Which British general led the Charge of the Light Brigade?

Lord Cardigan led the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. On 25 October 1854, James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, commanded roughly 670 British light cavalrymen in a disastrous attack on Russian guns.

The charge resulted from a confused order. Lord Raglan, the British commander, intended the cavalry to stop Russian forces from removing captured guns from Turkish positions. From his position, however, Lord Lucan—who commanded the cavalry overall—could not see those guns clearly. Cardigan therefore led the Light Brigade straight down a valley exposed to artillery fire from three sides.

The cavalry reached the Russian battery and briefly scattered its defenders, but had to retreat under heavy fire. More than 400 men were killed, wounded or otherwise lost, though exact figures vary. Cardigan survived and returned to Britain as a celebrated, if controversial, hero.

Lord Lucan is a common alternative answer because he ordered Cardigan to advance. Lord Raglan issued the disputed instruction. But Cardigan was the general who physically led the Light Brigade in the charge, making him the canonical answer.