Half a league, half a league, half a league onward

Alfred Tennyson was so inspired in 1854 by a book review he read in the newspaper about the charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean war that it took just a few minutes to write this epic poem. Does it praise the courage of soldiers in battle fighting for what they believe is right? Does is expose and mourn the horrors and meaninglessness of war? Each reading can bring out a different outcome to whoever is reading it. I’ve attached a portion today.
Half a league half a league Half a league onward 
All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred: 
Forward, the Light Brigade
Charge for the guns' he said
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
 
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldiers knew
Some one had blunder'd: 
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
 
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd; 
Storm'd at with shot & shell,
Boldly they rode & well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell 
Rode the six hundred.

Inspiring to me, these rhythmic lines, pulsing forward, they must be heard out loud, dramatically provided. But the sounds are too real for me – “why?” you ask? There is actual cannon fire in my backyard. You see, I live in an alcove between three corn fields, acres and acres of the golden vegetable growing in the hot summer sun. These neighbor farmers use a pneumatic powered cannon to shoot loud sound into the air ( no ammo) to keep the crows away. They set it and forget it, and have them programmed for about every 5 minutes. Yet like I said, three corn fields. It sounds like a proverbial war zone without the casualties or missiles or gunfire.
Yet, I still can’t get the picture of Alfalfa reciting this poem out of my mine, you know, when he firecrackers in his back pocket and someone was lighting them with the sun and a magnifying glass..
Cannon to the right of them (blammity blam blam)
Cannon to the left of them (blammity blam blam)
Cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered (running and yelling and exploding everywhere.)
So we are at home, with cannon to the right of us, cannon to the left of us, cannon in front…