Crimean War - Battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade, October 25, 1854

The Battle of Balaclava under the command of the Earl of Cardigan is noteworthy to history because of the bravery of two British units and miscommunication between British officers leading to ambiguous order which resulted massive causalities.  The 93rd Highlanders stood solidly against repeated attacks by a larger Russian force. This stand led the 93rd Highlanders to be remembered in history as the Thin Red Line.
At the same time this battle is notorious for the Charge of the Light brigade, where the best and youngest of the British aristocracy were eventually put by their commander under the crossing fire of Russian guns in mere attempts to attack Russian positions.  About half of the brigade were killed in the battle.