Two Letters from Balaclava -Part 3

 

We have established what happened in this part of the Battle of Balaclava.  Now,  I want to look at the respective decisions of the contesting Brigade Commanders.

Before we get into it recall that the whole incident probably took less than 15 minutes from start to finish.  Things happened very quickly. 

Scarlett found himself standing between a strong force of Russian Light Cavalry and the interior of the British lines.  Had the Russians not been stopped they could have caused much damage.  He needed to take the correct decisions to prevent this occurrence.  

Here are the key orders Scarlett gave.

First he divided his command into two lines.  This is the correct formation when facing greater numbers of light cavalry. 

Any Byzantine Commander would have done the same.  Had Scarlett read the Byzantine Military Manuals.   I don't know- but he might as well have.  He did everything right.

The reason being that superior numbers of Light cavalry would immediately envelop their inferior number of heavier cavalry opponents.  

By ordering a second line Scarlett could hope to envelop the envelopers.

The two front opposing lines were too close together to allow charges.  Scarlett, and he led from the front, walked his men into the Russian Hussars and Cossacks.  

In doing so he pinned the Russian front line Light Cavalry in position ensuring they did not evade.

As expected Scarlett and his front line were then enveloped by a superior number of Russian Light Cavalry.  A precarious position for Heavy Cavalry.

Now, here is the clever part.  

Once the British second line charged home the position was reversed.  Scarlett now achieved near local parity or even superiority of numbers . The Russian front line was defeated.

This success brought the now combined British Heavy Brigade up against the Russian supporting Light Cavalry Column. 

Here both sides fought again and the British were stopped.  

The Russians now disengaged.

The British pursued.

Scarlett and his officers then made strenuous and successful efforts to bring the Brigade back into order.  

The British Heavy Cavalry Brigade then was ready for any further action required of them.

General Scarlett had seen off a threat to the interior lines of his Army, handily defeated a numerically superior force and suffered few casualties.  Seven men dead.

He heartily deserved the thanks he received from Raglan.

Alas, I do not have the letters of a Russian Captain Godman.  Such a memoir may exist and would surely be equally fascinating.  We lack it.  All the same decisions were made on the Russian side and I think we can discern them.

Let us start with the Russian intention.  The British were moving their camp.  That involves hard work and disruption.  For ease of reading I'm going to call the Russian Commander General Ryzhov.

Ryzhov had intended to swoop through the British Camp while it was in the process of moving.  From there other opportunities for disruption should present.  His command of Hussars and Cossacks were just the fellows for that sort of enterprise.  

First, Ryzhov was surprised by the appearance of the British heavy cavalry.  Light Cavalry were held to be inferior to Heavy cavalry in close combat.  The reason being the heavies were bigger men on bigger horses. The lights smaller men on smaller horses.

His Brigade was deployed as a front line and a strong supporting column.

Instead of swooping down on a disordered camp Ryzhov's Light Cavalry were facing a brigade of British Heavy Cavalry.

As was the case for Scarlett, space did not permit a charge.  

Ryzhov ordered his front line to receive the British at a halt.  We may ask why he did this?  The advantage was that this formation allowed good order be more easily maintained.  It was a recognised military tactic. 

Light Cavalry Doctrine then called for the Russian Light Cavalry to find the flanks and rear of the attacking British front line.  Russian superior numbers duly allowed the British to be surrounded. 

Ryzhov may have been hoping for the best here.  War is inherently unpredictable.  Had his Lights prevailed a new set of potential decisions would present.

The British second line then charged the surrounding Russian Light Cavalry of the first line.  With that the local numbers advantage swung favourably to the British Heavy Brigade.

I note that Ryzhov did not try to redress the numerical balance by feeding more squadrons into the melee.  He clearly had that option as his front line were still fighting.

He chose not too.  Instead he maintained his supporting squadrons in column.  Presumably, once again, to maximise good order.

Consequently his front line was beaten and retreated.  I almost said routed but Godman tells us the Russians were well disciplined.  

Also a rout would have disordered Ryzhov's supporting column.  We know that did not happen.

Scarlett's Brigade then engaged the Russian Light Cavalry Column.  The British were initially held.  

Then the entire Russian column disengaged or as Godman tells us "ran for it".

What was going on?  

My guess is that Ryzhov decided to extract his Brigade from an unfavourable position with the minimum possible casualties.

He may have taken that decision immediately when Scarlett and the Heavy Brigade appeared a short distance from his front.  Or, because I cannot know, when it became clear his front line was not going to be lucky.

If that was Ryzhov's aim he succeeded. 

Ryzhov lost 40 to 50 men dead from a command either 1500 or 2000 strong.  If not inspiring it was hardly a disaster.  His Brigade remained fit for combat.

More optimistically, Ryzhov may have hoped to lure the British onto more suitable ground, catch them strung out in pursuit and pounce. 

That would be the Light Cavalry thing to do.  Recall even after losing 40 men killed Ryzhov had the numbers to do so.

Were that Ryzhov's plan, and we really don't know, it was stymied by Scarlett putting his men back into good order after a short pursuit of 300 yards.  

The Heavy Brigade then stood holding the ground it had won. This denied Ryzhov any further opportunities.  Accordingly, he went back to his starting line. 

What the Czar made of it I don't know.  Forty dead probably didn't even warrant a raised eye brow.  The big news from Balaclava was the loss of the British Light Brigade.

Most secondary accounts of the "Charge of the Heavy Brigade" obscure more than they reveal of the encounter.  With Captain Godman's Letters we are now better informed by a man who fought there.  

For me this was an interesting exercise. I hope you found it so too.