Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)

Subject: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 09:15 AM


Happy Birthday!

James Thomas Brudenell Cardigan, 7th Earl of, etc

born 10/16/1797
(d.3/27/1868)

He was the general who led but survived the charge
of the Light Brigade at Balaklava, Oct. 25, 1854, qv.

He was named after an open front sweater or (as in his case) jacket.

          We reached Balaclava all safe and all sound,
          And tired and weary we lay on the ground.
          Next morning at daybreak a bugle did call,
          And served us a break-fast of powder and ball.
  
                  "Kerry Recruit" (sung by Richard Dyer-Bennett)

How come no one ever gets to read about the Heavy Brigade? They were there too, you know. Don't seem fair.

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
What are Happy's all about?    See Notes and Index

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Peace
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 09:35 AM

My ex sent me looking fo a cardigan once. I spent about twenty minutes in the lingerie section of The Bay until a kindly elderly woman inquired whether I needed assistance. I told her I was looking for a light blue cardigan which I assumed was a piece of apparal that people just didn't talk about. She sent me to the sweater section. Who knew? If my ex had wanted me to get her a light blue sweater with buttons, why didn't she say, "Get me a light blue sweater with buttons, huh?"

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 09:59 AM

Get your hands on a copy of Flashman at the Charge.
BTW, I'm sort of very distant cousins with said earl, but sshhh!

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 10:04 AM

Interesting that a balaklava is also a garment, in this case, headgear.

SRS

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Peace
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 10:06 AM

Use 'em fighting fires.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 01:54 PM

Hey Peace - you, too? I was obliged to wear it under my tin hat when fighting fires. On non fire missions we used it for cold protection.
Interesting to know that its history is so old. BTW, George MacDonald Fraser in his Flashman on the Charge says that it was invented by Prince Albert who always meseed around with the soldiers' gear.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 02:02 PM

SRS, how do you suppose they kept their heads warm?

Abby, here this is for you, from the above mentioned book:
'Hold fast nothin'!' says Scarlett, grinning all over his great red cheeks. 'I didn't come all this way to have some dam' Cossack open the ball! Look at 'em, there, the saucy bastards! What? What? Well, they're there, and we're here, and I'm goin' to chase those scoundrels all the way to Moscow! What, Elliot? Here, you, Flashman, come to my side, sir!'
You may gather my emotions at hearing this; I won't attempt to describe them. I stared at this purpling old lunatic in bewildrement, and tried to say something about my message to Raglan, but the impetuous buffoon grabbed at my bridle and hauled me along as he took post in front of his squadrons.
'You shall tell Lord Raglan presently that I have engaged a force of enemy cavalry on my front an' dispersed 'em!' bawls he...
'You cannot move from here, sir!' It is all uphill! We must hold our ground - there's no other hope!' Beatson pointed uphill frantically...
'You cannot advance, sir!' shouts Beatson again.
'Can't I, by God!' roars Scarlett, throwing away his hat.
'You just watch me!' He lugged out his sabre and waved it.
'Ready, Greys? Ready, old Skins? Remember Waterloo, you fellas, what? Trumpeter - sound the ... the thing, whatever it is! Oh, the devil! Come on, Flashman! Tally-ho!'
And he dug in his heels, gave one final yell of 'Come on, you fellas!' and set his horse at the hill like a madman. There was a huge, crashing shout from behind, the squadrons leaped forward, my horse reared, and I found myself galloping along, almost up Scarlett's dock, with Beatson at my elbow shouting, 'Oh, what the blazes - charge! Trumpeter, charge! charge! charge!'
They were all stark, raving mad, of course. When I think of them - and me, God help me - tearing up that hill, and that overwhelming force lurching down towards us, gathering speed with every step, I realize that there's no end to human folly, or human luck, either. It was ridiculous, it was nonsense, that old red-faced pantaloon, who'd never fired a shot or swung a sabre in action before, and was fit for nothing but whipping off hounds, urging his charger up that hill, with the whole Heavy Brigade at his heels, and poor old suffering Flashy jammed in between, with nothing to do but hope to God that by the time the two irresistible forces met, I'd be somewhere in the back in the mob behind.
And the brutes were enjoying it, too! Those crazy Ulstermen were whooping like Apaches, and the Greys, as they thundered forward, began to make that hideous droning noise deep in their throats.....

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 02:19 PM

Bertie had some very interesting, if ugly-looking, ideas. Punch ridiculed him endlessly.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Peace
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 04:22 PM

Hey William. I find the most difficult thing with them is keeping them 'shrunk' so they cover the BA mask. And yes to that cold protection. The fingers and toes are bad enough. Nice to meet a fellow firefighter. Thanks for saying.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 04:50 PM

I like the old-fashioned definition of 'cardigan' in the OED:
"A knitted woolen over-waistcoat, with or without sleeves."

Balaclavas often worn by skiers here in western Canada. Although named for the town in Russia, they were worn by ancient Incas of the Andes.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 04:58 PM

I assume pretty much anyone living in the cold did something of the sort. Certainly the Afghans and Circassians (to name but two) were no exceptions.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Oct 05 - 11:42 PM

Scar: Great. I guess any army would have to be crazed in some fashion to charge like that. Or D-Day or Tarawa or any mass battle. Totally beyond my understanding why everyone didn't just say, "Uh...er...well, I have an early appointment tomorrow, chaps - sorry, I can't join the fun. Gotta go.

I mean I can understand those who feel some strong cause and that most armies do their best to pretend a Cause exists. But the Crimea? And I think it's the more common type of battle.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 04:40 AM

But there was a cause for the Crimea. Ok, they said it was to save the poor Turks, but really, they just wanted to give Russia a bloody nose. That was Britain's big enemy at the time.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Splott Man
Date: 17 Oct 05 - 06:08 AM

Wasn't the cardigan named after the Earl, not the other way round?
As far as I know, 3 items of clothing got their names from the Crimea war, cardigan, balaclava and raglan.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 02:11 AM

Of course it was. So were Wellingtons.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Snuffy
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 08:21 AM

No. Wellingtons were named after the Duke of Wellington. You're thinking of sandwiches. :-)

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 08:40 AM

Snuffy: This last may be controversial - see happy? for tomorrow - 10/19.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 10:47 AM

No, Snuffy, what I ment was Wellingtons were another case of clothing being named after generals.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Teribus
Date: 18 Oct 05 - 08:24 PM

George MacDonald Fraser in his Flashman on the Charge is a shade unkind to the Officer Commanding the Heavy Brigade of Cavalry at Balaklava, one General James Yorke Scarlett.

The action, a Russian attack on the British-held port of Balaklava was an attempt to relieve the siege of Sebastopol, took place on the morning of 25 October 1854. However, they were held up by the Highlander Brigade of infantry under the command of Sir Colin Campbell (The origin of the misquoted 'Thin Red Line'). The Highlanders drove off the Russian cavalry on their front, but 2,000 or so Russians came down the hill towards the British Headquarters position and the Heavy Brigade of Cavalry with its 600 men (six squadrons from the Royal Scots Greys, the Inniskilling Dragoons and the Dragoon Guards) did not really have a hell of a lot of choice. In the Charge of the Heavy Brigade Scarlett did the unthinkable - he charged heavy cavalry, out-numbered three to one, up hill. The charge was a success, the Russian cavalry were routed and the threat to British Headquarters removed. Casualty figures were very low and the Russians, whose main aim had now been thwarted, did not follow up the disaster which later that day befell the Light Brigade.

Tennyson wrote poems about both charges, the one about the Light Brigade being the best known.

The 'Balaklava' battle-honour was awarded only to the regiments that actually took part in the actions - not the entire army. Both Scarlett and Campbell were regarded as heroes of the hour.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 04:15 AM

I dunno, it squares with what I've read of Scarlett. Thinks him mad, of course, but also brave and victorious.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 08:50 AM

Sorry, the "Guest" above is me.

Teribus: Good info on the Heavies. My understanding was that the Tennyson poem was essentially unknown. It was published barely a month and 1/2 after the battle but hardly ever printed at all later. I haven't read it. Some stuff did go into tradition about the battle, though. In Creighton, for one.

-Abby Sale-

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Peace
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 05:30 PM

"The Charge of the Light Brigade" here.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:15 PM

"The Charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava":
The Charge of the Heavy Brigade

"The charge of the gallant three hundred. the heavy Brigade!
Down the hill, down the hill,....."

"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...."

I think a better poem.

Subject: RE: Happy! - Oct 16 (Cardigan / Balaklava)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:26 PM

Both poems here, along with many of Tennyson's other poems: Tennyson