The Orthodox held the key to the front door and the Catholics resented it. The church was in the joint care of Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic monks. Turkish troops patrolled outside the church to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. The Church of the Nativity is located in Palestine which at that time was part of the Turkish empire. What would eventually lead to the slaughter of the Light Brigade at Balaklava began with bloodshed and murder in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, which Christians believe stands over the site of the stable where Jesus was born. This fascinating book is available online and is highly recommended.īriefly, the official cause of the war was a violent squabble between monks in one of the world’s holiest places. Only a small portion of their stories can be told here. This is possible because the author, Terry Brighton, a British military history, using his unique access to regimental archives, draws on twenty years of research to tell the story of the survivors, in their own words. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and facts are from Hell Riders The True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade by Terry Brighton (2004). The story for this anniversary is told as much as possible in the voices of the men who rode down that valley. An in-depth analysis of the battle is beyond the scope of this article. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of volumes have been written about the events during and leading up to that seven minutes. The more experienced cavalry men were adept at judging distances and knew at this pace, it would take them at least seven minutes to reach the enemy. When the first line was clear of the second, the order came to “Trot.” The bugles sounded again and the regiment increased its pace to about eight miles an hour. The Brigade moved forward when the officer’s trumpeter sounded the “Walk.” It was immediately taken up by the regimental trumpeters to the right and left, so that it could be heard by the whole body of cavalry. ![]() At 11:10 a.m., on October 25, 1854, one hundred sixty-one years ago, the almost seven hundred men of the Light Brigade stood waiting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |