| Title | : | Hell Riders: The Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0805079351 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780805079357 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | First published July 10, 2004 |
On October 25, 1854, acting in defense of their base at Balaklava during the Crimean War, the Light Brigade of the British Cavalry Division made the most magnificent and brutal charge in military history. Seven hundred men armed with sabers and lances charged straight at the muzzles of Russian cannons. In the slaughter that followed, many fell to roundshot and shell. Those who survived took a terrible revenge on the enemy.
In this vivid and extraordinarily detailed account of the charge and the bloody melee that followed, Terry Brighton draws on twenty years of research to tell the story in the words of the survivors themselves for the first time.
Hell Riders takes the reader closer than ever before to the experience of charging into the valley of death, and reveals the horrific truth about the charge of the Light Brigade exactly as the survivors lived it.
Hell Riders: The Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade Reviews
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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. -
-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.... -
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. -
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.
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An excellent book about the charge. Before, during, and after. As well as insightful analysis.
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Very well written. Engaging and interesting.
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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.
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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 -
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. -
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 -
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!
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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
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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. -
Awesome!!!
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very good evocation of a dramatic mistake in military history. a story of incompetence ...
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Good non-fiction.
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A good solid book. It goes into great detail about who is to blame for the charge. Just a hint; it was the commander.
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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.
