James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
Lieutenant-General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, styled as Lord Cardigan, was an officer in the British Army who commanded the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, leading its charge at the Battle of Balaclava.
Lieutenant General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
Deene Park, Northamptonshire—seat of the Brudenell family
James Brudenell on horseback, by Francis Grant, circa 1841
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville Jr., original oil on canvas, 1894
Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a military action undertaken by British light cavalry against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, resulting in many casualties to the cavalry. On 25 October 1854, the Light Brigade, led by Lord Cardigan, mounted a frontal assault against a Russian artillery battery which was well prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire. The charge was the result of a misunderstood order from the commander in chief, Lord Raglan, who had intended the Light Brigade to attack a different objective for which light cavalry was better suited, to prevent the Russians from removing captured guns from overrun Turkish positions. The Light Brigade made its charge under withering direct fire and reached its target, scattering some of the gunners, but was forced to retreat immediately.
The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava by William Simpson (1855), illustrating the Light Brigade's charge into the "Valley of Death" from the Russian perspective.
Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville Jr.
The written order which led to the Charge
Timeline of the charge from Forgotten Heroes: The Charge of the Light Brigade (2007).