Hell Riders: The True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade

by Terry Brighton

On the 150th anniversary of the world's most famous cavalry charge comes a revisionist retelling of the battle based on firsthand accounts from the soldiers who fought there

In October 1854, with the Crimean War just under way and British and French troops pushing the tsar's forces back from the Black Sea, seven hundred intrepid English horsemen charged a mile and a half into the most heavily fortified Russian position. In the seven minutes it took the cavalry to cross this distance, more than five hundred of them were killed. Celebrated in poetry and legend, the charge of the Light Brigade has stood for a century and a half as a pure example of military dash and daring. Until now, historical accounts of this cavalry charge have relied upon politically motivated press reports and diaries kept by the aristocratic British generals who commanded the action.

In Hell Riders , noted historian and Crimean War expert Terry Brighton looks, for the first time, to the journals recorded by survivors-the soldiers who did the fighting. His riveting firsthand narrative reveals the tragically inept leadership on the part of the British commander in chief, Lord Raglan, whose orders for the charge were poorly communicated and misinterpreted, and an unfathomable indifference on the part of British officers to the men who survived the battle and were left to tend their wounds and bury the dead in the freezing cold. While the charge overran the Russians, it gained nothing and the war continued for another two years. In finally capturing the truth behind the charge of the Light Brigade, Brighton offers a stirring portrait of incredible bravery in the service of a misguided endeavor.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War, 19th Century, Military History, Russia

400 pages, Hardcover

First published July 10, 2004

About the author

Terry Brighton is a British military historian and writer. His work is published in the U.K., the U.S., and in translation around the world.

In his controversial extended essay, The MAGA Offensive, published by Hard Corps Essays in September 2020, he argues that "the re-election of President Donald Trump is crucial for the survival of the real USA and the core values of Western culture."

He is best known for his research on the Charge of the Light Brigade, published in “Hell Riders: The True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade.” But according to Publishers Weekly it was his work on three Second World War generals, “Patton, Montgomery, Rommel: Masters of War” that moved him “into the top rank of general audience military writers.”

His first novel, “Hell's Mile,” was published in 2020. According to the author, this makes good a promise he made to Richard Madeley on the British TV chat show Richard & Judy that he would “write the novel” of the Charge of the Light Brigade. “Hell’s Mile” is based on survivors’ graphic accounts and is not for the faint-hearted.

Terry Brighton has been an Anglican priest, chaplain to the SAS [British Special Forces], and curator of The Queen's Royal Lancers Regimental Museum. He lives in England with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Belle.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the valley of death rode the 600 and into the imagination of the public for over 150 years. The ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade has resounded through poetry and film and has been romanticized in the process. This book is, in my opinion, one of the two best accounts of the Charge ever written...the other being The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade by Cecil Woodham-Smith.

The story is told through accounts by survivors, observers, and military leaders. The author has done meticulous research and challenges the reader to decide why the Charge occurred and who was responsible.....was it Lords Cardigan, Lucan, or Raglan......or was it just a miscommunication of orders that sent so many men to their deaths?

Even if you are not a reader of history or are uninterested in the Crimean War, this book, which so vividly describes every aspect of the Charge, will still hold your interest. Its an amazing history and beautifully written.

A rather ironic aside is that Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who wrote his world famous poem within a week of the Charge, was disconcerted to discover that the number of men involved was closer to 700 than 600....but it was too late to modify the poem as it had been published. He was happy to realize that "700" didn't scan in the poem's meter and into history rode the "600", right or wrong.'

I highly recommend this insightful history of a mistake that became glorious in its telling.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Brighton's Hell Riders offers a detailed reconstruction of the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Crimean War's most notorious military catastrophe. Brighton approaches this well-covered topic with energy and verve, doing a nice job combining the command-level view of the Charge (the bumbling Lord Raglan, boorish Lord Lucan and obscene Lord Cardigan) with eyewitness reports extrapolated from soldier's memoirs, reports and interviews conducted after the fact. Thus the book manages an immediacy in its accounts of military catastrophe that many other histories lack, showing how horrifying it would actually have been to ride through the "Valley of Death," painfully aware of the catastrophe unfolding but powerless to stop it. Much of the book is devoted to a moment-by-moment reconstruction of the Charge, and its here that Brighton's strengths as a narrative historian come into play, allowing the participants to speak to themselves, registering each shot, shell, wound, felled horse and anguished cry as if in a demented sports play-by-play. Brighton also shows the Light Brigade's sorry fate after the Charge; ill-treated by their commanding officers, they suffered from privation with the rest of the British Army through the fall of Sevastopol, then returned to a hero's welcome only to be forgotten and ignored after the war concluded. The book sags in its back third with a series of essays on the Charge's historiography, some interesting, others trivial and redundant, that are best-consumed by devoted military buffs. Even so, it's a bracing read for most of its length, an energetic recreation of a blunder many have heard about, but few understand.

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Cuando el historiador es casi un detective los resultados suelen ser llamativos.-

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Análisis de lo ocurrido en Balaclava el 25 de octubre de 1854 durante la Guerra de Crimea, cuando dos regimientos de dragones ligeros, dos de húsares y uno de lanceros (más dos perros), que constituían la Brigada ligera de caballería británica, cargan por razones que hoy siguen siendo objeto de debate contra una batería de cañones rusos al fondo de un valle estrecho de kilómetro y medio de longitud protegido en ambos lados por unos veinte batallones de infantería, varios de caballería y más piezas de artillería, desarrollándose así un episodio bélico que genera admiración y horror a partes iguales.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....

[SoulSurvivor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second Crimean War book I read in a 30-day period. The first was too detailed in the presentation of all segments of the War, from events leading up to it to how it changed the future of Europe to come. This book breezed through those elements but concentrated on the infamous
'Charge of the Light Brigade'.I've read the Tennyson poem a number of times, but this account made me appreciate it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any fan of Western history or literature has no doubt heard of the Charge of the Light Brigade, the ill-fated British cavalry charge in the Crimean war immortalized by Tennyson's poem. Brighton's book uses a variety of primary sources to reveal the truth behind the charge, as told by the soldiers (and others) who were there. An excellent read that captures both the drama and horror of the 1-mile charge across open ground under heavy fire, it also describes the aftermath for the survivors, and offers a fascinating final section that goes into detail about some of the lesser-known aspects and historical debates about the charge. The first quarter of the book is a fascinating look at the personalities behind the charge, including the commanders Lords Raglan (army), Lucan (cavalry) and Cardigan (brigade). The middle half is a white-knuckle description of the charge itself. And the final quarter offers a series of short case studies that range from descriptions of what happened to some of the men to debating some of the historical issues surrounding the charge, such as who actually "blunder'd" in sending the men into the mouths of the guns. A must-read for any military history fan.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new here if you’re familiar with the story (or even the movie). A number of other controversial issues thrown in to fill up the book. Author works to assign blame for the infamous charge and does a pretty solid job of laying out the arguments and evidence. Overall an easy and entertaining read.

[William DuFour · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about the charge. Before, during, and after. As well as insightful analysis.

[Callum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Engaging and interesting.

[David Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful history told in an exciting and involving way.

[Erin Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and extremely well written. I didn’t love the analysis chapters at the end, and didn’t find them necessary honestly. He gave us enough throughout the story to draw our own conclusions.

[Emg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much description of the charge details (minute by minute and from several perspectives) for my liking but I really enjoyed his analysis of who to blame for what.

[Peter Harland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revelation of politics and military history and amazingly brutal but stupid courage. Brilliant

[Simon Whitelaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. What awful characters were Lucas and Cardigan. Such pompous and incompetent twats! Such that such brave men had these men as leaders.

[Jack Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is to be pitied more, the man or the horse?

Not often I read military history in my downtime, but this was perfect, comprehensive and engaging.

[James Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

October 25, 1854. The Battle of Balaclava. The Crimean War. The Great Game is played, another inning. In this history of the Charge of the Light Brigade, Brighton interleaves the lines Tennyson's famous poem with the lines of men who fought and died in this famous battle. A myth is obliterated. Fool's folly revealed. Bravery and courage made obvious. Tragedy shown true.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made,
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.

-Tennyson

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed yet entertaining account of the British cavalry's most famous blunder, Brighton discusses each and every aspect of the light cavalry at the time. As well as covering the charge he also goes into detail about the hardships the light brigade faced before and after Balaclava.
The author gives a fair judgement of who was to blame for the disaster, going into detail about the four prime suspects and considering their life and motivations before the charge. He is also not afraid to challenge the views of other historians. For a while the mainstream belief was that Captain Nolan was somehow wholly responsible, but Brighton gives a convincing case that the majority of the responsibility actually fell upon Lucan.
To conclude, I think everyone who is a British military history enthusiast, or is just interested in the concept of Victorian heroism should definitely have this book on their shelves.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book on the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War in October 1854. For such a well known event, the whole thing happened and was over in about half an hour. I found this book to be a rather useful background to Sir Leopold Heath's book "Letters from the Black Sea," about his experiences in the war.

Letters from the Black Sea During the Crimean War, 1854-1855

[Liberty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just one of the best books I've ever read on military history. Equally ranking (if not more) Cecil Woodham Smith's book The Reason Why (you will pardon me Madam. Smith I hope). Frightfully accurate, he displaces a good deal of myths and inaccuracies that have sprung up over the last 160 years. One of the best elements of the book is how he uses the soldiers and eyewitness of the charge to recreate a minute by minute account of the daring charge. C'est magnifique personnifié!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Popular (read amateur) history about the titular charge, with a centrepiece being a minute by minute (!) account of the ride down the Valley of Death, using first hand accounts wherever possible. Pretty rousing stuff all round, what! Only quibble: not enough use made of Russian sources looking at it from the other side. But still a superior volume of its type. 3.5/5

[Rich Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well told tale of a too little known war and battle. Amazing, in so many ways, being the charge itself.

I personally didn't need quite so much analysis of who blew the bugle or how a pair of veterans died in mysterious circumstances years later etc, but that may appeal to others more than I.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable account of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Honestly, I thought the poem was a fictitous account and this text fills in a lot of the details from the ground.

[Sergei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crimean war and dangers to work under dumb management.

[Dave]

Awesome!!!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good evocation of a dramatic mistake in military history. a story of incompetence ...

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good non-fiction.

[Bill Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid book. It goes into great detail about who is to blame for the charge. Just a hint; it was the commander.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. A good evidentiary summary and breakdown of the charge, step-by-step, along with many other background stories of the Crimean War.