunate besieged Turks. Turkey itself was called the “sick man of Europe.” It was impossible to resist the huge wave of public opinion, and then on February 28, 1854, the British government presented Russia with an ultimatum - to withdraw its troops by April 30, otherwise it would declare war. This chance for a peaceful settlement was completely ignored by Tsar Nicholas. As a result, this led to the beginning of the famous Crimean War, and the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 became firmly established in world history.

Alliance of France and Britain

Having concluded a formal alliance treaty with France, Britain began to mobilize its army to defeat Russia. Of course, there was no talk of a full-scale war with such a huge country as Russia. From the very beginning, the War of 1854 was seen as a short, harsh lesson to put the Russian upstarts in their place. England and France decided to act on two fronts - the sea, in the Baltic, and where the main threat to their interests came from - the Russian base in Sevastopol, in the Crimea. This task was not easy. For about 40 years, England enjoyed peace without entering into major conflicts. This undoubtedly affected its effectiveness, which has nothing to do with the courage of the participants in this campaign. But from a management point of view, the British army needed modernization.

Landing of the allied army on the Crimean Peninsula

The Allied army had to land in Crimea without any material support: there were no tents, no sanitary service, and therefore all hopes were pinned on a change in the moral climate, on the fact that the upcoming fighting will boost morale. The allies - 27 thousand British, 30 thousand French and 7 thousand Turks - landed in Yevpatoria on September 14, 1854. After this, the allied army made a forced march south to Sevastopol. The very next day the first serious battle took place - the Crimean War began. The Battle of Balaklava would come later, but for now the Allied army was confidently going on the offensive. If the attacking side was surprised that the enemy did not offer adequate resistance in Yevpatoria, then very soon she understood why.

Battle of the Alma River

The Russian army was already waiting for them along the southern coast. The sight was terrifying. For the first time, the two armies met face to face. After just an hour and a half, the Allies achieved a landslide victory. The stunned Russians were forced to retreat to Sevastopol.

While the re-energized British were resting, few knew that at that moment an event was taking place that was destined to become the turning point of the entire campaign. Lord Lucan tried to convince Raglan to allow him and his army to pursue the retreating Russians. But Raglan refused him. Having secured the support of the French, he decided to attack Sevastopol from the south. By doing this, he embarked on the path of a protracted, grueling war. The Russian garrison in Sevastopol under the command of General Kornilov took advantage of this gift of fate and began to strengthen the defense line. One of the priorities of England and France was the task of providing their soldiers with provisions, which were delivered by sea. For this purpose, it was necessary to capture the deep-sea port. The choice fell on Balaklava. On September 26, the British captured this bay.

Despite this, there were constant interruptions in food delivery. The water was polluted. Dysentery and cholera broke out. Soon all this ended with the euphoria caused by the victory on Alma. A feeling of hopelessness gripped the troops, and morale plummeted. But ahead of both armies awaited a grandiose event - the Battle of Balaklava - the largest battle in the Crimean War.

On October 25, the Russians launched an offensive to capture Balaklava. The famous Battle of Balaklava began - Russia’s Crimean victories began from here. From the very first minutes of the battle, the superiority of forces was on the side of the Russians. Sir Colin Campbell distinguished himself in this battle, who formed his soldiers instead of the usual square in two lines and ordered to fight to the last. The attacking hussars were amazed to see the enemy in a formation that was unusual for them. Not knowing how to react to this, they stopped. Scottish warriors have long been distinguished by their unbridled courage. Therefore, some of the soldiers instinctively rushed at the enemy. But Campbell knew that this could turn out to be a disaster, and ordered the soldiers to moderate their ardor. And only when the Russian cavalry was within reach did he order to open fire.

The first salvo discouraged the enemy, but did not stop the advance. As a result of the second volley, the cavalry turned randomly to the left. The third salvo on the left flank forced the hussars to retreat. This heroic disposition became a stable circulation and went down in history as the Thin Red Line. The Balaklava battle did not end there. Encouraged by the success of the 93rd Regiment under Campbell's command, the soldiers practically forced the Russians to retreat. The Battle of Balaklava again ended in victory for the British.

Defeat of the Allied Army

However, the Russians did not even think of giving up. Literally within an hour and a half after the defeat at the Battle of Balaklava, they regrouped and were again ready to attack. The day which had started so well for the British ended in disaster. The Russians almost completely destroyed the light brigade, captured the guns and held part of the heights. The British could only reflect on a series of missed opportunities and misunderstandings. The Battle of Balaklava on October 25, 1854 ended in an unconditional victory for the Russian army.

During the Sevastopol defense, the base of the British Expeditionary Force was located in Balaklava Great encyclopedia Cyril and Methodius. Version 2006. Encyclopedic article “Battle of Balaklava”.. The cavalry division of the British “Eastern Army” camped in the Balaklava Valley in order to guard the main communication link connecting the British siege forces with their main base in Balaklava. The division included two brigades (Heavy and Light), each of which had 5 two-squadron cavalry regiments (a total of about 1,500 horsemen). In addition, it was assigned two horse artillery batteries (12 guns). The division was led by Lieutenant General George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, while the Heavy and Light Brigades were commanded by Brigadier General James York Scarlett and Brigadier General James William Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan. Of these, only Lord Lucan, nicknamed “Lookon” by his soldiers, had some combat experience (in 1828 - 1829 he served as a volunteer in the Russian army of I.I. Dibich and participated in operations against the Turks). The commander of the Light Brigade, the Earl of Cardigan, was the brother-in-law of Lord Lucan and, like his relative, belonged to the highest British nobility.

The terrain where the battle took place on October 25, 1854 is rugged and hilly. The most convenient way to Balaklava was the road that led through the Tavern Bridge along two gorges into the valley of the Black River, formed from the north by the eastern slopes of the Fedyukhin Mountains, and from the south by a continuous ridge of hills (Kadyk-Koy Heights), stretching towards Sapun Mountain. There, behind the ridge of Sapun Mountain, on the Chersonesos plateau, there were large Allied forces (the French observation corps of General A.C. Bosquet and two English infantry divisions). A highway (Vorontsovskaya) ran along the Kadyk-Koy heights, connecting Kerch with Sevastopol. Descending from the heights, she then walked through the ridge of Sapun Mountain through the so-called Balaklava Passage (gorge). South of the Kadyk-Koy Heights stretched another valley, bounded directly in front of Balaklava by the so-called Balaklava Heights, in front of which, on the road leading from Balaklava to Simferopol, was the village of Kadyk-Koy.

At the beginning of October 1854, the Crimean Army of A.S. Menshikov was significantly strengthened with reserves: part of the troops was allocated for operations on enemy communications. Crimean War (1853 - 1856) // Motherland, 1995, No. 3 - 4 (Special issue), With. 53 - 57.. So, the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in Crimea (A.S. Menshikov) decided to strike the allies in the most vulnerable place for them - in the Balaklava area. On October 23, near the town of Chorgun on the Black River, the so-called Chorgun detachment (more than 16 thousand people with 64 guns) was assembled under the command of Lieutenant General P.P. Liprandi (1796 - 1864). Ibid.. The immediate task of this detachment was capture of Turkish redoubts on the Kadyk-Koy heights, and then, if possible, access to Balaklava, which was covered by a double line of fortifications 3 - 4 km northeast of the city, and shelling of allied ships accumulated in the port with artillery. To support the troops of P.P. Liprandi, a special detachment of Major General I.P. Zhabokritsky was appointed, numbering about 5 thousand people with 14 guns. He had to move to the right of the Vorontsov highway to Fedyukhin Heights. At 5 o’clock in the morning on October 25 (before dawn), P.P. Liprandi’s detachment crossed the Chernaya River. At 7:30 a.m., the Azov Infantry Regiment dashingly, with a loud cry of “hurray,” stormed and captured Turkish redoubt No. 1, bayoneting about 170 Turks. The Turks fled, abandoning the other three redoubts on the Vorontsovaya ridge near the village of Kadykey, which were occupied by the Russians without a fight.

Having captured the Kadyk-Koy heights, the Russians already considered the battle over. However, the English commander-in-chief Lord F.J. Raglan, who was with his headquarters on Sapun Mountain, was very dissatisfied with the loss of the English fortress cannons captured by the Russians at the Turkish redoubts. This was all the more unfortunate because at Alma the British managed to capture only two Russian guns, but here they lost nine at once. Assessing the danger of the situation, he turned to his Quartermaster General, Brigadier General Richard Sam Erie, and dictated the fateful order ordering the Earl of Lucan to attack:

“Lord F. J. Raglan wants the cavalry to quickly attack the enemy in front of them and not allow him to take back the guns. A battery of horse artillery can accompany. French cavalry on your left flank. Immediately. R.S.Eri.”

Lewis Edward Nolan from the 15th Hussars, adjutant to the Quartermaster General, volunteered to deliver this order to Earl Lucan. The contents of the order seemed absurd to Count Lucan. Captain L. E. Nolan, who delivered the note, shouted impatiently: “Lord F. J. Raglan's orders require the cavalry to attack immediately!” - “Attack, sir? What attack? What kind of guns are they, sir?” asked the general. Not at all embarrassed, the captain pointed with his hand into the depths of the valley: “Here, my lord, this is your enemy, these are your guns!” (Many years have passed since then, but historians are still debating whether this was L.E. Nolan’s initiative or whether he was only following verbal instructions from the commander-in-chief.)

The order, whatever it was, had to be carried out. The British command urgently began to transfer reserves from near Sevastopol. Meanwhile, the attacks of the Russian cavalry, trying to build on their success, were repelled by the British brigade of heavy cavalry and the 93rd Scottish regiment. Ibid. Earl Lucan headed with his headquarters to the Light Brigade. Having approached the Earl of Cardigan, he told him the contents of the ill-fated note and ordered him to advance down the northern valley. “Of course, sir,” said the Earl of Cardigan in his usual manner, “but let me point out that the Russians have a battery in the valley ahead of us, and batteries and riflemen on both sides of it.” “I know this,” Count Lucan answered him, “but Lord F.J. Raglan wants it that way. We must not choose, but execute.”

At this time, the Light Brigade was already in the saddles. In the morning, it numbered 661 people, and before the start of the attack, 12 more fighters joined it: among them were soldiers who were under arrest, but fled to their regiments at the first news of the battle. The Earl of Cardigan sat astride a thoroughbred bay horse named Ronald, winner of the Epsom races. It was 11:20 a.m. when he exclaimed: “The brigade is going on the offensive! The first squadron of the 17th Lancers is the guide." The order in the regiments was brilliant, and Earl Cardigan himself rode in front, keeping his saddle erect, “like in a church” (according to the testimony of S.E. Whiteman, a participant in the lancer attack).

The Light Brigade, famous for its thoroughbred horses and the fact that the cream of the English aristocracy served in its ranks, advanced in three lines, stretching along a front one-fifth the width of the valley. She had to cover more than two and a half kilometers. The cavalrymen soon switched from a walk to a trot, and the gait gradually accelerated. Between the first and second lines of the Light Brigade there was a distance of 400 meters, and between the second and third - about 200. Count Lucan followed in a ledge on the right with the Heavy Brigade, also built in three lines.

Russian artillerymen opened crossfire on the British from the Fedyukhin and Kadyk-Koy heights. At first, the firing was carried out with grenades and cannonballs, and then, as the horsemen approached, the Russian artillery switched to grapeshot. At this time, Captain L. E. Nolan, riding in the front line of the 17th Lancers, suddenly galloped along the front of the attacking brigade, shouting something and waving his saber. A grenade fired by a Russian battery from the Fedyukhin Heights exploded not far from him. One of the fragments pierced the Englishman's chest... This was the first victim of the fatal cavalry attack.

Earl Cardigan's brigade continued to advance in the same direction, and the soldiers, not without pleasure, obeyed the command “Sabres drawn!” Under a hail of shells, the English riders began to instinctively speed up their gait, moving from a trot to a gallop and thereby breaking the formation. Russian cannonballs and grenades began to reach the Heavy Brigade. Earl Lucan himself was slightly wounded in the leg, and his adjutant and nephew Captain L.O. Charteris was killed. By order of Earl Lucan, J.Y. Scarlett's brigade stopped and then retreated in good order to its original position.

The light brigade at this time became the target of an attack by Russian riflemen, scattered along the slopes of neighboring heights and armed with rifles. The losses only embittered the British, who dreamed of quickly getting to the Russian guns and avenging their comrades. The horses began to gallop, and it was no longer possible to stop them. In these minutes of the deadly race, the spirit of rivalry between the regiments of the first line of the Earl of Cardigan was revealed. Captain Arthur Robert Tremaine of the 13th Light Dragoons, whose horse was killed, heard someone to his left shout, "Don't let those bastards of the 17th get ahead!" At the same time, the lancers of the 17th regiment roared: “Forward, Death's Heads, forward!” The sergeant of this regiment, E.A. Talbot, had his head torn off in a grenade explosion, but his body remained in the saddle, and the horse carried him another 30 meters...

Meanwhile, the first line of Earl Cardigan was already in front of the Russian battery of 12 horse guns located across the valley. Four battalions of the Odessa Jaeger Regiment from the column of Colonel O.Y. Skuderi, stationed on the northern slopes of the Kadyk-Koy heights and on the heights themselves, decided that the British attack was aimed at them. Hastily curling up in a square, they met Earl Cardigan's horsemen with volleys as they passed by, heading towards the Russian battery. When the first line of the Light Brigade was directly in front of them, the Russian horse guns fired their final salvo - point-blank grapeshot, but they could no longer stop the British. Everything was shrouded in smoke, and the second line of the Light Brigade completely lost sight of the first.

Earl Cardigan's horse carried him to the very guns. The general galloped between two guns in the smoke and was the first of the British to find himself on the Russian battery. Following him, the lancers and dragoons of the 1st line rushed in. 40 steps behind the battery, as cover, stood six hundred of the 1st Ural Cossack Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel P.B. Khoroshkhin. Plumes of smoke and dust hid the real forces of the attackers from the Cossacks, creating an exaggerated impression of their numbers. Most of the Urals suddenly panicked and fled. Only a few Cossacks who remained steadfast came to the rescue of the artillerymen. A short but fierce battle ensued at the battery. A young cornet of the 17th Lancers, Archibald Ronald Cleveland, was fighting one of the Don gunners when his horse was wounded in the leg by a cleaver, after which he had difficulty getting it to move. Here the cornet was attacked by three Cossacks - he wounded the first of them, but received a blow from the second with a pike through the canopy, and from the third - an injection in the rib.

Russian artillerymen tried to save their guns and charging boxes. The two guns were, however, captured by a group of Light Dragoons of the 13th Regiment, led by Senior Sergeants W. G. Lincoln and E. E. Smith. The Russian gunners managed to take away only two guns of the 12th cavalry battery and several charging boxes. The cavalry of Lieutenant General N.I. Ryzhov, standing behind the battery captured by the British, did not expect such a swift attack from the enemy. The Ural Cossack regiment, which was in the first line, in its flight upset the Hussar regiment of His Imperial Highness Prince Nikolai Vladimirovich Maximilianovich (formerly Kiev), which was standing 40 steps behind it, and it overthrew the squadrons of hussars of His Highness the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, formerly Ingria, standing behind it (at the same time, the Kiev hussars for some reason shouted “Hurray!”). In complete disorder, the entire Russian hussar brigade rushed to the eastern edge of the valley - to the aqueduct and the Black River, where the dressing station of the Chorgun detachment was located.

The flight of the Russian cavalry, which numbered at least 1,900 horsemen, was all the more shameful because at that moment they were opposed by the insignificant forces of the British. According to the testimony of British participants in the battle, only 50 cavalrymen of the first line of Earl Cardigan managed to break through the Russian battery. Captain N.D. Morris, at the head of the 20th lancers of his regiment, found himself behind its left flank, where he encountered a large mass of Russian hussars, who were already preparing to draw their sabers. Apparently, it was part of the Kyiv regiment. Without any hesitation, this handful of Englishmen, sitting on horses tired from racing, rushed at the Russian hussars, who at first leaned forward, but then stopped, stunned by such a daring onslaught. N.D. Morris's lancers crashed into the ranks of Russian horsemen - and they scattered, "like a flock of sheep." A handful of British rushed after them, but were soon attacked by the Cossacks (probably they were Don people, three hundred of whom were in the northern valley). The English lancers had to retreat, desperately fighting off the pursuing Cossacks with pikes and sabers. Surrounded by Cossacks, N.D. Morris received three blows to the head with a sword and lost consciousness... When he woke up, he discovered that he was in captivity. However, at the first opportunity N.D. Morris fled, catching one of the horses that was left without a rider. On his advice, the captured orderly of the Earl of Cardigan, Cornet F.T. Woombwell, did the same.

While parts of the first line were waiting for help, the second line of the Light Brigade, under the command of Colonel Lord W. J. Paget, had already reached the Russian battery. “Well, my lord,” said Lord W. J. Paget’s orderly, Sergeant K. L. Parke, to his colonel, who was galloping next to him with a cigar in his teeth, “it’s time for you to take out your saber!” The Queen's 4th Light Dragoons rushed right through the intervals between the guns, while one of the officers uttered the strange cry of “Tellihow!”, with which English hunters used to incite their dogs while baiting a fox. With the arrival of V.J. Paget's dragoons, the resistance of the battery defenders was quickly suppressed. Here, the commander of the 1st squadron of the 4th light dragoon regiment, brevet major Alexander Felix Lowe, especially distinguished himself - a giant weighing about 100 kg, whose lush light mustache with hanging ends made him look like an ancient German or Viking. Armed with a huge saber, made to special order, he cut into the thick of the dump and personally killed 11 Russian soldiers. In the same battle, Lord W. J. Paget's deputy, Major O. M. Helkett, was mortally wounded.

At the same time, the 11th Hussars under Lieutenant Colonel D.W. Douglas found themselves in front of the Russian battery. The hussars, without hesitation, rushed to attack the Russian cavalry to the left of the group of lancers and dragoons, assembled by the chief of staff of the Light Brevet Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel C.S. Mayow. During the short battle that ensued, Private 11th Regiment L.R. Yowett hacked to death with a saber a Russian hussar who was aiming a carbine at the head of an English officer. The one who was saved was Lieutenant Roger Christian Palmer, who shortly before the battle put his future savior under arrest after finding him sleeping at his post.

The 11th Hussars were chasing the enemy they had overthrown through the valley, but suddenly saw in front of them the superior forces of the Russian cavalry. Considering that the enemy was too strong, Lieutenant Colonel D. W. Douglas ordered his regiment, then numbering no more than 70 horsemen, to stop and then retreat. When the English hussars began to turn back, the Russian cavalry moved towards them at a slow trot. The British retreated calmly, maintaining order, and when the Russian hussars and Cossacks approached them several hundred meters, Lieutenant Colonel D.W. Douglas stopped the retreat and instantly, as in a training exercise, turned his regiment to the front of the enemy. The attack took the Russians by surprise. Despite their overwhelming numerical superiority, they turned back. The bulk of the hussars and Cossacks of General N.I. Ryzhov crowded at the aqueduct - here the Russian commanders put their disordered squadrons in order. Both sides began exchanging fire with carbines and pistols, and the Cossacks tried to go to the rear of the British (several British cavalrymen were killed in the skirmishes).

Despite the unstable position of his regiment, D.W. Douglas hoped to push back the entire Russian cavalry beyond the Black River. Looking around for help, he saw behind him some Uhlan unit riding along the valley leading to the Tavern Bridge. “Muster, people!” shouted D.W. Douglas. “Muster, people of the 17th Lancers!” However, Lieutenant R.H. Palmer, whose eyes were sharper, noticed that the weathervane, pike and headdress of the Lancers were different from the English. “This is not the 17th Lancers,” he told D.W. Douglas, “this is the enemy.”

When the hussars of D.W. Douglas were still driving the Russian cavalry to the aqueduct, a cry was heard from the battery captured by the British: “4th Light Dragoons - to the aid of the 11th!” When the dragoons caught up with the hussars, it turned out that the Russians were threatening them from the rear. Turning, Colonel W. J. Paget saw the same lancers that D. W. Douglas had previously noticed. Both regiments then had no more than 100 horsemen sitting on exhausted horses, many were wounded. In a situation where the enemy threatened the British both from the front and from the rear, the only correct solution was to break through back to the starting position. Upon learning that none of his cavalrymen had seen the Earl of Cardigan, W. J. Paget took the initiative. At his command, the regiments moved back along the valley.

The Russian cavalry, which threatened the remnants of Earl Cardigan's brigade from the rear, consisted of three squadrons (1st, 2nd, 6th) of the 2nd Consolidated Marching Lancer Regiment. The lancers, riding with their left shoulders, began to trot along the line of the Russian infantry. One of the battalions of the Odessa Jaeger Regiment, mistaking them for the enemy, because the Uhlan squadrons were on horses of different colors (1st - on red, 2nd - on black, 6th - on gray), curled up in a square and opened fire on them . In that era, each regiment of Russian cavalry (unlike the English and French) had horses of a certain color, but these three squadrons were from different regiments. From this shooting, which continued until the rangers themselves noticed their mistake, three horses were killed and two lancers were wounded.

Having reached the Simferopol highway, the Uhlan squadrons stopped and began to turn around, and their front was at right angles to the retreating English cavalrymen. Lieutenant Koribut-Kubitovich, a participant in the battle near Balaklava, described the British retreat as follows: “You can never better appreciate the cavalry than when retreating after a successful attack, in view of the enemy. We must give justice to the British: they represented the height of perfection in this regard and trotted in order, as if they were training.” The Free Regiment's lancers flew into a group of retreating British who were trying to rush past, and engaged them in hand-to-hand combat. The English hussars and light dragoons broke through to their lines, huddled together and in places mixed with Russian cavalrymen. At the same time, they fiercely fought off the blows of the Uhlan lances with sabers and, according to Koribut-Kubitovich, even the dismounted and wounded did not want to surrender, resisting to the end. Russian infantry and artillery opened fire on the combatants, not distinguishing between friendly and foe. Most of the British still managed to fight their way to salvation.

Russian squadrons pursued the British up the valley to the 4th redoubt, and then Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Eropkin, who had previously been in the retinue of P.P. Liprandi, managed to join the lancers. When A.A. Eropkin, on the orders of the head of the Chorgun detachment, hurried to catch up with his lancers, he was attacked by an officer and two privates of the English cavalry. The brave lieutenant colonel shot one of the attackers with a pistol, another was wounded with a saber by his messenger, non-commissioned officer of the Bug Ulan Regiment Denis Mukha, and the third A.A. Eropkin, not having time to take out his saber, was stunned by two powerful blows of his fist to the face and temple. Under the command of A.A. Eropkin, three squadrons of the Consolidated Marching Uhlan Regiment quickly returned to their previous position near the Simferopol highway. Believing that the British were already finished, they stood in deployed formation and waited for the order to dismount their horses. Suddenly a group of horsemen appeared in the distance. At first, the Russian cavalrymen could not recognize its identity, but it soon became clear that these were hussars in dark dolmans, on dark horses.

The column which so unexpectedly appeared before the Russian lancers was Lieutenant Colonel P. J. Shuell's 8th Hussars, forming the third line of the Light Brigade. During the attack, the Royal Irish Hussars were behind and slightly to the right of the 4th Light Dragoons, but noticeably lagged behind them, because they moved at a trot all the time, without breaking into a gallop. The 8th regiment arrived at the Russian battery after the end of the battle. By that time, due to losses suffered from Russian artillery and infantry fire, it numbered only 55 horsemen. Together with the cavalrymen of C.S. Mayow, who joined the left flank of the hussars, P.J. Shuell had 70 fighters and the regimental favorite terrier Jemmy in the ranks.

Seeing in front of them a barrier of three squadrons of Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Eropkin, the British detachment, which essentially consisted of one weak squadron, did not flinch. An error has occurred. Lieutenant Colonel P. J. Shuell, being a poor swordsman, did not remove the saber from its scabbard and held the reins with both hands. Lowering his head, he threw his horse straight at the Russian division commander, Major O.T. Tinkov III, pushed his horse to the side and safely passed by. After suffering some casualties, P. J. Shuell's British cavalrymen managed to break through (and Jemmy the terrier too!), but they still had to traverse the rest of the valley under enemy crossfire.

Now the entire Light Brigade, scattered into small groups and single horsemen, retreated along the valley to the west. The pursuit was not too decisive, although General N.I. Ryzhov called it a “hare hunt.” The British retreated up the valley on tired and wounded horses, almost at a walk, showered with bullets and grapeshot. Their retreat was even more disastrous than the offensive. The British were rescued by the attack of the 4th regiment of French Zouaves, who suppressed the fire of Russian batteries on one of the flanks. Ibid.. The tragic attack of the English cavalry lasted a total of 20 minutes. Only at the assembly point did the remnants of the glorious English regiments again see their brigade commander, about whom they knew nothing from the minute when he was the first to break into the Russian battery.

From the moment the first line attacked, Earl Cardigan completely lost control of his units. Having slipped between the Russian guns, he could not make out in the smoke what was happening. The major general galloped forward 100 meters and unexpectedly collided with a large group of Cossacks. Ronald's horse nearly brought him into the enemy's ranks. After some confusion, the Cossacks rushed at the Englishman to take him prisoner. A short struggle ensued, in which the Earl of Cardigan received a slight wound to the thigh with a pike. However, he managed to escape. Returning to the Russian battery, the count slipped back through the line of guns and did not notice the location of his brigade in the smoke, deciding that the brigade had retreated without his permission. Considering that his duty was fulfilled, the count rode back along the valley alone. Having reached his own, he took a position in front of the front of the 8th Hussars who had returned from the attack, not noticing how behind his back the Irish hussars, who believed that the general had shamefully abandoned his brigade, made contemptuous grimaces at him.

When the surviving men of the Light Brigade (195 horsemen in all) began to line up, Earl Cardigan appeared before them, and the accusation of cowardice was immediately hinted at. “Hello, Lord Cardigan,” one of the soldiers greeted him, “were you there?” “Really not,” answered the general. “Listen, Jenyns,” he turned to the captain of the 13th Light Dragoons, “didn’t you see me at the guns?” Jenyns confirmed that he was far from Earl Cardigan when he burst into the Russian battery. The Count turned back to his brigade. “People,” he said, “it was a crazy stunt, but it’s not my fault.” “It doesn’t matter, my lord,” someone’s cheerful voice answered him from the ranks, “if necessary, we will go there again.” General A.C. Bosquet said about this battle: “It’s great, but it’s not war.” In another episode of this battle, the mountain brigade repelled the attack of the Russian cavalry Harbottle T. Battles of World History. Dictionary: Transl. from English with changes and additions - team of authors, hands. Medvedeva N., M., Vnesshigma 1993. Rupert Hart - Davis London, 1917. p. 52..

The Light Brigade's losses in this attack were 102 killed (including 9 officers), 129 wounded (including 11 officers) and 58 captured (including 2 officers), the latter also being almost all wounded. Later, another 16 people died from their wounds (9 of them in Russian captivity). The British lost 362 horses. The first line regiments suffered the most (in the 13th, 56 out of 128 people dropped out, and in the 17th, 74 out of 147). The losses of the British Guard were enormous - 247 people and 497 horses. Ibid.. The total loss of Russian troops that day was 627 people, 257 of them in the hussar brigade, which suffered the most from the English cavalry. The Allies lost more than 850 people, half of which were British.

The attack of the Light Brigade was the final chord of the battle of Balaclava. The troops of both sides remained in their positions, limiting themselves to artillery cannonade, which lasted until four o'clock in the afternoon. The field near Kadykoy was called the “Valley of Death” in the British press. IN military history In Europe, the word "Balaclava" is strongly associated with the mounted attack of the British Light Brigade. It has become synonymous with a vain sacrifice, an insanely brave, but obviously doomed to failure enterprise. Overshadowing (perhaps not entirely deservedly) other moments of the Battle of Balaklava - the only successful deed of the Russian field army in the Crimean theater Eastern War, this attack, carried out on an absurd and erroneous order, showed the high fighting qualities of the English cavalry.

As a result of the battle, the Russians captured positions on the Vorontsovaya ridge, which dominated the Balaklava-Sevastopol road. In the Battle of Balaklava, Russian troops captured part of the enemy redoubts, defeated a British cavalry brigade, forced the enemy to allocate additional forces to guard the rear and abandon the planned assault on Sevastopol. If the allies had known that Sevastopol was weakly defended from the north, they could have taken it immediately. But the enemies did not hope for quick success after the Battle of Balaklava and began to take Sevastopol with the correct siege of S.F. Platonov. Full course lectures on Russian history. 10th edition. Revised and corrected. Published by Iv. Blinov. Petrograd. Senate printing house. 1917. Petrozavodsk JSC "Folizm" 1996. p. 149 - 150.. However, the success achieved by the Russians in the Battle of Balaklava was not developed due to the insignificance of the forces of P.P. Liprandi Harbottle T. Battles of World History. Dictionary: Transl. from English with changes and additions - team of authors, hands. Medvedeva N., M., Vnesshigma 1993. Rupert Hart - Davis London, 1917. p. 52.. The task of cutting off enemy troops from their base was not completed. Soviet Historical Encyclopedia. Ch. ed. E.M. Zhukova. t 2. M., " Soviet encyclopedia" - 1962 (Encyclopedias. Dictionaries. Directories) Baal - Washington. With. 71..

At this time, the famous siege of Sevastopol continued.