Charge of the Light Brigade

The Crimean War took place started October 25, 1854.  This battle took place on the southern Crimean coast  in the Ukraine.  The British, the French and Turkish troops took on the Imperial Russian army.  The commander of the British army was Lieutenant General the Earl of Raglan.  General Saint-Arnaud commanded the French army.  Prince Menshikov commanded the Russian troops.  The British, French, and Turkish troops aimed to capture the Russian black sea naval base.  They drove the Russian troops back towards the city.  

I looked up the meaning of the poem about the charge of the light brigade.  ( http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson/section9.rhtml)

This poem tells a story about the 600 soldiers who rode on horseback into the valley of death.  They were told to charge at the troops that had been seizing there guns.  Some of the soldiers knew this command was a mistake.  But, the role of the soldier was to follow orders and not to question them.  So, they charged forward.  On the front and sides of them, they were shot with guns and cannons.  They continued to ride foward to their death.  The soldiers charged with their swords.  They broke through enemy lines destroying the Russian troops.  As they, returned to their side they realized they had lost many men.  They were no longer 600.  Few were able to make the journey back.  The poem states that these 600 men still remain honour and tribute today.