The Crimean War Heavy Brigade

The charge of the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade!
Down the hill, down the hill, thousands of Russians,
Thousands of horsemen, drew to the valley—and stay’d;
For Scarlett and Scarlett’s three hundred were riding by
When the points of the Russian lances arose in the sky;
And he call’d, ‘Left wheel into line!’ and they wheel’d and obey’d.
Then he look’d at the host that had halted he knew not why,
And he turn’d half round, and he bade his trumpeter sound
To the charge, and he rode on ahead, as he waved his blade
To the gallant three hundred whose glory will never die—
‘Follow,’ and up the hill, up the hill, up the hill,
Follow’d the Heavy Brigade.

So starts Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Heavy Brigade”, the lesser known of his Balaclava poems that provides a convenient segway to the reason why my butterfly fluttering, that has seen me flitting between projects of late, has led me complete the Heavy Brigade for the Crimean War collection.

Persistent readers may remember that back in February 2018 I had completed the Scots Greys and the Inniskillings, but then there was issue getting supply of the figures because the moulds were damaged or lost. Then this February just gone, as the lead pile flattened, I painted three lone figures from the 5^th Dragoon Guards that had been sitting around for a year waiting or their command figures. 

Last month I enquired of NorthStar if the heavies were back in production, and the answer was “yes”. I duly purchased all that was required to finish the brigade, and here are the remaining three regiments, left to right - the 1^st Royal Dragoons,  4^th and 5^th Dragoon Guards

To which are added the Inniskillings and the Scots Greys...

...to form the entire brigade.

All figures are from Great War Miniatures.

All that remains to be completed here is the brigade commander, Brigadier General Scarlett, who will follow in a due course..

And now the other four stanzas of Tennyson’s poem...

The trumpet, the gallop, the charge, and the might of the fight!
Thousands of horsemen had gather’d there on the height,
With a wing push’d out to the left and a wing to the right,
And who shall escape if they close? but he dash’d up alone
Thro’ the great gray slope of men,
Sway’d his sabre, and held his own
Like an Englishman there and then;
All in a moment follow’d with force
Three that were next in their fiery course,
Wedged themselves in between horse and horse,
Fought for their lives in the narrow gap they had made—
Four amid thousands! and up the hill, up the hill,
Gallopt the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade.

Fell like a cannon-shot,
Burst like a thunderbolt,
Crash’d like a hurricane,
Broke thro’ the mass from below,
Drove thro’ the midst of the foe,
Plunged up and down, to and fro,
Rode flashing blow upon blow,
Brave Inniskillens and Greys
Whirling their sabres in circles of light!
And some of us, all in amaze,
Who were held for a while from the fight,
And were only standing at gaze,
When the dark-muffled Russian crowd
Folded its wings from the left and the right,
And roll’d them around like a cloud,—
O, mad for the charge and the battle were we,
When our own good redcoats sank from sight,
Like drops of blood in a dark-gray sea,
And we turn’d to each other, whispering, all dismay’d,
‘Lost are the gallant three hundred of Scarlett’s Brigade!’

‘Lost one and all’ were the words
Mutter’d in our dismay;
But they rode like victors and lords
Thro’ the forest of lances and swords
In the heart of the Russian hordes,
They rode, or they stood at bay—
Struck with the sword-hand and slew,
Down with the bridle-hand drew
The foe from the saddle and threw
Underfoot there in the fray—
Ranged like a storm or stood like a rock
In the wave of a stormy day;
Till suddenly shock upon shock
Stagger’d the mass from without,
Drove it in wild disarray,
For our men gallopt up with a cheer and a shout,
And the foeman surged, and waver’d, and reel’d
Up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, out of the field,
And over the brow and away.

Glory to each and to all, and the charge that they made!
Glory to all the three hundred, and all the Brigade!