Battle of Balaclava

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Battle of Balaclava

Part of the Crimean War

Army camp at Balaklava

Date	25 October 1854
Location	Balaklava, near Sebastapol
Result	inconclusive

Combatants

United Kingdom, France

Russian Empire

Commanders

Lord Raglan, General de Saint Arnaud

Pavel Liprandi

Strength

Approx. 20,000

Approx. 23,000

Casualties

350 British,
250 French

1,000
Killed or Wounded

Crimean War
Sinop – Petropavlovsk – Alma – Sevastopol – Balaclava – Inkerman – Eupatoria – Taganrog – Chernaya River – Kars – Malakhoff – Kinburn

The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854, was a key battle during the Crimean War, fought between the allied forces of the United Kingdom, France and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other. It was the first of two attempts by the Russians to break the Siege of Sevastopol.

The hilly battlefield consisted of two valleys divided by low hills and ridges, with the terrain consisting of open grassland. The British force was divided between the two valleys. The southern valley was held by the British cavalry's Heavy Brigade (the Royal Dragoon Guards and the Scots Greys) with the Light Brigade in the northern valley (the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars), under the command of Major-General the Earl of Cardigan. The overall command of the British cavalry was exercised by the Earl of Lucan. A French force was also present. The Russian force was significantly larger than that of the allies, but was hampered by poor discipline, poor leadership, and inferior weapons.

Lieutenant-General the Lord Raglan commanded the British Army and General Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud commanded the French Army. Prince Aleksandr Sergeyevich Menshikov commanded the Russian Army, while the Russian assault on Balaclava was commanded by General Pavel Liprandi, Menshikov's second in command.

The battle started with a successful Russian attack on Turkish positions. This led to the Russians breaking through into the valley of Balaklava (anglicised as "Balaclava"), where British forces were encamped. The port of Balaklava, a short distance to the south, was the site of a key British supply base. The Russian advance was intended to disrupt the British base and attack British positions near Sevastopol from the rear.

The initial Russian advance into the southern valley was repulsed by the British 93rd (Highland) Regiment, which broke up a Russian cavalry attack with its famous "thin red line".

A second attack was then smashed by the British Heavy Brigade, forcing the Russians to retreat to their artillery, which was strategically positioned along the ridges above the valley. Raglan ordered the Light Brigade to "prevent the enemy carrying away the guns", a notably badly-worded instruction that prompted the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade. The Light Brigade was saved from total destruction by an intervention from the French 4th Chasseurs D'Afrique.

The battle ended inconclusively, with both sides retaining their guns and starting positions. The British suffered a total of 360 casualties, with Russian casualties unknown-estimated at several hundred.

The campaign at Balaclava led to the name transferring to the knitted woollen headgear—the Balaclava.

The song "The Trooper" by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden is themed on this battle.