"Charge of the Light Brigade - new info" Topic

The Telegraph reports that 'A new project has uncovered dozens of first-hand testimonies, written in the days after the attack, by those who made it out of the valley alive. The documents overturn much of the established wisdom of the battle and provide clues as to how the calamitous attack, during the Battle of Balaclava, in the Crimean War, came to be accidentally launched.'

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Amiclement.

I look forward to the book coming out.

That is on my list as well now.

Fascinating – thanks for posting

Thanks for posting, this was my favorite paragraph from the article: He described how, on the return journey, the men had to ride past several bodies of Russian cavalry that attempted to cut them off. "Of course, with our handful it was life or death; so we rushed at them to break through them … I galloped on, parrying with the determination of one who would not lose his life, breaking the lances of the cowards who attacked us in the proportion of three or four to one, occasionally catching one a slap with the sword across his teeth, and giving another the point in his arm or breast."

With so many other deserving contenders, I'm not sure how Mr. Copping can characterize this as " the country's greatest ever military blunder!"

Aside from that, it does sound like there is a lot of good, primary source material.

Grelber

I remain skeptical that the latest account will truly change our appreciation of the battle and there certainly wasn't anything in that article that de-bunked anything. The myth of the Turkish redoubt garrisons failure has long been dispelled for example. Nevertheless, it will no doubt be a valuable addition to literature on the subject and will definitely feature in my library.

I've only read a bit of The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan, but it's quite fascinating. It delves into his school record, raising some doubts as to whether he really was the stupidest officer in the British army. Not that he didn't have a host of character flaws! Far more than I knew, to be sure.

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