Posts Tagged ‘Captain Louis Nolan’

I thought I’d tell the stories of two of my favorite horse heros who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War.  The first is the horse ridden by Captain Louis Nolan, 15th Hussars, on the staff of Brigadier General Richard Airey, Deputy Quartermaster General of the British Army of the East.  The second horse is “Ronald,” who belonged to Lord Cardigan, Commander of the Light Brigade.  Both of these horses survived the charge, although hundreds of their four legged comrades did not.

I don’t know the name of Nolan’s horse, but I do know it was one fine animal.  It was a former troop horse of the 13th Light Dragoons.  When Nolan was assigned to deliver the fateful order, which, although misinterpreted, triggered the disastrous charge, it was in no small part due to his expertise as a horseman.  The order had to be delivered quickly, which meant Nolan had to ride at speed down into the valley from the heights.  A treacherous journey requiring both an accomplished rider and a superb steed.

After delivering the order telling Lord Lucan, the Cavalry Division commander, to attack “the guns,” Nolan joined his friend, Captain William Morris, Acting Commander, 17th Lancers.  Although a staff officer, Nolan was determined not to be left out of this action.  As the Light Brigade advanced, Nolan was seen to ride forward on his own.  His reasons are the subject of vast controversy and much speculation.  In any event, his audacity didn’t last long.  He was struck in the chest by a piece of shrapnel, making him one of the first casualties of the charge.

Nolan, or perhaps only his body, remained upright in the saddle.  The horse veered right, then back through the advancing line of the 13th Light Dragoons, the horse’s former regiment.  After passing through the lines, Captain Nolan finally fell to the ground, but his gallant horse was not through.  Troop Sergeant Major John Linkon of the 13th had just lost his horse.  He managed to mount Nolan’s horse and rode after his regiment.  Thus, although Captain Nolan did not complete the famous charge, his horse did.

Lieutenant-General Lord James Thomas Brudenell, the seventh Earl of Cardigan, leader of the Light Brigade, was without question brave, but not a particularly astute military leader.  He led his courageous brigade into the “valley of death,” through a veritable gauntlet of Russian canon and small arms fire.  He did this to obey a poorly considered, badly worded, and certainly misunderstood order.

Lord Cardigan was riding his cherished handsome chestnut horse, Ronald.  Ronald was lovingly brought to the valleys of the Crimea by ship all the way from Deene Park, Northhamptonshire, the Brudenell family home.

At Balaclava, on 25 October 1854, the black day of the ‘Charge,’ Lord Cardigan took Ronald straight into the teeth of the massed Russian canon.  Ronald survived the charge, as did his master, without a scratch, to return to Deene Park and live out their days with the memory of this ill-conceived, yet magnificent action.  Many of the troopers he led, and even more of their horses, were not so lucky.

Ronald's Hoof, courtesy of The Royal King's Hussars Museum - Photo from Crimean Memories: Artefacts of the Crimean War

In remembrance of this loyal and magnificent horse, one of his hooves was placed on a bronze pillow, surmounted by a small statue of Lord Cardigan riding Ronald.  This artefact can be seen at The King’s Royal Hussars Museum, Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, UK. It can also be seen in my photography book, Crimean Memories: Artefacts of the Crimean War.

There are many excellent books written about the Charge of the Light Brigade, but if you want to read a rather new release about Nolan, Cradigan, and the charge, I recommend Messenger of Death:  Captain Nolan and the Charge of the Light Brigade, by David Buttery.

Sunny, before his winter coat

Today, I went to our stables, the wonderful Saw Horse Farm, run by Wendy Dutterer, in Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, to ride my horse, Sunny.  He is taken excellent care of there, and has grown his own lush winter coat.  It was a great ride, but a searing cold day.  When I ride and see the horses on brisk days like this, I am reminded of the plight of the horses in the Crimean War.

Numerous horses were required by a mid-19th century army.  Not merely for the cavalry and horse artillery, but for all the senior officers of infantry regiments, and the many staff officers.  Some wealthier officers brought several horses.  All of these animals had to be transported by water from England to the Crimea in sailing or steam-driven ships.  This could take anywhere from weeks to months, depending on the speed of the ships.

Over 150 horses of the Cavalry Division were lost during deployment to the Crimea.  In one bad storm, it was necessary to shoot injured horses, who became wild and uncontrollable below decks.

Many horses were rendered unserviceable by the rigors of the voyage.  These losses had a near crippling effect on the cavalry.  Those that made it intact, had to face severe climate changes, and one of the worst winters recorded in Crimean history.

It had been planned that remounts would be purchased from various local horse traders, but like so many plans for this badly mismanaged war, this one fell apart quickly and drastically.  Captain Louis Nolan, the famous staff officer who brought the order to Lord Lucan prompting the ill-fated “Charge of the Light Brigade,” was even tasked to travel across Syria and overland to the staging area at Varna on the Black Sea, with the mission of purchasing remounts and transport horses along the way.  He was only modestly successful.  There were insufficient horses for sale anywhere enroute, at the staging area, or in the Crimea.  Those horses that were available were smaller, often weak, and frequently unserviceable for cavalry, artillery, or even transport requirements.

Not long after landing on the Crimean coast, the savage winter set in and took its toll.  The horses brought from England were hardly used to the unbearable Crimean temperatures or conditions – colic and death were everywhere among these unfortunate animals.

By far the most disastrous loss of horses, however, was a direct result of that unhappy charge by the Light Brigade into a gauntlet of Russian guns.  The charge, in about 25 minutes, cost the British army over 100 men killed, but perhaps the most telling catastrophe was the loss of horses.  Around 400 were killed and many more put out of service.  It was the loss of horses which left the Light Brigade unfit for further action as a unit.

Two horses of particular note were in the Light Brigade’s charge: the mount of Captain Nolan, the first casualty of the affair, and, Ronald, Lord Cardigan’s horse.  I will tell their tale tomorrow.

Officers, 39th Regiment, with a horse not unlike Sunny

Captain Halford, 5th Dragoon Guards

Captain Heneage, Coldstream Guards

Captain Wilkinson, 9th Regiment

Lieutenant Yates, 11th Hussars

Officers, 39th Regiment