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Thank you to the Fenton Crimean War Photographs Collection at The Library of Congress
Photographs of men on horseback during the Crimean War, 1855, by Roger Fenton
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WOw, men on ponyback by today’s giant horse standards.
Are these British cavalry? If so, would these men (or men like them) have been involved in the Charge of the Light Brigade?
Funny most of the pictures have the horse facing left! Why?
The horse/rider face left so the sword is displayed to the camera. Also, none of these men (except possibly one – No. 11) are in British uniform. Several are French (the distinctive headwear should be enough to give them away) and the less glamorous looking ones Sardinian, while the ponies likely belong to Ottoman soldiers.
So funny, there are soldiers from all sides, except the winners of this war
By the way, cossack were most trained and strongest cavarly of that time and even before and after. Those were men who born on the horse. They had horse in their genes, i could say. They were a big problem for Ottomans and others who tried to challenge them.
Actually most of them are British officers. Most of them are in undress uniforms (as opposed to dress uniforms) except for the 5th Dragoon Guard (11), the 11th Hussars officer (12) , the Light Dragoon (22) and the General (5). Nos 10 and 17 are possibly Turkish and nos 18 and 25 are most likely French. Apart from those they’re all British. No 3 is of Quartermaster Hill of the 4th Light Dragoons.
Most of the cavalry soldiers are still on their chargers. It seems to be mainly infantry officers who have had to downgrade to locally sourced ponies. I think that the hardships of the Crimea killed off a lot of horses and local replacements had to be found which were smaller and shaggier.
The British line infantry discarded their shakos very early in the war and fought in their soft forage caps which were peak-less for lower ranks and peaked for officers and SNCOs. Afaik the Guards kept their bearskin caps and the Highlanders their ostrich feather bonnets.
Actually I think 10 is also a Brit. The funny looking epaulettes deceived me but I think he’s a Brigade of Guards officer, compare the epaulettes to the Scots Guards officer in 15.
Also the British are wearing a lot of privately acquired non-regulation coats and boots but which they’ve adopted for protection against the harsh conditions of the Crimean winter as the issued kit wasn’t up to the job.