Someone had Blundered
The Light Brigade exploit had stupified both sides, and although there was some 'in and out' occupation of the redoubts without any major confrontation in the early afternoon, by mutual consent stumps were drawn on the Battle of Balaklava at around 4.00pm. Raglan and Canrobert saw no alternative to the status quo. There was no one to replace the Turks in the redoubts without reducing the forces facing Sevastopol and they were prepared to accept at face value bigoted false rumours that the Turks were no longer to be trusted in combat. Also Liprandi had consolidated a strong defence line along the Causeway which Cathcart was quick to use as a reason for not attacking with 4th Division, which finally was allowed to make its weary way back up onto the heights again. The Survivors of the Light Brigade were forced to hang around for five hours without food before being allowed to return to their camp, which having been fought over and looted, was in a sorry condition. Total casualties for the day were reckoned as Russians, 238 killed and 312 wounded; Allies, 344 killed and 302 wounded, of which British losses were 164 killed and 184 wounded.
So in these circumstances, could the allies claim a draw from Balaklava?
On the plus side, they still held their base, although Raglan was now ready to evacuate it. When the Commissariat mandarins heard of this threat to their fief, they orchestrated a barrage of protest to which Raglan bowed, as usual loth to upset anyone. The allies had also seen off the Russian cavalry in three separate actions, and despite desperate efforts by Ryzhov to cloud the issue, the truth was not lost on the defenders of Sevastopol.
On the minus side, Raglan had lost his outer base defences - in effect the Russians had established a counter-siege. Worse still, he had lost the use of the only metalled road between his base and his army. This has been pooh poohed then and many times since, but the fact remains the alternative was a crude precipitous track up to the Col which might have lasted the winter if it had shared traffic with the Worontsoff Road. But as the only lifeline it quickly subsided into an almost impassable morass, becoming a major cause of the appalling suffering to come for the luckless army on the heights.
So the Russians finished the day in a much better position, and the allies in a much worse, than when they started. And the British had lost seven guns as trophies to be exhibited in Sevastopol - if that wasn't proof of a victory, what was? Make no mistake, there was going to be no Balaklava clasp to the British campaign medal until popular sentiment decreed otherwise; the feeling was that the Light Brigade in particular, plus the Heavies and the 93rd, ought to get something for their heroic exploits.
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