Information AboutJames Scarlett |
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James Scarlett was a hero at the Battle Of Balaclava during the Crimean War , which was fought over control of the Dardanelles by Great Britain , the Ottoman Empire and Russia . He commanded the Cavalry force known as the Heavy Brigade , counterpart to the Light Brigade of Military And Poetic Fame . During the course of the Battle Of Balaklava he led his command in a daring, foolhardy, but ultimately successful charge against an oncoming Russian force. Preceding this action, his brigade lay on the rolling country below the series of hills known as the Causeway Heights which the Russians has stormed that morning, and beyond which lay the "Valley of Death" down which Lord Cardigan would lead the Light Brigade in one of the great military blunders of the 19th Century . As the Heavy Brigade was crossing broken country (most sources point towards a Vineyard or chopped down orchard), a numerically superior Russian cavalry force appeared at the top of the heights. They poured over the skyline, down the slope towards Scarlett's brigade, beyond which lay Balaklava , and the site of the action known as the Thin Red Line , which had routed a previous Russian charge that morning. Scarlett quickly and coolly assembled his men at the foot of the heights, organizing them into parade-perfect formation, and sounded the charge. This maneuver defied all military doctrine at the time, as the Russians were more numerous and, more importantly, the charge was made uphill against an oncoming force. As astounded onlookers watched from the rear, Scarlett's red-clad Heavies, including members of the Inniskillings and Scots Greys (of Waterloo fame), punched a hole in the centre of the grey mass of Russians. With their charge broken, the Russians were routed and the British forces could claim another victory on the day. |
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