Poetry, Memory, and the Charge of the Light Brigade
Some historical events become famous not because they changed history, but because poetry and art transformed them into cultural memory. The Charge of the Light Brigade is one such example.
The charge took place during the Battle of Balaklava on October 25, 1854, in the Crimean War. Due to a misunderstood order from the British commander Lord Raglan, the Light Brigade cavalry—led by Lord Cardigan—advanced directly toward well-positioned Russian artillery. The attack, meant to prevent Russians from removing captured guns, became a disastrous frontal assault under heavy fire. Although the cavalry briefly reached the battery, they suffered severe losses and were forced to retreat. Militarily, the battle was largely indecisive: the Russians failed to capture the Allied port of Balaklava but gained control of an important supply road.
The event might have remained a minor episode of the war if not for Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” published only six weeks later in 1854. Tennyson transformed the confused and tragic attack into a powerful symbol of courage and obedience in the face of certain death. His famous lines— “Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die”—immortalized the soldiers’ bravery and fixed the event in British cultural memory.
This 1964 edition published by Golden Press (New York) and Paul Hamlyn (London) was illustrated by the celebrated American artists Alice and Martin Provensen, a husband-and-wife team who collaborated on more than forty children’s books. Their dynamic illustrations capture the dramatic movement of cavalry, the chaos of battle, and the heroic imagery that Tennyson’s poem helped create. The Provensens were widely recognized for their work, appearing nine times on the New York Times list of “Ten Best Illustrated Books” and later receiving honors from the Society of Illustrators and the Brooklyn Museum.
The story of the Light Brigade demonstrates how art and literature can shape historical memory. A confused military charge in a distant Crimean valley became one of the most famous episodes of the Crimean War—not because of its strategic importance, but because a poem turned it into legend.
-- Kate, Special Collections Graduate Art History Fieldworker
