Background notes to 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

The poem was written about the Battle of Balaclava which took place on October 25th 1854 - it was one of the battles in the Crimean War, fought between the British and the Russians. Specifically, it describes a cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan acting on the instructions of Lord Raglan which went disastrously wrong. Cardigan led 673 men straight into a valley with Russian troops both sides and in front. Despite the continuous assault, and the fact that over 100 men died in the first few minutes, the men kept riding. Ultimately, they were ordered to retreat but only 195 survived without injury. Tennyson, the poet, was not present at the battle , but wrote the poem after reading an account of the battle in 'The Times' by Russell. He (1809 - 1892) was appointed Poet Laureate in 1850. He wrote the poem as a celebration of the heroic soldiers who died in service to their commander and their cause.

Tennyson was Poet Laureate at the time of the war. Poem was not written as a criticism of the commander.