The Charge of the Light Brigade is one of the most famous military blunders in history. It occurred during the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War. A British cavalry unit, the Light Brigade, was ordered to charge a heavily defended Russian artillery battery. The charge was a disaster, with more than half of the 673 men who took part being killed, wounded, or captured. The order to charge came from Lord Raglan, the British commander-in-chief, who had misunderstood an order from his subordinate, Lord Lucan. Raglan was deceived by the wording of the written order that he was given and failed to understand that Lucan was meant to hold his forces in reserve. As a result, the Light Brigade charged into a hail of artillery fire, suffering devastating losses. The charge has been immortalized in literature and poetry, most notably in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Charge of the Light Brigade."
