Battle of Balaclava – Poems, Pictures, and Immortality

Battle of Balaclava – Prologue

“Captain Dames of the royal Artillery leans against a wall in camp during the Crimean War”, Roger Fenton 1855 – ©Corbis

The Battle of Balaclava is one of the most famous battles of all time, despite being a comparatively minor engagement in the Crimean War.  The futile heroics of the soldiers who fought there may have gone relatively unnoticed if not for a picture and a poem.

The battle itself is fraught with anecdotes and personalities that combine to make legend. The events of October 25th, 1854 evolve like the episodes of a Greek tragedy, with the fate of the soldiers hinging on the acts of a handful of characters. Continue reading “Battle of Balaclava – Poems, Pictures, and Immortality”