Lord Lucan

Biography

George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, was born on April 16, 1800, and commanded the British cavalry division at Balaclava, making him Lord Cardigan's immediate superior and the officer who transmitted Raglan's ambiguous order into the catastrophic Charge of the Light Brigade. The relationship between Lucan and Cardigan was one of the most toxic in British military history — they were brothers-in-law who despised each other and were barely on speaking terms, a personal animosity that contributed materially to the disaster of October 25, 1854. Lucan had seen active service against the Russians in Turkey as a volunteer during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 and had a reputation as a harsh disciplinarian — he was nicknamed 'Lord Look-On' by his tenants in Ireland for his role in evicting thousands of tenant farmers during the Famine, but in Crimea his nickname was 'Lord No-Cavalry' for his reluctance to commit his forces. He was cautious where Cardigan was impetuous, and the contrast between them generated constant friction. When Captain Nolan rode up with Raglan's order — 'advance rapidly to the front, follow the enemy and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns' — Lucan was understandably confused. He could not see the threatened guns from his position. When he asked Nolan for clarification, Nolan gestured impatiently toward the North Valley, apparently indicating the main Russian artillery position. Lucan interpreted the order literally and passed it to Cardigan with instructions to advance. He then followed the brigade at a distance — a decision that helped save his life and for which he was subsequently criticized. After the charge, Raglan blamed Lucan in dispatches for the disaster. Lucan demanded a court martial to clear his name and was instead recalled to England, effectively ending his active military career. He spent decades arguing publicly that the fault lay with Raglan's ambiguous order, a case that historians have largely found convincing. He died in 1888 as a Field Marshal, having outlived nearly everyone connected to the charge, still aggrieved.

Key Battles