Chapter XXIII.
Battle of Balaklava (at Kadikia).

Even before the bombardment of Sevastopol, the French army was reinforced by the cavalry brigade of d "Alonville and the 5th infantry division of Lavalian, who arrived from Varna, and on October 6 (18) the Bazin brigade arrived (1) . The number of French troops increased to 50 thousand people (2) . The British, having received reinforcements, counted up to 35 thousand people in their ranks. (3) . In general, the Allies had about 85 thousand (according to other sources - up to 70 thousand) people.

The Russian army also strengthened significantly. From September 19 to October 9 (from October 1 to October 21), they arrived to her: 12th Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Liprandi, with 4 batteries, Butyrsky Infantry Regiment (17th divisions) with one battery, the sixth reserve battalions of the Minsk and Volyn regiments, the 4th rifle battalion, the 2nd line. reserve Black Sea Battalion, Consolidated Brigade of General Ryzhov (2nd Hussar and 2nd Lancers marching regiments), Don No. 53rd and Ural Cossack regiments: a total of 24 battalions, 12 squadrons and 12 hundreds with 56 guns, not counting the reserve Lancers division of Lieutenant General Korf, with two horse batteries, detached to Evpatoria. The forces of our army in the first (second) half of October stretched to 65 thousand people and in the course of several days, with the addition of the 10th and 11th divisions, could increase to 85 or 90 thousand. Thus the arrival of the reinforcements we expect might give us the upper hand, or. at least to restore the balance of forces, using which we would put the Allies in a difficult position, who, having undertaken the siege of Sevastopol, had to, to cover their work from our army, stretch their troops over a considerable area. In particular, it was convenient for us to act from the side of Chorgun in the direction of Balaklava, the base of operations of the English army. The benefits of this course of action prompted Prince Menshikov, without waiting for the arrival of the remaining divisions of the 4th Infantry Corps, to launch an attack on Balaklava.

Access to this city was covered by a double row of fortifications: the inner one (closest to the city) consisted of several batteries connected to each other by a continuous trench, which, resting on the right flank against the impregnable Mount Spilia, extended to the road leading from Balaklava through Traktirny Bridge to Simferopol. Another row of fortifications (outer), on the hills separating the Balaklava Valley from the Black River Valley, consisted of six redoubts, of which the right-flank No. The remaining redoubts were arranged to the left of the first, along the heights, partly near the Vorontsov road, partly in front of the village of Kadikioy, and armed: Redoubt No. 1 with three fortress guns; No. 2 - two; Nos. 3rd and 4th - 3rd, and No. 5th - 5th. These fortifications were very cramped and did not provide mutual defense.
The city of Balaklava and both lines of fortifications were occupied by 3,350 British and 1,000 Turks, of which 1,100 men of the English naval crews were in Balaklava and in the nearest batteries; 93rd Scottish infantry. the regiment, including 650 people, and 100 disabled people - in front of the village of Kadikioy, to the left of the Simferopol road; the Skerlet dragoon brigade (comprising five two-squadron regiments, 800 people in total), and the Cardigan light brigade (5 two-squadron regiments, 700 people in total), to the left of Kadikioy: all this cavalry was under the command of Count Lucan. The advanced redoubts were occupied by Turkish troops (4) .

From our side. there were troops in the rear of the British at the beginning (in the middle) of October. Lieutenant Colonel Rakovich, with 3 battalions, 4 guns and 2 Cossack hundreds, descended at night from the Mekenzi farm to the Black River, occupied, at dawn on October 2 (14), the village of Chorgun and the next day opened communication with the Consolidated Lancers Regiment, Colonel Eropkin, sent to monitor the enemy in the Baidar Valley. Following then, upon the arrival of Major General Semyakin to Chorgun, with the 1st brigade of the 12th infantry division and with the 1st Ural Cossack regiment, the 6th and 7th (18th and 19th) October, reconnaissance of the enemy position, and finally, on October 11 (23), a detachment was formed in Chorgun, under the command of Lieutenant General Liprandi, to attack the British troops occupying Balaklava. In the Chorgun detachment there were: 17 battalions, 20 squadrons, 10 hundreds, 48 ​​foot and 16 horse guns (5) , including up to 16 thousand people.

The attack on the British was supposed to be carried out on the 13th (25th) of October, in three columns: the left, under the command of Major General Gribbe, from 3 ¼ battalions, 6 squadrons, one hundred and 10 guns, was supposed to go along gorge leading to the Baydarskaya valley, and then turn onto the road to Komary and occupy this village (6) . The middle column, Major General Semyakin, consisted of two echelons: the left, under the direct command of Semyakin, from 5 ¼ battalions with 10 guns, and the right, under the command of Major General Levutsky, from 3 battalions with 8 guns ; this column was sent along the road from Chorgun to Kadikiy (7) ; the right column, Colonel Scuderi, of 4 ¼ battalions and 3 hundred, with 8 guns, was to move towards redoubt No. 3 (8) . 14 squadrons and 6 hundreds, with two horse batteries, under the command of Lieutenant General Ryzhov, received an order - after crossing the Black River, line up in columns for an attack and act on the instructions of General Liprandi himself (9) . 1 ¼ battalion with one battery left in reserve (10) . To assist the troops of the Chorgun detachment and to cover it from the side facing the observational corps, Boske was sent to the right of the Vorontsov road. on the Fedyukhin Heights, a detachment of Major General Zhabokritsky, consisting of 7 ¾ battalions, 2 squadrons and 2 hundred, with 14 guns, including up to 5 thousand people (11) .

On October 13 (25), even before dawn, on the basis of the disposition given the day before, the troops of the Chorgun detachment moved to the redoubts. Generals Collin-Kempbel and Lukan, who at that time had ridden in the direction from Kadikioy to the hill of Canrober, having noticed the advance of our columns, advanced all their cavalry to redoubt No. 4, confining themselves to a demonstration; only the horse battery, moving forward, became to the right of redoubt No. 3 (12) . At six o'clock, Levutsky, having approached the Kadikiy heights, opened a cannonade on the redoubts No. 2 and 3, and attacked them with Ukrainian battalions. At the same time, General Gribbe, having forced out enemy outposts from the village of Komary, put up his artillery on the heights and opened fire against redoubt No. 1. The Turks, taken by surprise, had not yet had time to prepare for defense, when General Semyakin, under the cover of cannonade and rifle fire, quickly approached the height of redoubt No. 1 and led the Azov regiment to attack. The company columns of the first line, at a sign from the commander of the regiment Kridener, rushed forward with a shout of "Hurrah!" The enemy defended stubbornly, but, despite his resistance, the Azovites captured the redoubt at 7 ½ hours, destroyed most of its defenders and captured three guns. this fortification and the offensive of the Ukrainian and Odessa battalions, the Turkish troops occupying the redoubts No. 2, 3 and 4 fled to Kadikioy, leaving behind eight guns, as well as gunpowder, tents and entrenching tools stored in the fortifications. No. 4, which was at a considerable distance from the others, was immediately torn down by our troops, the guns standing there were riveted, the wheels of the gun carriages were chopped off, and the guns themselves were thrown down the mountain. (13) .

The cannonade on the Balaklava Heights alarmed the Allies. General Bosquet immediately rushed along the slope of the mountains to the Balaklava Valley the Vinoy brigade (1st division) and behind it the brigade of the African Jaegers, General d "Alonville. Lord Raglan, for his part, sent for the 1st and 4th divisions; and while awaiting their arrival, the 93rd Scots lined up in front of Kadikia, several hundred Turks joined its right flank, and a hundred invalids joined its left. Skerlet's brigade was sent to the rescue of the fleeing Turks, towards the redoubts, and Cardigan's brigade remained behind, to the left of the infantry (14) .

After occupying the redoubts, at about ten o'clock in the morning, General Liprandi ordered Ryzhov, with the hussar brigade and the Ural regiment, with 16 guns of the horse-light No. 12 and Don battery No. 3 batteries, crossing the pass between redoubts No. 8- th and No. 4, go down to the valley, and attack the English park near the village of Kadikioy. 4 squadrons of hussars of the Saxe-Weimar (Ingermanland) regiment rushed to the 93rd Scottish regiment; the Turks who stood on its flanks for the most part fled; but the Scots met our hussars, at good shot range, with rifle fire and grapeshot, which forced the Weimar to retreat. As, meanwhile, Skerlet's brigade went to the flank of the rest of Ryzhov's cavalry, he took it back together with the Saxe-Weimar regiment and built it in columns for the attack, in the valley separating the Kadikio heights from the Fedyukhin mountains, behind the right flank of the infantry of General Liprandi (15) , located as follows: three battalions of the Dnieper regiment, with 4 guns of the battery No. 4 and 6 light guns No. 6 of the 12th artillery brigade, and a rifle company near the villages. Komarov; one battalion of the Dnieper and 4 battalions of the Azov regiments, with 4 battery No. 4 and 6 light guns No. 6 of the battery, and a rifle company, at redoubt No. 1; three Ukrainian battalions with 4 battery No. 4 and 4 light guns No. 7 battery of the 12 artillery brigade, at redoubt No. 2; four battalions of the Odessa regiment, with 8 guns of the 7th battery, and a rifle company, ledges back at the redoubt of the 3rd. One battalion of the Ukrainian Regiment with a light company of the 8th 12th artillery brigade and a rifle company were in reserve, near the Chernaya River. Ryzhov's cavalry, as already mentioned, was built in columns for the attack, on a wide hollow that served as a continuation of the Chorgun Gorge and divided into two parts the height of the left bank of the Black River (16) .

General Ryzhov, having arranged the cavalry entrusted to him, led it again to the Kadikiy heights at a shallow trot and. having approached the Skerlet brigade closest to him at a distance of about five hundred paces, he did not speed up his gait. (According to other sources, our cavalry stopped).

Commander of a brigade of English dragoons (17) , General Skerlet, having already reached the age of 55, did not participate in any campaign, but, realizing the importance of experience in military affairs, he successfully used the practical information of the two officers who were with him, Colonel Beatson (Beatson) and Lieutenant Elliot: both of them were distinguished by exploits in India, and could complement what their brave and determined leader lacked. Noticing our cavalry standing motionless on the Kadikiyo heights on his left flank, Skerlet decided to prevent the blow that threatened him by rushing to the attack himself. To this end, he deployed three squadrons to the left, marching in the column closest to the Russian cavalry, with the intention of attaching the rest of the troops of his brigade to their left flank, and, not expecting them, he galloped and then rushed into the whole carrier with three squadrons (2- m of the Enniskillen Dragoon Regiment and two of the Gray Scots Regiment), followed closely by the remaining seven squadrons of the Dragoon Brigade, and crashed into the line of our columns. The hussars, not expecting to be attacked, were crushed; the Cossacks had the same fate; among the dead was Colonel of the Leuchtenberg Regiment Voinilovich, and among the wounded was the commander of the regiment, Major General Khaletsky; all our four regiments rushed in disarray to the Chorgun Gorge. The British pursued them, but, being met by the fire of our batteries, they turned back with a great loss. (15) .

At this very time (at 10 o'clock in the morning) General Zhabokritsky arrived on the battlefield; his troops were stationed on the Fedyukhin Heights.

As the battle of the English dragoons continued, Lord Cardigan, with the light brigade entrusted to him, remained in place and took no part in the charge of Skerlet. Lord Cardigan, aged 57, like his comrade, also did not serve in any campaign. A brave warrior, a cavalryman at heart, he was, at the same time, very stubborn and considered himself offended in the service, coming under the command of Lord Lucan, which, with his mediocre abilities, could have - and did have - disastrous consequences. (19) . Captain Morris, commander of the 17th Lancers, suggested to General Cardigan that they support the dragoons' charge, or at least allow his regiment to take part; but Cardigan flatly refused (20) .

The successful attack of General Skerlet gave Lord Raglan the idea to take advantage of this private success and take away the guns captured by the Russian troops in the redoubts, and as the 1st and 4th British divisions, moving to help Colin Campbell, were still far away, Raglan decided to attack our cavalry position. To this end, he sent the following order to Lucan: “The cavalry must go forward and take advantage of every opportunity to master the heights. It will be supported by the infantry, which received the order to advance in two columns. (21) . Instead of carrying out the order to advance, Lord Lucan limited himself to ordering all his cavalry to be mounted, moved the light brigade to the left a short distance, and left the dragoons in place, waiting for the infantry, which - in his words - "then had not yet arrived" . Instead of a cavalry attack supported by infantry, he understood the command of the commander-in-chief in the sense that it was necessary to wait for the infantry attack and support it with cavalry. Thus, the most favorable moment for the attack was missed. Meanwhile, Lord Raglan looked forward impatiently to the execution of the order he had given; but time passed, Lucan's cavalry did not budge, and the Russians began to take away the guns they had captured in the redoubts. Wishing to induce the chief of his cavalry to greater activity, Raglan saw fit to send him a more definitive order. Under his dictation, the chief of staff of the English army, General Airey (Airey), wrote the following instruction: “Lord Raglan desires that the cavalry move quickly forward, following the enemy and not allow him to take away the guns. Horse artillery can accompany her. The French cavalry is on your left flank. Immediately" (22) . The commander-in-chief, having called the adjutant of the chief of staff to him, the captain instructed him to convey the given order to General Lucan (23) .

Our troops were positioned at that time in such a way that Zhabokritsky's detachment occupied the Fedyukhin Heights, and Liprandi's detachment occupied a series of hills from Redoubt No. 3 to the villages. mosquitoes; in the valley between the detachments was Ryzhov's cavalry; but as she retreated to a fairly considerable distance, only Eropkin's Consolidated Lancers Regiment, which stood near the Simferopol road, and the Don battery of the 2nd 3rd, located to the left of the Fedyukhin Heights, served for direct communication between the detachments (34) .

Captain Nolan, descending all the way down the quarry from the height on which the English commander-in-chief stood with all his staff, galloped to Lord Lucan and handed him a note from the chief of staff. Lucan, not understanding Raglan's intention - to direct the cavalry to the redoubts taken by the Russians, successively, starting from No. 3, undertook a movement into the valley, in the space between the detachments of generals Liprandi and Zhabokritsky, and, approaching Lord Cardigan, informed him of the received order. (Subsequently, when this attack led to the destruction of the English light brigade, Lucan assured that he ordered them only to "move forward", and Cardigan announced that he was expressly ordered: "to attack in the valley the Russian cavalry, stationed at a distance of a mile (about one and a half miles), the 13th Light Dragoons and the 17th Lancers", In response to Lord Lucan, Cardigan noted that: "The Russians had a battery in the valley, against the front of the English cavalry, and other batteries and riflemen on both flanks." "I know , but we have no choice but to fulfill the will of the commander-in-chief," replied Lucan. And then, Lord Cardigan, saying: "we will go!" Moved forward with a light brigade. Regiments of the 13th Light Dragoons and 17th line, the 11th Hussars in the second, the 4th Light Dragoons and the 8th Hussars in the third. in front of the first A rider galloped from left to right in the direction of the height of redoubt No. 3, raising his hands and as if indicating the point on which the attack was to be carried out. It was Nolan, hit then fatally by a grenade fragment. (25) .

As soon as an offensive of the enemy cavalry was seen from our side, the Odessa Chasseurs Regiment withdrew to height No. 3rd, light No. 7 and battery No. 1. (The latter was in the detachment of General Zhabokritsky). But the English cavalry, ignoring the well-aimed firing that tore the ranks from the front, quickened their gait, galloped onto the Don battery, cut down the servants with guns and rushed after Ryzhov’s hussars, who, although they had already managed to settle down, nevertheless received an order to retreat in order to lure the enemy under the cross shots of our batteries. The British pursued them to the Chorgun bridge.
But, during this attack, the forward squadrons of the light brigade were completely upset and were not properly supported by the others, and the dragoon brigade retreated back to its former position. Despite the fact that the English cavalry, carried away by the initial success, continued to rush into the quarry after our hussars, who, mixed into the crowd, rushed to the bridge; the light cavalry battery No. 12, which was attached to them, and the limbers of the Don battery temporarily captured by the enemy, with difficulty made their way to the other side of the river (26) . The enemy cavalry was already in sight of the bridge when the final blow was prepared for them from our side. General Liprandi, foreseeing that the British, having gone too far ahead, would be forced to make their way back with weapons, ordered Colonel Yeropkin, who was standing with six squadrons of the Consolidated Lancers near redoubts Nos. 2 and 3, to attack the enemy. The lancers immediately went at a big trot along our infantry. As the Consolidated Lancers were on horses of various colors, (and our cavalry regiments had horses of the same suit, one of the Odessa battalions standing in a square opened battle fire on their lancers. Fortunately, the battalion commander soon noticed his mistake and stopped firing. Having reached the road leading to the Traktirny Bridge, the lancers turned from columns into a line. At this time, the English light cavalry, tormented, but not upset, after their desperate attack, returned at a trot, in perfect order. As soon as the English caught up with our lancers, then 1- The 1st squadron of the Consolidated Regiment hit the enemy's flank and crashed into the retreating column, followed by other squadrons to attack.At the same time, our infantry and artillery opened fire, from which the enemy cavalry suffered heavy damage, and ours also got it.Eropkin himself, surrounded by three Englishmen , killed one and knocked the other off his horse.Our lancers pursued the remnants of the light brigade almost to the 4th redoubt, littering the battlefield with corpses. The cardigan lasted only 20 minutes, during which of the 700 people of the English brigade, up to 300 were killed and wounded (27) . Perhaps the damage suffered by the enemy would have been even greater if the head of the French cavalry, General Morris, had not sent General d'Alonville to the rescue of the English brigade with the 4th regiment of the African Mounted Chasseurs, who had become famous in Algeria, when attacking the Smala (camps) of Abdel-Kader and in the Battle of Isli.The attack was carried out by two echelons, two squadrons each: the first echelon, under the command of the divisional officer Abdelal, was supposed to attack the battery battery of the Zhabokritsky detachment standing on the Fedyukhin Mountains, and the other, under the personal command d "Alonville - hit two battalions covering artillery. At the same time, the Cathcart division and the Espinasse brigade were sent against the Jabokritsky detachment, and the division of the Duke of Cambridge against the troops of Liprandi, who occupied the redoubts (28) .

The first two squadrons of horse rangers d "Alonville broke through the rifle chain that covered Zhabokritsky's troops, jumped over the battery battery on the left and began to cut down the servants. The other two squadrons, following the ledge behind the left flank of the advanced division, rushed to cover; but General Zhabokritsky managed to build two in heaps Vladimir battalions and met the cavalry chasseurs with heavy fire. The French were forced to lean back and, being hit by well-aimed shots of scouts and shooters, retreated to Sapun Mountain. However, their attack, although not completely successful, nevertheless achieved its main goal, weakening the cannonade detachment of Zhabokritsky, directed at the retreating brigade of Cardigan.As for the proposed offensive of the Allied infantry, it was canceled by the common consent of Canrobert and Raglan (29) .
The further battle was limited to a skirmish between Cathkart's division, which occupied redoubt No. 4, and the Odessa battalions closest to it. The cannonade stopped at 4 pm. The allied commanders decided to leave in our hands the fortifications and trophies we had taken and abandon the defense of the outer line of redoubts, concentrating the troops of Colin Campbel at Balaklava and strengthening the inner line covering this city (30) . From our side. General Liprandi, content with his successes, deployed his troops in the position he occupied as follows: one battalion of the Dnieper regiment in the village of Komary; Azov infantry regiment and one Dnieper battalion - in redoubt No. 1; one battalion of the Ukrainian regiment - in redoubts No. 2 and 3; Odessa regiment, two battalions of the Dnieper and one Ukrainian regiments - near redoubt No. 3. One Ukrainian battalion became in reserve, near the bridge on the Black River. The detachment of Zhabokritsky occupied the Fedyukhin mountains. The cavalry, as before, remained in the valley, behind the right flank of the Liprandi detachment (31) .

The damage of our troops in the case at Balaklava consisted of 6 officers and 232 lower ranks killed and the 1st general, 19 officers and 292 lower ranks wounded and shell-shocked, in general it extended up to 550 people (32) . The allies showed their loss of 598 people, namely: the French 38, the British 300 and the Turks 260. But in reality it was much more: when taking the redoubts, 170 Turks were killed; an attack by the Cardigan Light Brigade cost the English three hundred killed alone; 60 people were taken prisoner, including one staff officer and 2 chief officers: one Englishman and another seconded to the headquarters of Lord Raglan, Lieutenant Landriani of the Sardinian service, wounded in the leg by buckshot. Our trophies consisted of the banner, beaten off during the capture of redoubt No. 1, 11 guns and 60 cartridge boxes; in addition, the Turkish camp and entrenching tool were captured (33) .

Tactically, the case under Balaklava was very beneficial for us: the enemy suffered significant damage and was forced to restrict his circle of actions and limit himself to the direct cover of Balaklava. Even more important were the benefits brought to us by this case in respect of the moral. The defenders of Sevastopol became even more convinced of the possibility of fighting a strong enemy, after the success gained by our troops in the field, and, on the contrary, the Allies began to doubt the success of the siege. The attack of the light English brigade was given justice, both by their own and ours, as a brilliant feat of self-sacrifice, but everyone condemned the commanders of the troops, who subjected a significant part of the cavalry to obvious death. General Bosquet, looking at this attack, said: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." (It's nice, but you can't fight like that) (34) . Lord Raglan, meeting Cardigan after the attack, expressed his displeasure to him, asking: "how could you attack a battery from the front, contrary to all military rules?" Then, seeing Lucan, he said: "You killed the light brigade." (35) . Public opinion, so powerful in England, rose up with such force against both of the cavalry generals that Lucan thought it fit to ask for a commission to be appointed to investigate his actions at the battle of Balaklava, and Cardigan brought a lawsuit with Lieutenant-Colonel Calthorpe, who, in his Letters from Headquaters ”(letters from the main apartment), claimed that Cardigan, having sent his light brigade to the Russian batteries, left the battlefield before his cavalry reached our guns (36) .

As for the importance of the Balaclava affair in relation to the course of the war in general, then, despite the benefits delivered to us by the successful offensive of our detachment, in all likelihood, we would have achieved incomparably important results if, having waited for the arrival of the 10th and 11th divisions, attacked with significant forces near Balaklava the British, who did not expect an attack and did not have time to strengthen their position in front of this city. Mastering Balaklava - the base of the British troops - would put them in a difficult, almost hopeless situation. On the contrary, the affair of October 13 (25) showed the Allies the weakest point of their location and forced them to take measures to repel the blow that threatened them.

"Hooves are pounding on the firmament,
The guns are looming in the distance
Straight to Death Valley
Six squadrons entered.

Alfred Tennyson Charge of the Light Horse.

On October 25 (13), 1854, one of the largest battles of the Crimean War took place - Balaklava battle. On the one hand, the forces of France, Great Britain and Turkey took part in it, and on the other, Russia.

The port city of Balaklava, fifteen kilometers south of Sevastopol, was the base of the British expeditionary force in the Crimea. The destruction of the Allied troops near Balaklava disrupted the supply of British forces and could theoretically lead to the lifting of the siege of Sevastopol. The battle took place to the north of the city, in a valley bounded by Sapun Mountain, the low Fedyukhin Hills and the Black River. This was the only battle of the entire Crimean War in which the Russian forces were not inferior to the enemy in numbers.

By the autumn of 1854, despite the stubborn bombing of Sevastopol, it was clear to both sides that an assault would not follow in the near future. Marshal François Canrobert, Commander-in-Chief French army, who replaced the deceased from Saint Arnaud's disease, he understood well that he needed to hurry. With the onset of winter, it will be more difficult for transports to navigate the Black Sea, and spending the night in tents is not at all good for the health of its soldiers. However, he did not dare either to begin preparations for the assault on Sevastopol, or to attack Menshikov's army. In order to get hold of ideas and plans, he even got into the habit of visiting his colleague in Balaklava, the commander-in-chief of the English army, Lord Raglan. However, Fitzroy Raglan himself was accustomed to receiving instructions from the highly experienced French staff. Both commanders needed some kind of push - and he followed ....

Prince Menshikov, commander-in-chief of the Russian army, did not at all believe in the success of the ensuing war. However, the sovereign did not allow the thought of the loss of Sevastopol. He did not give rest to the most illustrious prince, encouraging him in his letters and expressing regret that he could not be personally with the troops, instructing him to thank the soldiers and sailors on his behalf. In order to show at least some semblance of active hostilities, Alexander Sergeevich decided to attack the Allied camp near Balaklava.

Photo by Roger Fenton. British warship at the pier in Balaklava Bay. 1855

Photo by Roger Fenton. British and Turkish military camp in the valley near Balaklava.1855

It should be noted that a small Greek village with a population of several hundred people in September 1854 turned into a bustling city. The entire coast was littered with shots, boards and various implements brought here from England. The British built here railway, embankment, camp and many warehouses, built a water supply system and several artesian wells. There were many warships in the bay, as well as several yachts of members of the high command, in particular, the "Dryyad" of the commander of the light cavalry, James Cardigan. To protect the town on low hillocks nearby, in mid-September, the Allies set up four redoubts. Three of them were armed with artillery. These redoubts covered the Chorgun-Balaklava line, and in each of them there were about two hundred and fifty Turkish soldiers. The British correctly calculated that the Turks know how to sit behind the fortifications much better than fighting in an open field. By the way, the unfortunate soldiers of Omer Pasha performed the dirtiest and hardest work in the Allied army. They were fed very poorly, they were not allowed to communicate with other soldiers and residents, they were beaten by mortal combat for infractions. Transformed into advanced fighters, they were planted on redoubts in order to protect the English camp with their breasts. The British forces in this place consisted of two cavalry brigades: the heavy cavalry of General James Scarlett and the light cavalry of Major General Cardigan. The general command of the cavalry was Major General George Bingham, aka Lord Lucan, a mediocre commander who was not particularly popular with his subordinates. Scarlett's forces were to the south of the redoubts, closer to the city, Cardigan's troops were to the north, closer to the Fedyukhin mountains. It should be noted that members of the largest aristocratic families of England served in the light cavalry, which was an elite branch of the military. The entire British expeditionary force was commanded by Lord Raglan. French units also took part in the future battle, but their role was insignificant.

On October 23, near the village of Chorgun on the Black River, under the command of General Pavel Petrovich Liprandi, who served as Menshikov’s deputy, the Chorgun detachment of about sixteen thousand people was assembled, including military personnel of the Kiev and Ingrian hussars, Don and Ural Cossacks, Odessa and Dnieper infantry regiments. The purpose of the detachment was the destruction of Turkish redoubts, access to Balaklava and artillery shelling of enemy ships in the port. To support the troops of Liprandi, a special detachment of Major General Iosif Petrovich Zhabokritsky, numbering five thousand people and with fourteen guns, was to advance to the Fedyukhin Heights.

Balaklava battle began at six o'clock in the morning. Speaking from the village of Chorgun, the Russian troops, breaking into three columns, moved to the redoubts. The central column stormed the first, second and third, the right column attacked the fourth redoubt standing aside, and the left occupied the village of Kamara on the enemy's right flank. The Turks, who had been sitting quietly for several weeks, only at the last moment, to their horror, saw how the Russians rushed at them after the artillery shelling. Taken by surprise, they did not have time to leave the first redoubt, a battle ensued in it, during which about two-thirds of the Turkish subjects were killed. At seven o'clock, Russian soldiers, having captured three guns, captured the first fortification.

From the rest of the redoubts, the Turks left with extreme speed, they were pursued by Russian cavalrymen. Among other things, eight guns, a lot of gunpowder, tents and trench tools were thrown into the rest of the fortifications. The fourth redoubt was immediately demolished, and all the guns in it were riveted and thrown off the mountain.

Curiously, the surviving Turks near the walls of the city also got from the British. One British officer recalled it this way: "The troubles here did not end with the Turks, we took them with the tip of the bayonet and did not allow them to enter, seeing how cowardly they behaved."

Lieutenant General Pavel Petrovich Liprandi.
Commander of the Russian detachment in the Battle of Balaklava

At the beginning of the ninth, Liprandi took possession of the Balaklava heights, but this was only the beginning. After a half-hour break, Pavel Petrovich sent all his cavalry into the valley. Behind the captured redoubts was the second row of Allied fortifications, and behind them stood the brigades of light and heavy cavalry of the British, which by that time had already begun to move. The French General Pierre Bosquet also sent the Vinoy brigade to the valley, followed by the African chasseurs of Alonville. Separately from the cavalry, the ninety-third Scottish regiment under the command of Colin Campbell operated. the village of Kadykovka on the path of the advancing Russian cavalry, approximately 2,000 cavalry.The Russian cavalry broke into two groups, one of which (about six hundred horsemen) rushed at the Scots.

Campbell is known to have said to his soldiers: “Boys, there will be no order to retreat. You must die where you stand." His adjutant John Scott replied: “Yes. We will do it." Realizing that the front of the Russian attack was too wide, the regiment lined up in two lines instead of four. The Scots fired three salvos: from eight hundred, five hundred and three hundred and fifty yards. Having approached, the horsemen attacked the highlanders, but the Scots did not flinch, forcing the Russian cavalry to withdraw.

The repulse of a cavalry attack by a highlander infantry regiment in the Battle of Balaklava was called "The Thin Red Line" in accordance with the color of the Scots uniforms. The expression was originally coined by a Times journalist who compared the 93rd Regiment in an article to "a thin red stripe bristling with steel." Over time, the expression "The Thin Red Line" has evolved into artistic image- a symbol of self-sacrifice, stamina and composure in battles. This turnover also denotes the defense of the last forces.

At the same time, the remaining forces of the Russian cavalry under the command of General Ryzhov, who led the entire cavalry of the Chorgun detachment, entered into battle with the heavy cavalry of General Scarlett. It is curious that, noticing the slowly moving Russian cavalry on his left flank, the English general decided to prevent the blow and was the first to rush with ten squadrons into the attack. Fifty-year-old James Scarlett, who commanded the brigade, had no experience in military affairs, but he successfully used the tips of his two assistants, Colonel Beatson and Lieutenant Elliot, who distinguished themselves in India. Russian cavalrymen, who did not expect an attack, were crushed. During a terrible seven-minute felling of hussars and Cossacks with British dragoons, several of our officers were seriously wounded, General Khaletsky, in particular, had his left ear cut off.

Throughout the battle, Cardigan's light cavalry stood still. The fifty-seven-year-old lord did not participate in any military campaign before the Crimean War. Companions offered him to support the dragoons, but James flatly refused. A brave warrior and born rider, he had considered himself humiliated from the very moment he entered Lord Lucan's command.

Seeing that more and more units of the allies were hurrying to the place of battle from all sides, Lieutenant General Ryzhov gave the signal to retreat. The Russian regiments rushed into the Chorgun Gorge, and the British pursued them. A six-gun cavalry battery, which arrived in time to help the dragoons, opened fire with grapeshot at the backs of the hussars and Cossacks, inflicting significant damage on them. However, the Russian artillery did not remain in debt. Retreating, Ryzhov's troops, as if by chance, passed between the two redoubts captured in the morning (second and third), dragging the British with them. When the column of Scarlett's dragoons drew level with the fortifications, cannons rang out to the right and left. Having lost several dozen people killed and wounded, the British rushed back. At about the same time (ten o'clock in the morning), the troops of Joseph Zhabokritsky arrived on the battlefield, located on the Fedyukhin Heights.

Both sides used the ensuing lull to regroup troops and consider the future situation. It seemed that the Battle of Balaklava could have ended there, however, a successful attack by Scarlett's dragoons led Lord Raglan to repeat this maneuver in order to again take possession of the guns captured by the Russians in redoubts. François Canrobert, who was present nearby, remarked: “Why go for them? Let the Russians come at us, because we are in an excellent position, so we will not move from here. If Saint Arnaud had continued to hold the position of French commander-in-chief, perhaps Lord Raglan would have taken the advice. However, Marshal Canrobert had neither the character nor the authority of Saint-Arnaud. Since the British 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions were still quite far away, the British Commander-in-Chief ordered a cavalry attack on our positions. To this end, he sent the following order to Lucan: “The cavalry go forward and use every opportunity to master the heights. The infantry will advance in two columns and support it.” However, the cavalry commander misinterpreted the order and, instead of immediately attacking the Russians with all his strength, limited himself to moving the light brigade a short distance to the left, leaving the dragoons in place. The riders froze in anticipation of the infantry, which, according to their commander, "hadn't arrived yet." Thus, the most opportune moment for the attack was missed.

Fitzroy Raglan waited patiently for his order to be carried out. However, time passed, and Lucan's cavalry stood still. The Russians at that time slowly began to take away the captured guns, no new attacks were expected from them. Not understanding what caused the inactivity of the chief of the cavalry, Raglan decided to send him another order. General Airy, who was the chief of staff of the British army, wrote the following directive under his dictation: “The cavalry must move quickly forward and not allow the enemy to take away the guns. Horse artillery can accompany her. On your left flank you have the French cavalry. Immediately". The order ended with the word "immediate". The note was given to Lord Lucan by Captain Lewis Edward Nolan.

It should be noted that by that time the Russian troops were located in a "deepened horseshoe". Liprandi's troops occupied the hills from the third redoubt to the village of Kamara, the Zhabokritsky detachment - Fedyukhina heights, and in the valley between them were Ryzhov's cavalrymen, who retreated a fairly long distance. For communication between the detachments, the Consolidated Lancers Regiment (standing at the Simferopol road) and the Don battery (located at the Fedyukhin Heights) were used. Lord Lucan, finally realizing the true order, asked Nolan how he imagined this operation, because the British cavalry, deepening between the ends of the horseshoe, would fall under the crossfire of Russian batteries and inevitably die. However, the captain only confirmed what he was told to convey. Much later, information appeared that, handing the order to Nolan, Raglan added verbally: "If possible." Lord Lucan testified under oath that the captain did not convey these words to him. It was impossible to question the English officer himself, by that time he had already died.

British cavalry commander General George Lucan

Thus, the head of the entire British cavalry found himself in a difficult position: he clearly understood all the madness of the undertaking and at the same time held in his hands a piece of paper with a clear order from the commander in chief. "Orders must be obeyed," apparently with such thoughts George Bingham set out with his staff towards Cardigan's light cavalry. Having handed over the contents of the note, he ordered him to advance. "Yes, sir," said Cardigan coldly, "however, let me say that the Russians have riflemen and batteries on both sides of the valley." “I know that,” Lucan replied, “but Lord Raglan wants it that way. We don't choose, we execute." Cardigan saluted the lord and turned to his light brigade. At that moment, there were six hundred and seventy-three people in it. The sound of a trumpet was heard and at 11:20 the cavalry moved forward at a pace. Soon the cavalrymen switched to a trot. These were the most select units, striking with the splendor and beauty of the equestrian composition. The English cavalry advanced in three lines, occupying a fifth of the width of the valley along the front. She only had to cover three kilometers. And to the right of them, also lined up in three lines, a heavy brigade was advancing, led by Lucan himself.

The commander-in-chief of the British, Fitzroy Raglan, who lost his right hand in the battle of Waterloo, was never a military general and, according to many historians, was an incompetent commander and leader. There is evidence that when the English cavalry charged at full speed against the Russian troops, Raglan noted with visible pleasure the magnificent spectacle of the orderly orders of his elite troops. And only real military men, like Canrobert and his staff officers, not knowing about the content of the order, belatedly (by their own admission) began to understand what was happening in front of them.

As soon as our troops saw the movement of the enemy cavalry, the Odessa Chasseurs Regiment withdrew to the second redoubt and lined up in a square, and rifle battalions armed with rifles, together with batteries from the Fedyukhin and Balaklava heights, opened crossfire at the British. Grenades and cannonballs flew at the enemy, and as the horsemen approached, buckshot was also used. One of the grenades exploded next to Captain Nolan, riddling the Englishman's chest and killing him on the spot. However, Cardigan's horsemen continued to advance, galloping under a hail of shells, breaking their formation. Got it from Russian artillerymen and heavy cavalry. Lord Lucan was wounded in the leg, and his nephew and adjutant Captain Charteris was killed. Finally, unable to withstand the heavy fire, the commander of the entire cavalry stopped Scarlett's brigade, ordering it to retreat to its original positions.

Robert Gibbs. The Thin Red Line (1881). Scottish National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle

After that, Cardigan's cavalry became the main object of marksmanship by Russian riflemen and artillerymen. By that time, they had already reached the Russian heavy Don battery of six guns located across the valley. The riders, who were circling the battalions of the Odessa Jaeger Regiment, were met from there with shots, and then the battery fired a final volley of buckshot at point-blank range, but could not stop the British. A short and fierce battle began on the battery. As a cover, forty paces behind her stood six hundred soldiers of the first Ural Cossack regiment, who had not yet taken part in the battle and had not suffered losses. And behind them, at a distance of forty meters, two regiments of hussars were lined up in two lines, commanded by Colonel Voynilovich after Khaletsky was wounded.

Photo by Roger Fenton. Chorgunsky (Traktirny) bridge (1855)

The lancers of the seventeenth regiment broke through the defenses of the battery and attacked the Cossacks. Clouds of dust and smoke hid from them the true forces of the attackers, and suddenly the Urals, seeing the flying lancers, panicked and began to retreat, crushing the hussar regiments. Only separate groups of soldiers who remained steadfast rushed to the rescue of the artillerymen. Among them was Colonel Voinilovich, who, having rallied several privates around him, rushed at the British. In the fight, he was struck down by two shots to the chest. The hussars and Cossacks, mixed into a crowd, together with a light horse battery and the remnants of the personnel of the temporarily captured Don battery, retreated to the Chorgun bridge, luring the enemy behind them. When the enemy cavalry was already near the bridge, General Liprandi, who foresaw such a development of events, struck the final blow. Six squadrons of the Combined Lancers, stationed near the second and third redoubts, attacked the British. At the same moment, the Russian artillery again opened fire, from which the enemy cavalry suffered significant damage, and our horsemen also fell. By this time, the hussars had regrouped, the Cossacks of the fifty-third Don regiment arrived in time.

Richard Woodville. Attack of the Light Brigade. (1855)

The Russian uhlans pursued Cardigan's brigade to the fourth redoubt and, undoubtedly, would have exterminated everyone to the last man, if help had not approached. The French, led by Francois Canrobert, fully comprehended what was happening only when, after an artillery shelling, the Russian cavalry, together with the infantry, rushed to finish off the British. One of the best French generals, Pierre Bosquet, shouted indignantly at the British staff: “This is not a war! This is madness!". Canrobert's order to save what was left of the English light cavalry thundered deafeningly. The first to rush to the rescue of Cardigan was the illustrious fourth regiment of the African horse rangers of General d "Alonville. They collided with the plastun battalion of the Black Sea Cossacks. the cavalry flew past, they got up and shot in the back. Now the French side also suffered significant losses. And the light brigade of the British at that time, on wounded, tired horses, showered with bullets and buckshot, scattered into single horsemen and small groups, slowly left up the valley "The pursuit of them by the Russians was not active, although later it was called "hunting for hares". In total, the tragic attack of the British lasted twenty minutes. The battlefield was littered with the corpses of people and horses, more than three hundred people of the English brigade were killed or maimed. Only on their own positions, the remnants of the once glorious English regiments again saw the brigade commander, about which they knew nothing from the moment the battle began on the Russian battery.

The further battle was limited to a skirmish between the Allied troops, who occupied the fourth redoubt, and the nearest Odessa battalions. At four o'clock in the evening the cannonade ceased, and the battle was over. The commanders-in-chief of the allied forces decided to leave all the trophies and fortifications in the hands of the Russians, concentrating troops at Balaklava. General Liprandi, satisfied with the successes achieved, deployed troops: in the village of Kamara, at the bridge on the Black River, in the first, second, third redoubts and near them. The detachment of Zhabokritsky still stood on the Fedyukhin mountains, and the cavalry settled in the valley.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Sevastopol defense in 1904, a monument to the heroes of the Balaklava battle was erected near the Sevastopol-Yalta road, where the fourth Turkish redoubt was located. The project was developed by Lieutenant Colonel Yerantsev, and the architect Permyakov made some changes to it. During the Great Patriotic War, the monument was destroyed and only in 2004, military builders, according to the project of the architect Sheffer, restored the monument.

Paul Philippoteaux. Attack of the Light Brigade led by General Allonville

The battle of Balaklava left two impressions. On the one hand, it was not in the slightest degree a victory for the Allies, on the other hand, it was not a complete victory for the Russian army. The capture of the city - the base of the British - would put the Allied forces in an almost hopeless situation. Many of the British commanders admitted later that the loss of Balaklava would have forced the allied forces to leave Sevastopol, radically changing the entire Crimean War. Tactically, the battle of Balaklava was successful: the Russian troops captured the heights surrounding the city and several guns, the enemy suffered significant damage and restricted the circle of his actions, limiting himself to the direct cover of the city. However, the capture of the redoubts and the extermination of the English cavalry did not bring any significant strategic consequences. On the contrary, the battle showed the allies their weakest point, forcing them to take measures to repel a new blow. Our command also did not support the courage of the Russian soldiers, showing amazing indecision. After some time, the captured redoubts were abandoned, almost nullifying the results of the battle.

Drawing by Roger Fenton. Charge of the Light Horse Brigade, October 25, 1854, under the command of Major General Cardigan (1855)

The only positive factor was that after the news of the Battle of Balaklava, both in Sevastopol and in our entire army, there was an extraordinary rise in morale. Stories about the taken trophies and the fallen English cavalrymen, exactly as well as about the extraordinary courage with which the Russian soldiers fought, were passed from mouth to mouth. Here is what Liprandi wrote about the behavior of his troops after the battle: “The detachments, realizing their high mission to defend their native land, were eager to fight the enemy. The whole battle is one heroic feat, and it is very difficult to give someone an advantage over others.

The Cossacks participating in the defeat of the English cavalry caught after the battle the horses, in their own words, "crazy cavalry" and sold expensive blood trotters at a price of fifteen to twenty rubles (while the true cost of horses was estimated at three hundred to four hundred rubles).

The British, on the contrary, after the battle had a painful feeling of defeat and loss. There was talk about the military ignorance and mediocrity of the high command, which led to completely senseless losses. In one English pamphlet of the period of the Crimean War it is written: "Balaklava" - this word will be recorded in the annals of England and France, as a place memorable for acts of heroism and the misfortune that happened there, unsurpassed until then in history. October 25, 1854 will forever remain a date of mourning in the history of England. Only twelve days later, a message about the fateful event, sent by the famous hater of Russia, Lord Radcliffe, arrived in London from Constantinople. The light cavalry that fell under Balaklava consisted of representatives of the English aristocracy. The impression of this news in the British capital was overwhelming. Until the war of 1914, pilgrims traveled from there to inspect the “valley of death”, where the color of their nation died. Dozens of books and poems have been written about the disastrous attack, many films have been made, and researchers of the past are still arguing who is really to blame for the death of English aristocrats.

Photo by Roger Fenton. Council at Raglan Headquarters
(the general is sitting on the left in a white hat and without right hand) (1855)

By the way, following the results of the incident, a special commission was created. Commander-in-Chief Fitzroy Raglan tried to shift all the blame on Lucan and Cardigan, telling them at meetings: “You ruined the brigade” (to Lucan) and “How could you attack the battery from the front against all military rules?” (to Cardigan). The Commander-in-Chief created a whole charge against George Bingham, who, in his opinion, missed the opportunity. The press and the government supported Raglan so as not to undermine the prestige of the high command. Under public pressure against the cavalry generals, Lucan asked for a more thorough investigation of his actions in the battle, and Cardigan started a lengthy litigation with Lieutenant Colonel Kalthorpe, who claimed that the commander of the light brigade had fled the field before his subordinates reached the Russian guns.

According to the order of the Russian Emperor, it was decided to perpetuate the memory of all the troops that took part in the defense of Sevastopol from 1854 to 1855. Under the leadership of a member of the State Council, Pyotr Fedorovich Rerberg, a lot of materials were collected on the wounded and dead Russian soldiers in the key battles on Alma, Inkerman, on the Black River and near Balaklava. In the materials presented to the sovereign, Pyotr Fedorovich mentioned four officers who died in the Battle of Balaklava:

Captain of the Dnieper Infantry Regiment Dzhebko Yakov Anufrievich, who was killed by a cannonball in the head during the capture of the village of Kamara;

Captain of the Hussar Saxe-Weimar (Ingermanlad) regiment Khitrovo Semyon Vasilyevich, seriously wounded during a fight with Scarlett's dragoons, captured and died in it;

Cornet of the Saxe-Weimar Hussar Regiment Gorelov Konstantin Vasilievich, who was killed by buckshot during the retreat of the regiment after a fight with Scarlett's cavalrymen;

Colonel of the hussar regiment Voynilovich Joseph Ferdinandovich, who was killed during the attack of the English light brigade on the Don battery.

According to the British command, the losses of the light brigade amounted to more than a hundred killed (including nine officers), one and a half hundred wounded (of which eleven officers) and about sixty people captured (including two officers). Many of the crippled people later died. More than three hundred and fifty horses were also lost. The total damage inflicted on the allies that day amounted to about nine hundred people. According to later estimates, the losses reached a thousand soldiers, and some historians even claim that one and a half thousand soldiers died. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to six hundred twenty-seven people, of which two hundred and fifty-seven were among the hussars, who suffered the most from the English cavalry. In February 1945, after the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill visited the Balaklava Valley. One of his Marlborough ancestors died in the battle. And in 2001, the brother of the Queen of Great Britain, Prince Michael of Kent, visited the memorable place.

The Crimean War of 1853-1856 was perhaps the first major armed conflict in the history of mankind, in which the press began to play a serious role.

The mood in England and France was strongly influenced by the reports of reporters from the battlefield. The assessment of certain events, as well as the course of the war as a whole, largely depended on what kind of "picture" the newspapermen gave.

If in Russia the Crimean War will be reflected later, in the works of writers, then in Britain and France it was the journalists who created the canonical idea of ​​the war in Crimea.

A striking example of this is the Battle of Balaclava, which enriched English mythology with two events known as the “charge of the light cavalry” and the “thin red line”.

In mid-October 1854, Russian troops attempted to alleviate the situation of Sevastopol, which was blocked by the Anglo-French-Turkish forces, by striking in the direction of the main English base in the Crimea - the port of Balaklava.

The operation was led by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Forces in the Crimea, Prince Menshikov, Lieutenant-General Pavel Liprandi.

Turkish run

Liprandi had 16 thousand people at his disposal: the Kyiv and Ingermanland hussars, the Ural and Don Cossacks, the Azov, Dnieper infantry, Odessa and Ukrainian chasseurs and a number of other units and subunits.

Balaclava, where the camp and military depots of the Allied troops were located, was covered by four fortified redoubts, on which Turkish soldiers and English artillerymen held the defense.

The striking force of the Allied grouping near Balaklava, numbering 4,500 people, was two English elite cavalry brigades - a brigade of heavy cavalry James Scarlett and a brigade of light cavalry James Cardigan.

The battle of October 13 (October 25, according to a new style) took place in the valleys north of Balaklava, bounded by the low Fedyukhin mountains.

At about five o'clock in the morning, the Russian infantry drove the Turks out of the first redoubt after a swift bayonet attack.

It should be noted that the Ottoman units located in the Crimea were not the best in the Turkish army and were notable for their low fighting qualities. That is why the other three redoubts, as well as the English artillery located on them, in the amount of nine pieces went to the Russians virtually without a fight.

Moreover, the British had to stop the flight of their allies by opening fire on those fleeing.

After the successful start of the battle, General Liprandi ordered the hussar brigade to attack the English artillery park. However, the intelligence of the Russian army made a mistake - instead of gunners, the hussars collided with a brigade of heavy English cavalry.

The meeting was unexpected for both parties. In the ensuing battle, the Russians managed to oust the British, but the commander of the hussar brigade developed the offensive Lieutenant General Ryzhov did not take risks by withdrawing the unit to its original positions.

"Thin Red Line"

The key moment of the battle, according to many historians, was the attack of the 1st Ural Cossack regiment Lieutenant Colonel Horoshkhin in the position of the 93rd Scottish Infantry Regiment.

By English version, this regiment remained the last cover of the allied troops from the Russian breakthrough into the military camp in Balaklava.

To keep the large front of the Cossack attack, the commander of the Scots Colin Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in a line of two, instead of the lines of four provided for by the charters in such cases.

The Scots repulsed the attack of the Cossacks.

The defense of the Scottish highlanders from the advancing Cossacks was enthusiastically described by English journalists. The uniform of the Scots was red, and the correspondent of the Times newspaper William Russell described the defenders as "a thin red streak bristling with steel".

The expression "thin red line" as a symbol of courageous defense from the last forces entered into a stable circulation, first in England, and then in other Western countries.

Journalists also described such a dialogue between Campbell and his adjutant John Scott:

There will be no order to withdraw, boys. You must die where you stand.

Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

In fact, everything was somewhat different from what the British wrote. The 93rd Regiment was by no means the last line of defense. In the rear, he had the positions of the English artillery, and in Balaclava itself, a detachment of the Royal Marines was ready to join the battle.

In addition, most of the Russian cavalry was busy fighting the English heavy cavalry brigade, so the forces of the attackers were also limited. It is also worth adding that, according to a number of historians, the Scottish regiment did not defend itself alone, but with part of the Turkish units that had retreated from the redoubts.

But the British to this day prefer to believe in that “thin red line” that English journalists described to them 160 years ago.

Thin red line, painting by Robert Gibbs.

Lord's Wrath in Raglan

After the Cossack attack was repulsed and the hussar brigade retreated to their original positions, the battle seemed to be coming to an end with an acceptable outcome for the allies - the Russian troops failed to reach the English camp and disrupt the supply of the Anglo-French-Turkish expeditionary force.

However, Lord Raglan, commander of the British forces in the Crimea, there was a different opinion. The commander, who had lost his arm at the Battle of Waterloo in his youth, after which he gave his name to a new type of sleeve of clothing that made it possible to hide this shortcoming, was extremely angry at the loss of nine English guns at the beginning of the battle.

The emblems of the army and the state were on the guns, and the lord considered it a shame to meekly leave the English guns to the Russians as a trophy.

Monument to the British who fell in the Crimean War 1854–1856. The monument was erected not far from Sapun Gora near the Sevastopol-Balaklava road in connection with the 150th anniversary of the end of the Crimean War.

Arriving at the battlefield, when a lull had already set in, the commander, pointing with his hand at the Russian soldiers who were taking away the guns from the captured redoubts, ordered that the guns be recaptured at all costs. Order to the commander of the English cavalry Lord Lucan was transmitted in the form of a note as follows: “Lord Raglan desires that the cavalry quickly advance to the front line, pursuing the enemy, and try to prevent the enemy from taking away the guns. The Horse Artillery Detachment may also join. The French cavalry is on your left flank. Immediately".

Cannon meat English. aristocratic

When sent with a note Captain Nolan gave it to Lord Lucan, he asked: what kind of guns are we talking about?

The fact is that at the other end of the valley there were well-defended positions of heavy Russian artillery.

Nolan waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the Russian lines, saying something like "Over there!"

Then Lucan gave the order to the commander of the English light cavalry brigade, Lord Cardigan, to attack the positions of the Russian gunners. Cardigan logically retorted: a cavalry attack across the open plain against an artillery position would be suicidal. Lucan, without arguing with this, remarked: an order is an order.

More than 600 English cavalry rushed to the attack. This really came as a surprise to the Russians. Under crossfire, but rather chaotic fire from Russian positions, the British got to the guns and partially destroyed the artillery crews. However, the counterattack of the Russian cavalry forced the British to retreat.

The retreat was terrible - the Russian troops, who understood what was happening, unleashed hurricane fire on the cavalrymen, practically destroying the brigade as a combat unit.

Here is a description of the final moment of the attack in The Times newspaper: “So, we watched them break into the battery; then, to our delight, we saw that they were returning, breaking through the column of Russian infantry, scattering it like a haystack. And then they - who had lost their formation, scattered along the valley - were swept away by a flank volley of a battery on a hill. The wounded and horseless cavalrymen running towards our positions testified more eloquently than any words to their sad fate - yes, they failed, but even the demigods could not have done more ... At 11:35, there were no more British soldiers left in front of the damned Muscovite cannons except for the dead and dying..."

How shame became legend

The light cavalry brigade, made up of people from the best aristocratic families in England, fought on the best horses, was turned into "cannon fodder", which was enough for twenty minutes of battle.

Surprisingly, in English history this case did not remain as "the crime of the bloody Raglan, who filled the Russians with corpses."

Thanks to all the same journalists, and then to figures of English culture, the attack near Balaklava became famous as an example of the highest courage and self-sacrifice, and the expression "light cavalry attack" became a household word, meaning hopeless and reckless, but high heroism.

Now the flanks are on fire.
Cast iron monsters do not rest -
Mouths gush out of each.
No one hesitated, no one turned around,
None of the attack returned alive:
The death of the jaw satisfies.

But they came out of the Leviathan's mouth
Six hundred knights of sublime passion -
Then, to stay forever.
The battle has subsided, the valley is smoking,
But the glory of heroes will never be eclipsed,
It will never crumble to dust.

Films and books are still being made and books are being made about the “attack of the light cavalry” in Britain to this day - this is what competent PR means, turning even criminal stupidity into high valor!

The press decides everything

As for the outcome of the entire Balaklava battle, the Russian army, without reaching the English camp, nevertheless prevented the general assault on Sevastopol by its actions, forcing the enemy to proceed to the siege. Also, more than 900 killed, wounded and captured enemy soldiers against 617 people of their own losses, as well as captured English guns, which Lord Raglan never got to, can be added as a plus.

Not a brilliant result, but quite tolerable. But there was no one in Russia to "unwind" it the way the English journalists "spun" the "thin red line" and the "attack of the light cavalry".

Introduction

The battle of Balaklava took place on October 13 (25), 1854 and was one of the largest battles of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 between the allied forces of Great Britain, France and Turkey on the one hand, and Russia on the other.
The battle took place in the valleys north of Balaklava, bounded by the low Fedyukhin Mountains, Sapun Mountain and the Chernaya River. This was the first and only battle of the Crimean War in which the Russian troops significantly outnumbered the forces.
Three events marked this battle, which could have remained minor: the defense of the Scots against the determined Russians (also called the "thin red line" in fr. la mince ligne rouge), an attack by a heavy British brigade, which, contrary to expectations, turned out to be a success, and an attack by a light British brigade, undertaken by Lord Cardigan after a series of misunderstandings and which led to heavy losses.
The battle was not decisive. The British rolled up at Sevastopol while the Russians kept their guns and position.

1. The location of the allied forces in the Balaklava camp

In mid-September 1854, on the hillocks around the occupied Balaklava, the allied troops built 4 redoubts (3 large and one smaller), which defended the Turkish troops stationed there by order of Lord Raglan. Each redoubt had 250 Turkish soldiers and 1 English gunner. However, only 3 large redoubts were equipped with artillery. In Balaklava there was a camp and military depots of the allied forces. The British treated their Turkish allies with contempt, subjected them to corporal punishment for the slightest offense and gave them more than a modest ration.

2. Plans and forces of the parties

In October, Russian forces approached the allied Balaklava base.
The city and port of Balaklava, located 15 km south of Sevastopol, was the base of the British Expeditionary Force in the Crimea. The blow of the Russian troops on the positions of the allies at Balaklava could, if successful, lead to the release of the besieged Sevastopol and disruption of the supply of the British.

The Russian detachment, under the command of General of Infantry Pavel Petrovich Liprandi, numbered about 16 thousand people and included the Kyiv and Ingrian hussars, the Ural and Don Cossacks, the Dnieper and Odessa infantry regiments and a number of other units and subunits. General Liprandi served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops in the Crimea, Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov.

The Allied forces, mostly represented by British troops, included two cavalry brigades. The heavy cavalry brigade, under the command of Brigadier General James Scarlett, consisted of the 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st, 2nd and 6th Dragoon Regiments and was located to the south, closer to Balaklava. The northern positions, closer to the Fedyukhin mountains, were occupied by a light cavalry brigade, which included the 4th, 8th, 11th and 13th hussar regiments. The light brigade was commanded by Major General Lord Cardigan. The light cavalry, which was considered an elite branch of the military, served as representatives of the most famous aristocratic families of Great Britain. The overall command of the British cavalry was Major General Earl Lucan. French and Turkish units also participated in the battle, but their role was insignificant. The number of allied troops was about two thousand people.

The British Expeditionary Force was commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Raglan, the French by Divisional General Francois Canrobert.

3. The beginning of the battle

The battle began at about five in the morning, before dawn. The Russians with a bayonet attack knocked out the Turkish troops from redoubt No. 1, located on the southern flank, and destroyed about 170 Turks. The three remaining redoubts, located to the north and northwest, were abandoned by the Turks without a fight. The Turkish troops, who fled in panic, did not render the artillery located on the redoubts unusable, and the Russians got nine guns as a trophy. The British had to stop the retreating Turks by force of arms.
Having captured the redoubts, while trying to further develop the attack in order to reach Balaclava, the Russians ran into strong resistance from Scarlett's heavy cavalry and the 93rd Scottish infantry regiment of Baronet Colin Campbell. In order to cover the too wide front of the attack of the Russian cavalry, Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in a line of two, instead of the lines of four provided for by the charters in such cases. The words of Campbell's order and the response to them of his aide-de-camp John Scott entered British military history:

- There will be no order to withdraw, boys. You must die where you stand.- Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

The Times correspondent later described the Scottish regiment at that moment as "a thin red streak bristling with steel." Over time, this expression turned into a stable turnover “thin red line”, denoting defense from the last forces.
The attack of the Russian troops was repulsed. General Liprandi considered this day's task completed.

4. Attack of the light cavalry brigade

But Lord Raglan was extremely dissatisfied with the loss of nine guns at the beginning of the battle and gave an order that led to tragic consequences. The text of this order to Lord Lucan, recorded by Quartermaster General R. Erie, read:

“Lord Raglan wants the cavalry to quickly attack the enemy in front of them and not allow him to take back the cannons. Horse artillery battery may accompany. French cavalry on your left flank. Immediately. R. Erie.

The result of the execution of the order was the attack of about 600 horsemen on Russian positions along a three-kilometer valley, under deadly crossfire of artillery and infantry, located on the hills along the entire valley. From the first line of horsemen, only about 50 people broke through to the Russian positions. During the twenty-minute attack, which began at 12:20, 129 English cavalrymen were killed, and in total up to two-thirds of the attackers failed. The remnants of the brigade, however, managed to retreat to their original positions in an organized manner.

One of the participants in the battle, French General Pierre Bosquet, said the phrase that went down in history - “ It was great, but that's not how you fight". The lesser-known ending of the phrase read " It was crazy».

The phrase "charge of the light cavalry brigade" has become a household word in the English language, meaning some desperately bold, but doomed actions.

5. Results of the battle

By the end of the battle, the opposing sides remained in their morning positions. On the part of the allies, the British - 547 people, the French - 23 people, the Turks - 170 people died. The total number of wounded allies is not known, but only the Turks were wounded during the battle more than 300 people. Losses of Russians killed and wounded - 617 people. Some Western sources, citing the Allied losses of about 600 people, do not take into account the significant losses of the Turkish expeditionary force, which was completely demoralized during the Balaklava battle and was not used more as an independent combat unit during the war. Separate units of the Turkish Expeditionary Force were attached to the British and French units as auxiliary units, and were used mainly for the construction of defensive structures and the transfer of heavy loads.

During the Battle of Balaklava, the Russians failed to achieve their goal - to defeat the English camp and stop supplying the British troops. Nevertheless, the result of the battle was the Allies' abandonment of the idea of ​​capturing Sevastopol by storm and the transition to positional siege operations.

6. Balaklava battle in art

Fifth composition ( The Trooper) the heavy metal band's fourth studio album Iron Maiden Piece of Mind dedicated to the Battle of Balaklava. The lyrics of the song describe an attack by a British light cavalry brigade through the eyes of a British cavalryman who is killed by a musket shot from a Russian infantryman.

“The song is based on the Crimean War, where the British fought against the Russians. The introduction is an attempt to recreate the gallop of horses during a light cavalry charge. It's an atmospheric song." — Steve Harris

Literature

Koribut-Kubitovich. Memories of the Balaklava case, October 13, 1854. VS, 1859, v.-7, No. 5, p. 147-166.

Bogdanovich, "The Eastern War of 1853-56" (St. Petersburg,);

Tarle E. V. "The Crimean War" ISBN 5-94661-049-X, 5-94661-050-3

Russian translation of Alfred Tenisson's poem "Attack of the Light Brigade"

Attack scheme

Bibliography:

Grant R.J. Nationalisme et modernisation - La guerre de Crimée et la Russie en Asie - Guerre de Crimée - Balaklava // Batailles - les plus grands combats de l "antiquité à nos jours = Battles - a visual journey trought 5,000 years of combat. - 1st ed. - M.: Flammarion, 2007. - S. 260. - 360 pp. - ISBN 978-2-0812-0244-3 (fr.)

Balaklava battle

After the first bombardment, the Allies realized that it was not so easy to take Sevastopol by storm. They decided to conduct a proper siege and force the Sevastopol to surrender. The fortifications and work of the enemy came closer and closer to Sevastopol. Prince Menshikov was very worried about this. He was about to leave the South side and use the ships to transport the garrison to the North.

But in order to divert the attention of the allies from Sevastopol, it was decided to attack the enemy troops stationed near Balaklava. The city of Balaklava, with its beautiful bay, was the most important point for the British. It was their port, arsenal and storage place, from where they received everything they needed for the army.

At this very time, the 12th Infantry Division arrived in Sevastopol, under the command of General Liprandi. It was to him that Prince Menshikov entrusted this matter. General Liprandi was an experienced military general and a good leader. He treated the soldiers, although strictly, but fairly and took care of them.

On the eve of the Balaklava battle, he carefully examined the fortifications of the allies and noticed that Balaklava was fortified with two rows of redoubts: the first row - near the villages of Chorgun and Kadykoy, and the second row - near Sapun Mountain. The redoubts were guarded by the Turks.

It was decided with a 16,000-strong detachment to launch an attack from the village of Chorgun, seize the redoubts in front of the village of Kadykoy, and climb with artillery to Sapun Mountain, which was not yet strongly fortified.

On October 12, General Liprandi walked around the troops and greeted them warmly. He was greeted with a joyful cheer.

Tomorrow we will have to work, - said the general. - See that not a single bullet is thrown into the wind! ..

Happy to try! Hooray! the soldiers answered.

There came a quiet, warm, beautiful evening, of which there are many in the Crimea in autumn. The soldiers approached and camped on the banks of the Black River near the Tavern bridge. The camp presented a picturesque, lively view. Everywhere one could see guns made into a goat, guns, charging boxes, horses. The soldiers sat down near the fires and spoke quietly, with restraint.

Some ordered their fellow countrymen and comrades to send money back to their homeland in the event of death, others listened to stories about the battle, others, bowing their heads, thought their last bitter thought: they remembered their distant homeland, loved ones ... No jokes or songs were heard. In some places, under the bushes, the lights of lit candles gleamed. The officers were there.

They also talked quietly; some burned their letters, others wrote spiritual testaments or passed on their last will to each other. But now everything is quiet. The soldiers went to bed. In the silence, the neighing of horses, the rattling of weapons on duty, and a restrained whisper were occasionally heard.

The morning of October 13 was overcast. The camp woke up at the first dawn. The soldiers began to fuss around the horses and guns. Many, preparing for death, put on clean underwear. Everyone prayed fervently. Uncommunicative, silent scouts, turning to the east, whispered some of their conspiracies about saving life in battle.

The porridge was soon ready. The soldiers were given a glass of wine. Some, even great lovers of vodka, refused and did not drink, waiting for their last hour.

Don't ... Today that's enough! .. I don't drink, - the old serviceman said. - Do not hunt, brothers, go to the other world under the hop. It's not capable!

The young soldier looked at him, shook his head, and also refused the cup.

At six o'clock in the morning the infantry quickly dismantled their guns; the cavalry mounted; artillery took the guns on the limbers.

The squad was ready. In the distance, General Liprandi appeared on horseback. As he traveled around the troops, he said:

We will fight bravely, guys, as on the Danube!

Hooray! Hooray! Let's stand! the soldiers answered.

With you guys, I have no doubt of victory!

Hooray! - an exclamation from the mighty chest of the heroes-soldiers escaped with a victorious cry.

The troops moved along two gorges. In the main, from the village of Chorgun to Kadikoy, there was a column of Major General Levutsky; to the left of him, behind the mountain, Major General Semyakin was moving. A detachment of Major General Gribbe followed the second gorge, from the village of Chorgun to the Baidar Valley, and a column of Colonel Scuderi crossed over the Traktirny Bridge, followed by cavalry and artillery under the command of Lieutenant General Ryzhov.

The troops moved in deep silence; not even the horses neighed. But then a gunshot rang out in the distance, then another, and another and another. The case has begun. Everyone cheered up. The column of General Gribbe was the first to reach its destination. Fifty Cossacks, marching at the head, rushed to the enemy picket standing on the road near the chapel of John the Lenten and pushed him back ... He did not even resist. Then the infantry occupied the village of Komary.

At this time, artillery stood on the Kadikoy heights and opened fire on the fortifications. All the columns of our detachment were already in place. With the appearance of our troops in sight of the enemy, the Turks opened fire from all advanced redoubts, but soon had to stop. The Azov regiment attacked the 1st redoubt. The Azovites, like bumblebees, clung to the fortification: some climbed into the embrasures, some attacked from the rear, and the bayonet work began. The Turks fled, leaving many dead. The fortification with guns and camp went to the winners. The people of Azov immediately set up their banners here.

Soon the Russians took possession of all the forward redoubts. The allies were alarmed. The alarm sounded in Balaklava. The two commanders-in-chief, Saint Arnaud and Lord Raglan, rode into the battlefield. Lord Raglan sent to General Lucan with orders to attack our position with light cavalry.

Where will I send her? - General Lucan asked the messenger.

There, my lord, are our enemies. Our cannons were left there, - the messenger answered, pointing to the first redoubts. General Lucan instructed Cardigan to carry out the order.

Cardigan understood how dangerous this assignment was. First of all, he will have to move under the crossfire of our infantry. But Cardigan valiantly rushed all the way to our cavalry. The infantry quickly curled up in a square and met the attackers with battle fire. The British were already cutting down the servants, but the Urals and Lancers arrived in time. There was a terrible fight. Redoubts passed from hand to hand. The brave Cardigan fought desperately.

This brave English brigade, having made a brilliant attack, suffered a huge loss: 400 killed, 60 wounded, one officer and 22 lower ranks were taken prisoner. Although the French arrived in time to help, they could not recapture the positions they had taken.

At the moment of the hottest battle, a French officer galloped up to our front and shouted in Russian with a Polish accent: “Cut them down! Chop them Russians!”

The Russians tried to capture him alive. But someone's bullet knocked him to the ground. He was wounded. After the attack was repulsed, a Russian officer approached this officer and asked who he was and how he got into the ranks of the enemy. He, already dying, embittered, raised his hand with a revolver and wanted to shoot. The soldiers snatched the revolver from him. Nearby lay another mortally wounded young officer. He took off his watch and medallion with a portrait and begged them to be handed over to the envoy and asked to be sent back to his homeland. Of course, his request was granted.

“The acquisition of territory, and by no means the number of those killed, delivers victory,” said Frederick the Great. Our troops remained on the fortifications they occupied. As booty we got one Turkish banner, and guns, a Turkish camp, 6o cartridge boxes and a trench tool.

In the evening, when people gathered at the bivouac, there was no end to the stories. The soldiers flaunted in enemy new clothes: some in a French cap, some in an English overcoat or something Turkish. Everyone was happy, congratulated each other on the victory, kissed, hugged. Sometimes it became sad when they remembered those who were no longer in their ranks.

The victory on the Kadykoi heights greatly elevated the spirit of the Sevastopol people; she encouraged the troops, showed them the possibility of victory over the allies. The Sovereign Emperor wrote to Prince Menshikov:

"Thank God! Glory to you and your companions, glory to our heroic heroes for the excellent start of offensive operations. I thank you, dear Menshikov, for foreseeing my will by declaring my thanks to the brave troops; it is well deserved by them. I hope in the mercy of God that what has been begun will be completed gloriously in the same way.

“The heroic steadfastness of our incomparable sailors, the fearless defenders of Sevastopol, makes me no less happy. The Lord will reward them for all their valiant deeds, which have never happened before. I am happy that, knowing my Black Sea sailors since 1828, I was an eyewitness that nothing is impossible for them, I was sure that these incomparable fellows will show themselves again, as they have always been both at sea and on land. Tell them to tell everyone that their old acquaintance, who has always respected them, is proud of them and thanks them all as his father, as his dear and beloved children. Give them these words in the order, and the adjutant wing, Prince Golitsyn, was led to go around all the carriages with my bow and gratitude.

“May the Lord the Great-hearted keep you! “I hug you sincerely. My sincere regards to all. Liprandi hug for me for a glorious beginning.

K.V. Lukashevich

Photos of beautiful places in Crimea

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