"Favorite Cavalry Charge?" Topic

Which historical charge by cavalry is your favorite?

The charge of the Scots Grays at Waterloo, have a copy of the great painting too!

Oh yes, great painting!

Charge of the Danes at Ramillies almost 5000 of them charging right into the open French flank.

The painting is called Scotland Forever by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler. It hangs in my local city art gallery – Leeds, West Yorkshire.

charge of the winged hussars at the siege of Vienna

Yankee charge at Mine Creek 1864. Ended Price's campaign j

my favorite
YouTube link
YouTube link
here they all are all the rest

YouTube link

YouTube link

Charge of the Savoia Cavalleria at Izbushensky

link

YouTube link

Murat's charge at Eylau

Von Bredows Death Charge at mars-l-tour

4th Australian Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba, 31st October 1917.

And a film studio made a movie a few years ago, which is actually pretty good, The Light Horsemen.

The glorious charge of Lord George Sackville at Minden.

Oh, wait…

Theoden's charge at Pelinor fields

The Light Brigade. All the elements for a great novel or movie but it was all true.

Charge of the 26th US Cavalry at Morong, Bataan, 1/16/1942
Charge of the British Union Brigade at Waterloo.
Von Bredows Death Charge at Mars-l-tour
11,000 thousand French cavalry charge at Eylau
Charge of the British Light Brigade, Crimea
French charge at Poitiers
Charge of the Polish Winged Hussars at Klushino
Allied charge at the Turks, Battle of Vienna,1683.
Alexander the Great's charge at Gaugamela
British charge at Salamanca
The great cavalry charges and counter charges at Borodino
21st Lancers at Omdurman
The charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade at Beersheba.
The Largest Cavalry Charge of the Civil War: Torbert's grand charge at Third Winchester, September 19, 1864
Custer's Charge at Gettysburg.

The Last Charge, 26th US Cavalry

Seydlitz at Leuthen.
For non-historical, a toss-up between the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep or at Minas Tirith.

Read the OP.

Prince Rupert at Edgehill

3rd charge of the us 26th

Murat at Eylau.
Poles at Vienna.
Lt. Horse at Beersheba.
Scots Greys at Waterloo.
KGL at Garcia Hernandez.
Alexander's Companions at…. everywhere.

Here is one list

link

Battle Of Omdurman
Third Battle Of Winchester
Charge Of The Light Brigade
Battle Of Borodino
Battle Of Salamanca
Battle Of Gaugamela
Battle Of Vienna
Battle Of Klushino
Battle Of Poitiers
Battle Of Eylau

Another I would add to the list is
For Movie portrayal if nothing is is the Battle of the Ice or Lake Peipus

For movie charge ..Charge of light Brigade..newer version and They came to Cordura..about Pershing in mexico.

Historical, the French heavies at Sedan, and the charge led by Sir John de Catabas at Andreville. (See Alfred Duggan, Lord Geoffrey's Fancy--but the charge is historical enough.)
Fantasy, Helm's Deep and Shamla Pass in "Black Colossus." ("This day you become knights! Mount and follow me!")

YouTube link

Alexander Nevsky – Battle on the Ice, should be added to the list because of the great symphonic music if for no other reason.

William Washington (and others) at Cowpens.

Another vote for Murat's charge at Eylau

It takes real élan to charge tanks with cavalry, but the Eritrean Dell'Amhara Cavalry, led by Captain Amedeo Guillet did so on 21 January 1941, knocking out several Matildas with grenades!

The following is from the obituary of Amedeo Guillet:

"But at daybreak on January 21 at Keru, 250 horsemen erupted through the morning mist, cut through the 4/11th Sikhs, flanked the armoured cars of Skinner's Horse and then galloped straight towards British brigade headquarters and the 25-pounder artillery of the 390 Battery of the Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry.

Red Italian grenades – ‘like cricket balls' – exploded among the defenders, several of whom were cut down by swords. There were frantic cries of "Tank alert!", and the guns, that were pointing towards the Italian fortifications at Keru, were swiveled to face the new enemy.

At a distance of 25 yards they fired at the horses, cutting swathes through them – but then causing mayhem as the shells exploded amid the Sikhs and Skinner's Horse. Lasting only seconds the charge then swerved away and the horsemen disappeared into the network of wadis that criss-crossed the Sudan-Eritrean lowlands.

To those who witnessed it the charge was one of the most frightening and extraordinary episodes of the Second World War, and last week [16 June 2010] the Italian who led it, Amedeo Guillet died peacefully at his home in Rome at the age of 101."

The Light Brigade Tennyson's words echo in my soul as does Iron Maiden's The Trooper

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!" he said.

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

II

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"

Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew

Someone had blundered.

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die.

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

III

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell

Rode the six hundred.

IV

Flashed all their sabres bare,

Flashed as they turned in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army, while

All the world wondered.

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right through the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reeled from the sabre stroke

Shattered and sundered.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

V

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

While horse and hero fell.

They that had fought so well

Came through the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

VI

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondered.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred

The Lighthorsemen is a great movie — and a great cavalry charge!
YouTube link

Charge of the 11th US Cavalry, Mexican Expedition. May 5, 1916, Troop C engages Pancho Villa.

Charge of the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry "Rush's Lancers" at Brandy Station.

Custer's charge @ Gettysburg
21st Lancers at Omdurman

link

Charge of the Texas Lancers, Valverde Ford, 1862.

American Dragoons at Cowpens commanded by William Washington.

Alexander at the Granicus

Californios at San Pasqual

What makes a "favourite"?

Impressively recorded in a movie?
Historical impact?
Success against odds?
Reckless bravery?
Numbers?
Casualties?

Just curious for some of the replies here, like eg. the battle on the ice, which features a fantastic movie but rarely any historical backup.

For the last three points I would nominate the charge of the French cavalry under Margueritte at Sedan. Totally without effect, but it dwarfs the charge of the "Light Bridage" in size, foolishness and casualties.

11,000 thousand French cavalry charge at Eylau

As far as I know, it wasn't 11 000 but 7000. 5000 first then 2000 guard cavalry to save the original 5000.

What's a few thousand among friends?

The Polish winged Hussars at Vienna for dramatic/historical effect.