Product Description

The charge of the Light Brigade is one of Britain's best-known glorious military disasters. On 25 October 1854, during the siege of Sebastopol, the Light Brigade attacked Russian gun positions at Balaclava. The charge lasted 7 minutes; of 673 officers and men who went into action, 247 men and 497 horses were lost. This book shatters many long-held conceptions of how and why it happened, and who was to blame. Mark Adkin, a former professional soldier, has combined military expertise and detailed research of participants' accounts with a careful examination of the actual ground. His story switches carefully from the strategic and tactical problems of the battlefield to what it was like for the trooper riding down the valley or a Russian gunner serving his cannon. Through the novel use of sketches the reader can, at every stage, look down on the battlefield from the same position as that used by the British commander-in-chief, Lord Raglan. He sees the situation as Raglan saw it when he gave his order that launched the Brigade down the valley of death. Raglan gave the order, Captain Nolan delivered it, Lord Lucan received it, and the Earl of Cardigan executed it. History has disagreed over the share of the blame. This book makes a masterly analysis of the probabilities and discusses factors previously overlooked. There is a cogent argument, never made before, that the blunder was deliberate. The result is a gripping and definitive study of a debacle that has never ceased to enthral the imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #357979 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 366 pages

About the Author
Mark Adkin became a professional soldier in 1956. After leaving the British Army he was one of the last British District officers (in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) and as the Caribbean Operations Staff Officer he participated in the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. He has written several books on military subjects, including Urgent Fury, Goose Green and Prisoner of the Turnip Heads.

Customer Reviews

Simple outstanding
If you want to know which book to read about the early days of the Crimea, and especially of "the Charge", this has to be it. Adkin's research is outstanding and his presentational style matches it. The detail on the artillery fire that the riders would have had to go through on their way down the valley (and back) is stunning, and makes you think about the event in a completely new way. A remarkable achievement, written with authority and skill. Buy it.

A well illustrated concise guide
There are many books on the Crimea War and on the events surrounding the Charge - until now the easiest read was "Flashman at the Charge" - now Mark Adkin has provided a wealth of maps and drawings which explain how, due to the terrain the main players had totally different viewpoints, and he explains their individual histories so you can appreciate how imprecise orders led straight to disaster

Not as lavish as his magesterial "Waterloo" but a must for anyone with even a passing interest

The Light Brigade
The Charge: The Real Reason Why the Light Brigade Was Lost

An excellent book that, as the title says, gives plenty of information as to what really happened. Unfortunately, it is let down slightly by the poor quality of diagrams of original maps etc, that tended to confuse the understanding of the then current events. It would have been better to have have reproduced them in a more up to date format.