While the British army was busy reorganizing their formation and accusing and condemning the Turks, the Russian infantry occupied the first to fourth forts on the causeway heights. After destroying the cannon mounts, they abandoned the fourth
fortress.
Seeing that the passage had been opened, Menshikov immediately ordered General Ryzhov's cavalry to move to the northern canyon of Balaklava behind these fortresses, and launched a charge towards the defense line of the 93rd Highland Brigade.
At this moment, the moment that determines the fate of the British army or the coalition forces has arrived. If Ryzhov can quickly break through the defense line of the 930th Brigade, then the coalition forces will have nothing to prevent the Russian army from breaking into Balaklava. By then, the coalition forces will
Logistics supplies will definitely be finished.
But what is incomprehensible is that the 93rd Highland Brigade of the British Army only built a line of defense that could not be called solid at all, but it blocked the charge of the Russian light cavalry!
At that time, Ryzhov's first wave of four cavalry squadrons, about 400 cavalrymen, began to charge, charging straight towards the Highland Brigade from the causeway heights.
Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in two rows, forming a slender line of defense, instead of the square formations usually used by infantry to block cavalry. Fanny Duberry, who was watching, was very puzzled and horrified by this. He said:
"Bullets started flying, and the Russian cavalry was rushing down the hillside, crossing the canyon and directly inserting into the position of the Highland Brigade. Ah! The situation is urgent! Facing the oncoming cavalry, how can that slender line of defense resist so many enemy troops?
The enemy rushed so fast, yet they stood there motionless!"
However, the reason why Campbell put up such a formation is that he knew that it was very difficult to stop the enemy with the troops he had on hand. The only way was to rely on the high-speed and high-precision advantages of the Minie rifle at hand. Although a first-line defense line was weak,
But it can maximize its firepower. As long as it can block the impact of the Russian cavalry, reinforcements will soon come to support it.
The Russian cavalry was getting closer and closer. Campbell ran along the defense line on his horse and shouted to the soldiers. He ordered everyone to stand still and die here.
According to the memories of Lieutenant Colonel Sterling of the 93rd Brigade, he felt that Campbell was not lying when he said these words, and it seemed that he really intended to fight to the end.
Russell, a reporter from The Times, was also watching the battle on the high ground. To him, the defense line of the 93rd Brigade looked like red streaks on the tip of a steel rope. He saw a defense line composed of British soldiers in red.
The Russian cavalry remained motionless but began to hesitate.
At this time, the distance between the two sides was only one thousand meters. Campbell issued an order to fire, and the British army's first salvo started. After the smoke cleared, Sergeant Munro of the 93rd Brigade saw that the Russian army was still continuing.
Charge, and then the British army immediately launched the second round of volley from the top of the second row of soldiers.
At this time, the Russian army began to become confused and changed direction and rushed towards the flank of the British army. The British army's third salvo was closer and hit the flank of the turning Russian cavalry, forcing the Russian army to turn around and retreat.
The cavalry of the four squadrons of Ryzhov's first echelon were repelled in this way. They could have changed history, but they lacked confidence and let this opportunity go, so that the Russian army could no longer threaten Balaklava.
Seeing that the charge of the first echelon was not going smoothly, Ryzhov immediately sent his main force of 2,000 hussars and Cossacks to launch a second attack on the British army.
But it was too late. At this time, the British heavy cavalry brigade had arrived on the battlefield to support the 93rd Brigade. These 700 heavy cavalry slowly climbed up the hillside, keeping pace and forming an orderly formation, and then about 30 meters away from the enemy.
A hundred meters away, he waved his long sword and started to charge.
The vanguard of the British heavy cavalry brigade was the Scottish Gray Knights and the Inniskillings Regiment, the 6th Dragoon Regiment. They collided head-on with the charging Russian cavalry and were completely surrounded. Fortunately, they followed up from behind.
The British 4th and 5th Dragoons soon joined the melee.
The cavalrymen on both sides were trembling and entangled tightly, with no space to display their swordsmanship. All they could do was raise their swords and swing their sabers to slash at any place they could reach, just like a street fight.
Sergeant Major Henry Franks of the 5th Dragoon Regiment witnessed Private Harry Herbert being attacked by three Cossacks at the same time:
"He slashed the back of one of them's neck with his sword, causing him to fall immediately. The second man saw this and ran away. Then Herbert stabbed the third man in the chest with his sword, but the blade was three inches away from the hilt.
It broke... He threw the heavy sword hilt at the Russian cavalry and hit him in the face. The Cossack immediately fell to the ground..."
Major William Forrest of the 4th Dragoon Regiment also recalled: "A Russian hussar slashed at my head, but it was blocked by my brass helmet, leaving me only a slight scratch. I immediately attacked him
I cut it off, but I didn’t feel it hurt him much, just like he didn’t hurt me. I didn’t know who hit me on my shoulder. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious. It just scratched the soft armor and slightly injured my shoulder.
.”
It seems that this battle is very fierce. Two regiments of cavalry are fighting each other, and it is dizzying to watch. But what people did not expect is that it is fierce, but the casualties are really not worth mentioning. Both sides increased their speed.
Only a dozen people were killed together, and another 300 people were injured, most of them on the Russian side.
This fierce battle came to an end after ten minutes, because the Russian army collapsed first. They turned their horses and fled towards the northern canyon, while the British army pursued them until they were encountered by the Russian army at Fejiuk.
The artillery bombardment on Sea Heights and Causeway Heights was withdrawn.
However, the British heavy cavalry also completed their mission, and they bought enough time. When they returned from horseback, the British reinforcements outside Sevastopol finally arrived on the battlefield, and then the French reinforcements also arrived.
If the battle had ended like this, the British army would have achieved nothing worse than a complete victory. However, when the Russian cavalry was retreating, Raglan, who was watching the battle on the heights of Saporn, noticed that the Russian army was raising the causeway.
Cannons from the British fort on the ground were towed away.
Suddenly Raglan couldn't stand it anymore, because it was said that the Duke of Wellington had never lost an artillery piece in battle, which was the myth and highest honor of the British Army. Raglan and his staff believed that if the British army's cannon
They were captured by the Russian army and sent to the streets of Sevastopol to be displayed as trophies. This was tantamount to a slap in their face!
Raglan immediately issued an order to the commander-in-chief of the cavalry, Lord Lucan, asking him to recapture the fortress on the causeway heights and try his best to prevent the Russian army from taking away the cannons. As a result, the British cavalry, which had just won a great victory, was immediately pushed forward by Raglan.