Where did the expression “The Thin Red Line” come from?
Many people are familiar with it thanks to the 1998 epic war drama about the fighting in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
This phrase is well known in English-speaking countries. It is uttered when troops were forced to fight to the death in the face of a larger enemy.
The rest of the world learned about it thanks to the eponymous 1998 movie about World War II in the Pacific Ocean starring Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Woody Harrelson and Jim Caviezel.
The expression itself was born in 1854 during the Crimean War. At that time, Russia was being confronted by a coalition of Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia.
During the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, the 93rd Sutherland Highland Regiment of Foot was preparing to repel an attack by Russian cavalry. To cover a wide front, Major General Colin Campbell ordered the few highlanders he had at his disposal to form two ranks instead of the required four.
“There will be no order to retreat, lads. You must die where you stand,” the commander told the Scots at the time. However, the attack never took place – the Russian cavalry stopped 500 meters short of reaching the Highlanders' positions and retreated.
The Times correspondent William Russell was present on the battlefield and dubbed the Scottish regiment “a thin red line bristling with steel”. Over time, this phrase was embodied in a more familiar expression.
