Battle of Balaclava Flashcards
Who commanded the British Forces at the Battle of Balaclava?
Lord Raglan
Who commanded the British cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava?
Lord Lucan
Who commanded the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava?
Lord Cardigan
Who was the Crimean War between?
British, French and Turkish vs Russians
How well was the British base at Balaclava defended? Give detail.
Not very well
Only 2000 infantry, 1500 cavalry and 26 guns
Why was Lord Raglan complacent about the possibility of a Russian attack?
He had previously received multiple false alarms
How many Russian soldiers attacked the port of Balaclava?
25000 infantry
3500 cavalry
78 guns
What happened first in the Battle?
Russian cannon fired on British gun positions
What had happened by the time the Russian cavalry were ready to charge?
British cannons had been captured and the root into Balaclava was held by the Russians
How many Russian cavalry charged at the 93rd Highlanders?
2000
How many soldiers made up the 93rd Highlanders?
550
What tactic was used to repel the Russian cavalry charged?
Line formation
What did the 93rd Highlanders do to the Russian cavalry?
Forced it to retreat
What were the 93rd Highlanders armed with?
Minié rifles
Why were the Heavy Brigade sent out?
To reinforce gun positions
What did the Charge of the Heavy Brigade achieve?
Defeat 3000 Russian cavalry and end the Russian offensive on Balaclava
What was unusual about the Heavy Brigade’s charge?
It was uphill which took the Russians by surprise
Why was their confusion over the Light Brigade’s orders?
Lord Ragland and Lord Lucan did not speak to each other so messages had to be conveyed through the messenger, Captain Nolan
What were the Light Brigade meant to do?
Prevent the Russians carrying away the captured British guns
What did the Light Brigade do instead of directly following the order?
Charge the Russian guns
How many men died during the Charge of the Light Brigade?
113 of 673
Who saved the remainder of the Light Brigade?
French cavalry reinforcements
