At the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, the British dragoons went chiefly for the heads of their foes, the Russians. They almost stood up in their saddles, and, bringing down their swords with great weight, clove the heads of many of the enemy down to the chin.
An amusing story is told of the conflict. In those days the soldiers were taught the sword exercise with great regard for regularity, each cut being followed by its corresponding guard. A doctor, dressing a wound on a dragoon's head, asked, "How came you to get this ugly cut?" The dragoon replied, with much warmth, "I had just cut 5 at a Russian, and the damned fool never guarded at all, but hit me over the head!" Number 5, it may be explained, was a body cut.
一八五四年巴拉克拉瓦之役，英軍龍騎兵主要襲擊敵對俄國軍人的頭顱。他們據鞍半立起來，高舉長劍，用力劈下，把不少敵兵的頭顱劈開，直到下巴。
戰役留下一個可笑故事。當年，教授士兵劍擊之術，着重常規，這樣砍就那樣擋，每一招都有法度。一個醫生給一名龍騎兵包紮頭上劍傷，問道：「你怎麼會給砍成這個樣子？」那龍騎兵忿忿不平說：「我向一個俄羅斯軍人用第五砍，但是，他媽的那個混蛋不擋不拒，揮劍逕向我頭顱劈下來！」這裏須解釋一下：第五砍是砍身軀的招式。