At Balaclava, 25th October 1854, Lord Raglan ordered Lord Lucan to dispatch eight squadrons of heavy dragoons towards Balaclava ‘to support the Turks who are wavering’, just as unbeknown to him a mass of Russian cavalry were moving down the North Valley.

To the Heavy Brigade it came as a complete surprise to suddenly see the huge Russian formation appearing over the Causeway Heights, and possibly yet a greater surprise to the Russians for they halted, providing the Brigade an ideal moment to strike. Leading from the front Brig. Gen. Scarlett and his first line of Scots Greys and Inniskilling Dragoons struck the Russian square and were swallowed up in the desperate hand-to-hand fighting. Further dragoon squadrons joined the fray, and the Scots Guard having forced their way through the Russian mass were cutting their way back to the centre front. Suddenly the Russian mass broke and fled back over the Causeway Heights. This brilliant cavalry action was later the same day overshadowed by the fate of the Light Brigade.