You may have heard of “the charge of the light brigade” and maybe even read the poem on that subject, but this was not a fictional event. The charge actually took place during the Crimean War. The war was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of troops from the French, British, Ottoman, and Sardinian forces. The war began in the Fall of 1853 and ended in March 1856 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The war claimed many lives and left lasting impacts for countless people.
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a daring but disastrous attack by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, leading to heavy losses. On October 25, 1854, Lord Cardigan led the Brigade in a head-on assault against a well-defended Russian artillery position with clear fields of fire. The charge stemmed from a misinterpreted order by commander-in-chief Lord Raglan, who had meant for them to target a different position better suited for light cavalry, to stop the Russians from removing captured guns from Turkish lines. Despite braving intense fire and reaching the guns, scattering some defenders, the Brigade was forced into a swift retreat.
The Light Brigade of the British cavalry was made up of the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, the 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars, led by Major General James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan. Also on the field that day, was the Heavy Brigade, commanded by Major General James Yorke Scarlett, which included the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, and the Scots Greys. These two brigades were the only British cavalry at the battle. The Light Brigade, riding unarmored, fast, and agile horses, carried lances and sabers. Designed for speed and mobility, they specialized in reconnaissance, skirmishing, and swiftly cutting down infantry and artillery as they tried to retreat. They were simply not suited for head-on battle against a heavily armored enemy force.
The Light Brigade rode into the valley with Cardigan at the front, leading the charge on his horse, Ronald. Suddenly, Nolan dashed across, cutting in front of Cardigan. Perhaps he realized they were charging the wrong target and tried to halt or redirect them, but an artillery shell struck and killed him, and the cavalry pressed on undeterred. Captain Godfrey Morgan was close by and stated, “The first shell burst in the air about 100 yards in front of us. The next one dropped in front of Nolan’s horse and exploded on touching the ground. He uttered a wild yell as his horse turned round, and, with his arms extended, the reins dropped on the animal’s neck, he trotted towards us, but in a few yards dropped dead off his horse. I do not imagine that anybody except those in the front line of the 17th Lancers saw what had happened.”
Heavy fighting continued, but in the end, the British were soundly defeated. The brigade was not completely destroyed, but did suffer terribly, with 118 men killed, 127 wounded, and about 60 taken prisoner. After regrouping, only 195 men were still with horses. The futility of the action and its reckless bravery prompted the French Marshal Pierre Bosquet to state: “C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre.” (“It is magnificent, but it is not war.”) He continued, in a rarely quoted phrase: “C’est de la folie” (“It is madness.”) The Russian commanders are said to have initially believed that the British soldiers must have been drunk. No, just terribly misinformed and horribly unprepared for the battle.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson told of the events in his narrative poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (1854), 
published just six weeks after the battle took place. The verses highlight the bravery of the cavalry as they followed orders despite the danger. The blame for the miscommunication remains unclear, as the order was vague, and Captain Louis Nolan…who delivered it with some added oral explanation…was killed within the first minute of the charge. Wars bring with them killing and injuring, but rarely is such carried out in such an insane manner.
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