Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Educations!!
Today I shall be educating you about the cardigan. (Some people might think this is a ridiculous subject for a blog post, but nobody reads this thing anyway, so I may do as I please. XD Plus if you stick around, there's something awesome at the end of this post.)
The cardigan is a type of knit sweater. It is distinguished from the traditional pullover sweater in that it buttons up the front, whereas pullovers are simply, well, pulled over the head. No buttons involved here, no suh. But what makes the cardigan interesting is that its namesake was a complete and total idiot.
Also known as James Brudenell, the 7th Lord Cardigan completely bollixed up almost everything he attempted to do, except bragging, apparently, which was one of his few skills. He was born in 1797 in England, and went into the military at age 22. In the 1800s, England had a "purchase by commissions" system, which means that any ol' chump could essentially buy a promotion if they had the money. That's exactly what Brudenell did---landing himself as commanding officer of older, more experienced men.
In a vain attempt to assert his authority over these men, he resorted to petty bullying. Oh, good job, Lord C., good job. He actually did such a bad job that he was dismissed from the army. However, in the tradition of the more reprehensible members of the aristocracy, he appealed personally to the king, who then granted him command of the 11th Hussars. Other exploits of his include having a guest arrested for "defying" him---i.e., not knowing about his conventions about dinner and ordering something that Lord Cardigan didn't want at his table---and getting into a duel with a former officer. He was let go by the slightest technicality on that one.
So, after being regaled with Lord Cardigan's various mishaps, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that he was the commander of the Light Cavalry Brigade in the Crimean War.
Historians are uncertain as to what part, if any, he played in orchestrating the actual charge. Wikipedia tells us, "The extent to which Lord Cardigan was to blame is unproven, since he attacked only after expressing his doubts and receiving a direct order in front of the troops from his immediate superior Lord Lucan, Commander of the Cavalry Division. The order had been conveyed by Captain Louis Nolan, who died in the charge, and Cardigan blamed him for passing on the order incorrectly." What they are certain of is that he was not the upstanding commanding officer he should have been in this suicidal charge, which killed about 1 in 7 of his soldiers. Various accounts have him either running away during the battle or retreating before his men.
Moreover, his conduct after the infamous battle is appalling. He missed two battles, and although in the past he had always kept his troops well-equipped, as winter hit the remains of the Light Brigade, food, shelter, clothing, and horse fodder were all running low. Lord C. wrote letters about the deficiencies, and . . . that's it. He could easily have sent a few men to the coast for more supplies, but would not allow any men to leave because "the enemy might stage a surprise attack." As a consequence, many horses died, and the members of the Light Brigade underwent great hardship. Lord C. finally returned to England in 1854, claiming "bad health", though the war was still in motion, and would not end for another two years.
Unfortunately, due to widely held journalistic misconceptions, on his return, he was greatly lauded as the hero-commander of the Light Brigade, and enjoyed a great fan following for a while. (Here's where the sweater comes in---they were modeled, supposedly, after the type of jacket he wore during the war, and a great number were produced and bought.) Lord C. went along with the stories of him as a great commander, bragging about his part in the battle and telling great stories of his bravery. Luckily, when the real soldiers returned from the war, the public opinion about Cardigan changed, as more truthful accounts were made known. Typically, Lord C. just went on pretending he was the great and brave commander of the stories, and remained in command for 11 years, followed by a peaceful retirement.
Ugh. What a complete and total idiot. And to think he got to meet Queen Victoria for his supposedly brave leadership! Blech. Sometimes the public opinion disgusts me.
Oh, I feel I have to give credit to my source---most of this comes from here, though I googled a bit to ensure it wasn't one of those "WIKIPEDIA LIEZZZZ" moments.
Aaaand now, for the greatest thing in the world. SO FUNNY.
The cardigan is a type of knit sweater. It is distinguished from the traditional pullover sweater in that it buttons up the front, whereas pullovers are simply, well, pulled over the head. No buttons involved here, no suh. But what makes the cardigan interesting is that its namesake was a complete and total idiot.
Also known as James Brudenell, the 7th Lord Cardigan completely bollixed up almost everything he attempted to do, except bragging, apparently, which was one of his few skills. He was born in 1797 in England, and went into the military at age 22. In the 1800s, England had a "purchase by commissions" system, which means that any ol' chump could essentially buy a promotion if they had the money. That's exactly what Brudenell did---landing himself as commanding officer of older, more experienced men.
In a vain attempt to assert his authority over these men, he resorted to petty bullying. Oh, good job, Lord C., good job. He actually did such a bad job that he was dismissed from the army. However, in the tradition of the more reprehensible members of the aristocracy, he appealed personally to the king, who then granted him command of the 11th Hussars. Other exploits of his include having a guest arrested for "defying" him---i.e., not knowing about his conventions about dinner and ordering something that Lord Cardigan didn't want at his table---and getting into a duel with a former officer. He was let go by the slightest technicality on that one.
So, after being regaled with Lord Cardigan's various mishaps, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that he was the commander of the Light Cavalry Brigade in the Crimean War.
Historians are uncertain as to what part, if any, he played in orchestrating the actual charge. Wikipedia tells us, "The extent to which Lord Cardigan was to blame is unproven, since he attacked only after expressing his doubts and receiving a direct order in front of the troops from his immediate superior Lord Lucan, Commander of the Cavalry Division. The order had been conveyed by Captain Louis Nolan, who died in the charge, and Cardigan blamed him for passing on the order incorrectly." What they are certain of is that he was not the upstanding commanding officer he should have been in this suicidal charge, which killed about 1 in 7 of his soldiers. Various accounts have him either running away during the battle or retreating before his men.
Moreover, his conduct after the infamous battle is appalling. He missed two battles, and although in the past he had always kept his troops well-equipped, as winter hit the remains of the Light Brigade, food, shelter, clothing, and horse fodder were all running low. Lord C. wrote letters about the deficiencies, and . . . that's it. He could easily have sent a few men to the coast for more supplies, but would not allow any men to leave because "the enemy might stage a surprise attack." As a consequence, many horses died, and the members of the Light Brigade underwent great hardship. Lord C. finally returned to England in 1854, claiming "bad health", though the war was still in motion, and would not end for another two years.
Unfortunately, due to widely held journalistic misconceptions, on his return, he was greatly lauded as the hero-commander of the Light Brigade, and enjoyed a great fan following for a while. (Here's where the sweater comes in---they were modeled, supposedly, after the type of jacket he wore during the war, and a great number were produced and bought.) Lord C. went along with the stories of him as a great commander, bragging about his part in the battle and telling great stories of his bravery. Luckily, when the real soldiers returned from the war, the public opinion about Cardigan changed, as more truthful accounts were made known. Typically, Lord C. just went on pretending he was the great and brave commander of the stories, and remained in command for 11 years, followed by a peaceful retirement.
Ugh. What a complete and total idiot. And to think he got to meet Queen Victoria for his supposedly brave leadership! Blech. Sometimes the public opinion disgusts me.
Oh, I feel I have to give credit to my source---most of this comes from here, though I googled a bit to ensure it wasn't one of those "WIKIPEDIA LIEZZZZ" moments.
Aaaand now, for the greatest thing in the world. SO FUNNY.
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