Other examples include studies of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg and the 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea. It uses math and computers to investigate a humanities topic. This study is an example of “digital humanities” research. Our model was adapted from earlier research on naval combat involving cruise missiles or aircraft carriers. We began by building a mathematical model of the charge. To answer those questions, I collaborated with history student David Connors and history professor John Bonnett on an interdisciplinary study. Which leader(s) deserved the blame for the disastrous charge? And could it have succeeded if it had followed one of the other alternatives? The leaders’ bickering ignited two ongoing historical debates. But Lucan halted it once he saw the cannon fire’s intensity. That brigade actually had started to advance. Lucan in turn complained that Raglan’s orders had been unclear and unwise.įor his part, Cardigan complained the Heavy Brigade should have charged too, to support his men. The charge was supposed to target Russian cannons on the heights, not in the valley.
Raglan complained the Lucan had ineptly misinterpreted his orders. Either unit could charge cannons, but normally from their defenceless flanks, not head-on into their gunfire. It could overpower lighter cavalry or charge against infantry lines. The Heavy Brigade had larger, stronger horses. In battle it typically charged enemy troops who were disorganised or retreating. The Light Brigade rode smaller, faster horses. The British army commander, Lord Raglan, had issued notoriously vague orders to his cavalry commander, Lord Lucan: “Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, and to try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns.”īut which cavalry: the Light Brigade alone or the Heavy Brigade too? Which guns: those in the valley or those on the adjacent Causeway Heights?
The British leaders immediately blamed each other for the fiasco. Outnumbered 11-to-1, the 195 survivors retreated.
The Charge of the Light Brigade Official Trailer The ‘Valley of Death’ĭuring the charge, Lord Cardigan’s light cavalry brigade attacked Russian cannons in “the valley of death.” The brigade defeated the gunners, but was counter-attacked by roughly 2,160 Russian light cavalry.
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