October 25, 1854 · Crimea Theater
October 25, 1854
A Russian force of approximately 25,000 men attacked the Allied supply port of Balaclava, defended by Ottoman troops, British cavalry, and the 93rd Highlanders under Sir Colin Campbell. The battle produced two of the Crimean War's most celebrated episodes: the 'Thin Red Line,' in which 550 Highlanders in a two-deep formation (rather than the standard square) repulsed a Russian cavalry charge; and the Charge of the Light Brigade, in which 673 British cavalrymen rode into a murderous crossfire.
Commanders