ABSTRACT

Published The Examiner, 9 Dec. 1854, signed ‘A.T.’; then 1855. The Crimean charge took place 25 Oct. 1854; cp. The Charge of the Heavy Brigade (III 92). Written 2 Dec. 1854, ‘in a few minutes, after reading … The Times in which occurred the phrase “some one had blundered”, and this was the origin of the metre of his poem’ (Mem. i 381). The editorial (13 Nov.) in fact spoke of ‘some hideous blunder’. T. also drew on the report (14 Nov.), where – as he says – ‘only 607 sabres are mentioned’. T. wrote to Forster, 6 Dec: ‘Six is much better than seven hundred (as I think) metrically so keep it’ (Letters ii 101).