Thought this may be of interest .... I hadn't seen a map I could understand ......
though this is not too clear ... it gave me a better idea !!
Four miles to the rear lay the small town of Balaclava, through which the British supplies had to pass. From the head of the harbour was a grassy undulating place North East from the Tchernaya River, the plain itself some half a mile north of Balaclava, was bounded by a range of low hillocks extending west for nearly three miles from the village of Kamara. Along this ridge known as the Causeway Heights ran the 'Worontsoff Road'. Across the south valley lay the village of Kadikoi, and it was in the valley that the cavalry established itself with the heavy cavalry sharing piquet and outpost duty. To the north was North Valley, the scene of the Charge of the Light Brigade with the Sapoune Ridge and the Fedioakine Hills forming the Northern background to the battle whilst the Russian guns were to the east of the valley. Early on the morning of 25th October, following a Russian assault on the Eastern end of the redoubts, they soon carried redoubt No 1 (Canroberrs Hill) through redoubts 4 - 5 and with the Heavy Brigade counter attacking, the Light Brigade established itself at the Eastern end of the valley with Lord Raglan and Canroberts on the Sapoune Ridge.
At about 9.30 am the Russians consolidated their positions around redoubts 1 - 3 while their cavalry halted and reformed behind the protection of a battery of Don Cossack Horse Artillery.
Ordered by Lord Raglan, Lord Lucan assumed that he was to support an infantry attack and moved the Light Brigade up the North valley as far as the No 4 Redoubt. Lord Raglan from his elevated position could see Russian artillery teams moving forward, and assumed they were about to capture British guns abandoned in the redoubts, and he therefore ordered his Quartermaster, General Airey to send the order to Lord Lucan:
"Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, follow the enemy and try to prevent he enemy carrying away the guns. Troop Horse Artillery may accompany. French Cavalry is on your left. Immediate."
On receiving this order from Captain Nolan the only guns Lucan could see were those attached to the Russian Cavalry at the far end of the North valley. "There my Lord, are your guns, there are the enemy." Nolan impatiently exclaimed with a sweep of his arm which took in the greater part of the Russian position
This order passed to Lord Cardigan who commented, "Well there goes the last of the Brudenells" and led the Brigade forward at a trot. Thus commenced the famous Charge, the 8th and 11th Hussars, 4th and 13th Light Dragoons and the 17th Lancers, writing a page of military history that has thrilled generations to this day.
All order was lost, and the spectators on the Supoune Heights saw only a few stragglers emerging from the smoke filled valley. In fact, 371 of the 658 men involved survived, with a loss of some 362 horses. The losses among the horses were almost certainly higher, as many were put down later. According to one source 113 were all that were left, and the majority of these were to die from exposure and starvation during the following winter. Effectively, the 5 regiments were ineffective as a fighting force as a result of the Charge.
