![]() ![]() The charge of the Light Brigade was approximately a mile and a half long through the valley, consistent with Tennyson's battle cry.įurthermore, details of the events leading up to the charge itself also appear to be accurate. However, a league is generally known to be about three miles. The measurement of a league varies wildly, owing to a league being defined as the distance a person or horse could walk in an hour. ![]() The iconic "Half a league onwards!" that Tennyson opens his poem with, is the first time we realize the accuracy of his writing. Combined with the fact that a so-called “gallery” of onlookers positioned up-land observed the Battle of Balaclava, this provided the media-and by extension Tennyson-with a detailed recounting of events. As the Crimean War was one of the first to be covered extensively by the media, aided by new and faster communications technologies, stories travelled quickly back to Britain. ![]() While the poem is not too intricate or full of detail, the account of the battle and the actions of the Light Brigade are correct-albeit romanticized to a degree. The answer is that Tennyson’s work is surprisingly accurate. But as the poem glorifies the actions of the Light Brigade, how accurate is the retelling when compared with historical facts? The matter is especially delicate as the poem was written little more than a month after the actual battle took place. ![]()
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