First Baron Raglan
- Field Marshal Fitzroy James Henry Somerset (30 September 1788 – 28 June 1855)
- British army commander during the Crimean War, despite never having previously led troops in the field
“General Lord Raglan during the Peninsular War filled a most important situation on the staff of the late Duke of Wllington, and since the close of that War, from the period of the Battle of Waterloo where he lost an arm, he has given eminent proofs of unwearied zeal and great ability in Your Majesty’s Service, particularly during the many years he has conducted the arduous duties of Military Secretary…”
~ Recommendation presented to Queen Victoria for him to be in charge of the military for the Crimean War, 1854
Captain Nolan
- Captain Louis Edward Nolan (4 January 1818 – 25 October 1854)
- Raglan's aide-de-camp
- Believed cavalry was vital to winning wars
“...Captain Nolan was one of our most distinguished cavalry officers - a man who … had acquired a thorough knowledge of his arm, and who, more than anyone else, was able to make a fair estimate of its capabilities … he had also been a deep thinker on his profession, and was the author of one of the best books on cavalry service.”
~ Former comrade of Nolan’s, 1854
“There is, or rather was, an officer named Captain Nolan, who writes books, and was a great man in his own estimation, and who had already been talking very loud against the cavalry, his own ranch of the service, and especially Lucan.”
~ Lord George Paget’s journal, British soldier who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854
Third Earl of Lucan
- Major General George Charles Bingham (16 April 1800 - 10 November 1888)
- Commander of the Cavalry (Heavy Brigade and Light Brigade)
- Brother-in-law of Lord Cardigan, but they had an extremely acrimonious relationship and barely spoke due to failing marriage between Lord Lucan and Lord Cardigan’s sister
“Lord Lucan is no doubt a clever sharp fellow, but he has been so long on the shelf that he has no idea of moving cavalry, does not even know the words of command & is very self willed about it, thinks himself right … if he is shewn by the drill book that he is wrong, he says, ‘Ah I should like to know who wrote that book, some Farrier I suppose … if any mishap should occur to the cavalry, you may be able to form a correct idea how it happened.”
~ Major William Charles Forrest of the 4th Regiment of the Dragoon Guards, 1854
Seventh Earl of Cardigan
- Major General James Thomas Brudenell (16 October 1797 - 28 March 1868)
- Commander of the Light Brigade
- Brother-in-law to Lord Lucan
“Lord Brudenell has not been ten years in the service, and perhaps never spent two yeras as a Tory in the House of Commons, hunting at Melton Mowbray, or running away with other men’s wives.”
~ Soldier’s letter to the Editor of The Times, 1832
