In Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” six hundred cavalrymen ride into the valley of death.
The poem commemorates the British cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War on 25 October 1854. A misunderstood order sent the Light Brigade into a heavily defended valley, where artillery surrounded them. Tennyson’s repeated line, “Theirs not to reason why,” emphasizes obedience and sacrifice rather than explaining the military error.
Tennyson wrote the poem after reading a newspaper account of the battle, and it was published in December 1854, only weeks after the event. Its rhythm imitates the pounding movement of horses and the thunder of artillery.
The number refers to the poem’s famous opening and refrain, not necessarily a complete modern census of every participant. The historical charge involved units of the British light cavalry, and the poem helped make the episode a lasting symbol of courage under disastrous orders.