On October 25, 1854, the British and French fought against the Russians in the Crimean War at the Battle of Balaclava. The British Light Brigade, commanded by the Earl of Cardigan, had been ordered by its chain of command to launch a full frontal assault against what it believed to be one of the matched Russian artillery teams. It turns out that the information provided to the Earl of Cardigan and his next in the chain of command, the Earl of Lucan, was completely inaccurate. The Light Brigade was not faced with the previously assessed and matched Russian artillery team, but with around twenty infantry and artillery battalions strategically installed in defensive positions, patiently awaiting the Light Brigade. Historically, it has been stated that both the Earl of Lucan and the Earl of Cardigan knew that they were going to be outnumbered in the coming battle. They had seen the Russian battalions set up in their defensive positions before launching their daring charge. Regardless, the orders were passed down from the top to the Earl of Cardigan, and the orders were followed. Around six hundred cavalrymen from the Light Brigade charged towards the Russian battalions, instantly accumulating nearly three hundred casualties. Some might wonder why these men rushed to their inevitable deaths. One answer is what is stated in an 1835 edition, volume II, of the Southern Literary Messenger. He states that “duty demands obedience, and it would be dishonorable to disobey.” Obedience is defined as compliance with an order, request or law or submission to the authority of another, and for such men, to back down from a fight, even with an expected unhappy outcome, would be... middle of paper. .....able to show on paper the desire of these men to follow the orders given to them. The end of the poem states: “Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon behind them Volley and thunder; Storm with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, Those who had thus fought. Well arrived through the jaws of death, back from the mouth of hell, all that was left of them, left of six hundred. When can their glory fade? Oh the wild charge they launched! Everyone is wondering. Honor the charge. "The six hundred cavalrymen of the British Light Brigade knew that the orders given to them would end in almost certain death, but in their training to follow orders and their loyalty to their leaders, they acted valiantly in charging towards the Russian battalions to reach their final state.