The poem opens with a cavalry charge—six hundred British cavalrymen, the "Light Brigade," gallop "half a league" (approximately a mile and a half) into the "valley of death." This is a reference to an actual cavalry charge during the Crimean War (1853–1856). At the time, the Russian army was occupying part of eastern Turkey. The British government wanted this territory back so it could control its trade routes to the Balkans.
During the battle, the Russians deployed heavy infantry armed with firearms which proved to be too powerful for the lightly armored British cavalry. As a result, most of the British troopers were killed or wounded. Only 150 survived the ordeal and returned home.
Here the poet is saying that even though these were elite soldiers, they were still mortal like everyone else and could be killed in a war action.
This scene is one of the most famous in English poetry and has been used as inspiration by artists, writers, and musicians throughout the years. It continues to appear in various forms of media to this day. For example, it is mentioned in a song called "Valley of Death" by Iron Maiden.
The poem relates the account of a brigade of 600 men that went on horseback for half a league into the "valley of death" (about one and a half miles). They were following orders to rush the opposing soldiers who were snatching their firearms. The charge was not successful; most of the riders were killed or wounded, but some survived. This famous poem is often called "The Charge of the Light Brigade."
In truth, the poem does not relate exactly what happened during this incident in 1854. It is an account written by an Englishman named Alfred Lord Tennyson about six years after the battle. He based his story on interviews with survivors of the charge.
The Light Brigade was a group of six British cavalry divisions sent out on July 16, 1854, to check on the progress of Russian forces under General Kutuzov in the Battle of Chernorechia. The British had just suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Russians, and their leader, Lord Raglan, wanted to know if there was any way they could help their situation. The only solution that came up was for the Light Brigade to charge the enemy again; this time, however, they would do so in valley. As you might expect, this plan wasn't accepted very well by anyone involved, including Lord Raglan himself. However, he saw no other choice and ordered the charge to begin.
Of the 600 men, only 57 survived the experience.
The name comes from the fact that most of the men did not return home. According to some sources, this area is located in Anatolia, while others say it's in Syria. But whatever the case may be, this valley allowed historians to see the fate of many brave men.
After the battle, both sides claimed victory but in reality they were both losing people left and right. The Turks said that they killed almost all of the Russian soldiers while the Russians claimed that they killed nearly all of the Turkish soldiers.
In fact, only 57 out of the 600 men who entered the valley returned home. This shows how dangerous such battles were where both sides wanted to prove themselves as strong as possible so they would be chosen to lead other troops in future engagements.
And even after these battles had ended, more soldiers would fall before they could be healed up and sent back into combat.
Today, we know this part of the world as southern Syria and northern Israel. But in 1835, this was still part of the Ottoman Empire.
Canon rounds were fired in front of and on both sides of the 600 men. When the canon fire was heard, the men stopped to listen. When the firing ceased, they continued their march. No one was killed or injured.
This incident took place near Alsheikhon, present-day Lebanon. At the time, this region was part of the Ottoman Empire. The poem is based on real events that happened in 1855. During this war, many lives were lost on both sides. It can be said that both armies behaved badly. The Turks used cannon balls made of hardened steel instead of bread crumbs as did the Christians. They also threw hand grenades called "handfuls of stones".
In conclusion, I would say that there were many ways those soldiers could have been killed. But since no one was killed or injured, it can be said that they survived the attack.
Soldiers and horses fell as the brigade rode "back from the mouth of hell," and few survived to make the trek back...
After describing the charge, Byron uses dramatic monologue to show what happened to each man in the brigade. He first mentions those who died during the charge:
"... many brave men met their ends within that short half-league; some fell wounded and were left behind; some were taken prisoners. I have heard it said that many of those who started so well ended up like rats in a trap, with their necks broken. But I cannot confirm this—and even if it is true, would not wish to admit such terrible carnage."
The graphic serves as a visual counterpart to Tennyson's poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade. In it, the poet pays respect to the 600 British cavalrymen who perished in this valley on October 25, 1854, while criticizing the insanity of the fight.
Lightning strikes a tree near the scene of the accident. The photograph now on display at the New York Public Library was taken by Mathew Brady after the battle. It is one of only two known photographs taken at the time of the accident; the other one is held by the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Brady's image became famous after it was published in an album entitled "Pictures of the Battle of Bull Run." The book went through several editions and inspired artists in England and America to create their own pictures of the battle.
Since its creation, many have studied and written about this image because it is such a powerful representation of war. The photographer has done his job well; he has captured the moment just before disaster struck. We can see the excitement on the faces of the riders, and their blood red uniforms stand out against the green grass of the valley floor.
However, looking closer we can also see that something is wrong with one of the horses. Its left front leg is raised up toward the sky, as if it were hurt.
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