Battle of Balaclava
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{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=Battle of Balaclava
|partof=the Crimean War
|image=Image:Balaklava-camp.png
|caption=Army camp at Balaklava
|date=25 October 1854
|place=Balaklava, near Sebastapol
|casus=
|territory=
|result=inconclusive
|combatant1=United Kingdom, France
|combatant2=Tsarist Russia
|commander1=Lord Raglan, General de Saint Arnaud
|commander2=Pavel Liprandi
|strength1= Approx. 20,000
|strength2= Approx. 23,000
|casualties1=360 British,
238 French
|casualties2=627
Killed or Wounded
}}
Template:Campaignbox Crimean War
The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854, was a key battle during the Crimean War, fought between the allied forces of the United Kingdom, France and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other. It was the first of two attempts by the Russians to break the Siege of Sevastopol.
The hilly battlefield consisted of two valleys divided by low hills and ridges, with the terrain consisting of open grassland. The British force was divided between the two valleys. The southern valley was held by the British cavalry's Heavy Brigade (the Royal Dragoon Guards and the Scots Greys) with the Light Brigade in the northern valley (the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars), under the command of the Major General the Earl of Cardigan. The overall command of the British cavalry was exercised by the Earl of Lucan. A French force was also present. The Russian force was significantly larger than that of the allies, but was hampered by poor discipline, poor leadership and inferior weapons.
Lieutenant General the Earl of Raglan commanded the British Army and General Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud commanded the French Army. Prince Aleksandr Sergeyevich Menshikov commanded the Russian Army, while the Russian assault on Balaclava was commanded by General Pavel Liprandi, Menshikov's second in command.
The battle started with a successful Russian attack on Turkish positions. This led to the Russians breaking through into the valley of Balaklava (anglicised as "Balaclava"), where British forces were encamped. The port of Balaklava, a short distance to the south, was the site of a key British supply base. The Russian advance was intended to disrupt the British base and attack British positions near Sevastopol from the rear.
The initial Russian advance into the southern valley was repulsed by the British Heavy Brigade, forcing the Russians to retreat to their artillery, which was strategically positioned along the ridges above the valley. The Light Brigade was ordered by Raglan to "prevent the enemy carrying away the guns", a notably badly-worded instruction that prompted the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade. The Light Brigade was saved from total destruction by an intervention from the French 4th Chasseurs D'Afrique and the British 93rd (Highland) Regiment, which broke up a Russian cavalry attack with its famous "thin red line".
The battle ended inconclusively, with both sides retaining their guns and starting positions. The British suffered a total of 360 casualties, with Russian casualties unknown-estimated at several hundred.
The campaign at Balaclava led to the name transferring to the knitted woollen headgear - the Balaclava.
See also
de:Schlacht von Balaklawa fr:Bataille de Balaklava pl:Bitwa pod Bałakławą ru:Балаклавское сражение fi:Balaklavan taistelu tr:Balaklava Savaşı