illustration of a soldier in traditional nineteenth century military garb

The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

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How many soldiers participated in "The Charge of the Light Brigade"?

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The answer to this question is going to depend on a few variables. The wording of the question could indicate that it is asking for the number of soldiers in the brigade and the number of soldiers that they were attacking. I don't believe that this is the question's intent. I believe that the question is asking for the number of men that made up the soldiers in this particular designated unit. If that is the case, then the variable is the source of information. Tennyson's poem states and restates that the number is 600 soldiers.

Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Other sources put the number at "approximately 600 horsemen." History.com states the number as "roughly 670" soldiers. Regardless of the source, the charge ended in failure. The soldiers advanced on an enemy position that was ringed by 20 battalions of Russian infantry and artillery. The result was a roughly 40 percent casualty rate. About 110 men were killed, 160 were wounded, and about 375 horses were killed.

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