Atlas of Battles

battle, major, nineteenth century

Charge of the Light Brigade

Charge of the Light Brigade was a battle fought on 25 October 1854 at Balaklava, in what is now Russia. It was part of the Crimean War, which ran from 1853 to 1856. The recorded result: Russian victory. Recorded strength: About 670 (Adkin: 668; Brighton: "at least" 666) against Unknown.

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Атака бригади легкої кавалерії, 25 жовтня 1854 року під Балаклавою у Кримській війні, Вільям Сімпсон, 1 березня 1855 року.
Атака бригади легкої кавалерії, 25 жовтня 1854 року під Балаклавою у Кримській війні, Вільям Сімпсон, 1 березня 1855 року.. William Simpson (painter, 1823-1899) E. Walker (lithographer, unknown) Published by Goupil & Cie, Paris, and Day &am, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 October 1854
WhereBalaklava, Russia44.538N, 33.624E
OutcomeRussian victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Second French EmpireagainstRussian Empire
Casualties and losses~110 killed; ~161 woundedandUnknown
Part ofCrimean War1853 to 1856

Where it sits in the Crimean War

Battle of Oltenița, 1853Battle of Pitsunda, 1853Battle of Akhaltsikhe, 1853Battle of Shekvetili, 1853Battle of Sinop, 1853Battle of Başgedikler, 1853Battle of Cetate, 1853Siege of Sevastopol, 1854Siege of Silistra (1854), 1854Battle of Nigoiti, 1854Battle of the Choloki, 1854Battle of Kurekdere, 1854Siege of Petropavlovsk, 1854Battle of Alma, 1854Battle of Balaclava, 1854Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854Thin Red Line, 1854Battle of Inkerman, 1854Battle of Eupatoria, 1855Battle of Malakoff, 1855Battle of Suomenlinna, 1855Battle of the Chernaya, 1855Battle of the Great Redan, 1855Battle of Kanghil, 1855Battle of Kinburn, 1855Battle of Enguri, 1855Siege of Taganrog, 1855Siege of Kars, 185518531855Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854
28 placed engagements of the Crimean War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 October 1854
PlaceBalaklava, Russia
44.538N, 33.624E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
StrengthAbout 670 (Adkin: 668; Brighton: "at least" 666)Unknown
Casualties and losses~110 killed; ~161 woundedUnknown
Commanders
  • James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
  • Armand-Octave-Marie d'Allonville
  • Pavel Liprandi
Charge of the Light BrigadeCharge of the Light BrigadeThin Red LineSiege of CembaloBattle of BalaclavaBattle of InkermanBattle of MalakoffBattle of MalakoffYaltaSimferopolYevpatoriyaDzhankoy100 km44.538N, 33.624E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Charge of the Light Brigade
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Charge of the Light Brigade today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-23. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 69 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 494 m, 494 m of relief, steep country and today it is 51% grassland, 20% cropland, 17% tree cover.

grassland: 51%cropland: 20%tree cover: 17%built-up: 11%grassland 51%cropland 20%tree cover 17%built-up 11%
west to east, 10.0 km31 to 237 mnorth to south, 10.0 km5 to 266 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 9 times between 1434 and 1941.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1854

Charge of the Light Brigade is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 350 in present-day Russia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q757870, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Charge of the Light Brigade, revision 1380693685, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.