British Army in the Crimean War 1853 - 56 Flashcards
Why did the Russians engage in this war against Turkey (2)?
- Chance for territorial gains
- Opportunity to access the Mediterranean to challenge France and Britain’s power
Why did France and Britain engage in this war?
- FRA: Demonstrate France was a leading power
- GBR: Feared collapse of Turkey would lead to Russia threatening their naval supremacy
In what year did Russia press the Ottoman sultan and what for?
- 1853
- Concessions regarding Empire’s Christian subjects
What was the sultan’s response and as a result what did the Russians do?
- He refused
- Russian soldiers invaded Ottoman provinces, Moldavia and Walllachia
How did France and Britain show support for Turkey?
French and British sent fleets to Besika Bay near Dardanelles
Who declared war on Ottoman Empire first and when?
Ottoman Empire
How was war declared on Russia by Britain and France?
- 30 Nov –> Russian navy attacked Ottoman fleet at Black Sea port of Sinope
- Jan 1854 –> Sailed into Black Sea to blockade Russian fleet
- 27th March –> France declared war on Russia
- 28th March –> GBR declared war
Features of army:
- Bright red uniform
- Infantry firing muskets with artillery support
- Same firearms
State 5 problems of the British army:
- Largely run by military high command w/out gov interference
- Army budget had declined considerably eg 43 to 9.5 mil by 1840s
- Military experience of officers was limited
- Difficult to recruit due to poor conditions of service
- Compulsory long service
State 2 problems w/ expeditionary force:
- Commander had not ever commanded an army nor seen active service since 1815
- Only one of Raglan’s 5 infantry divisional commanders were under 60
Compare British to French army: (3)
- French force was much larger
- Younger commanders
- Good organisation and supply
Compare British to Russian army: (2)
- Greater numbers
- Worse conditions of service
Which weapon gave the British and French an edge and how?
- French Minié rifle
- More accurate
- 3x range of smoothbore muskets (used by Russian soldiers)
- Inflicted serious wounds
4 purposes of British navy in Crimea:
- Blockade Russian fleet
- Transport army
- Safeguard supplies
- Give gunfire support when needed
What ships were used in the Crimea?
Mixture of wooden steamers and sailing vessels
How had the support service changed since the French Wars?
- Changed little
- Commissariat was still largely dependent on civilian contractors, who were not always efficient and sometimes fraudulent
What shortcomings did the war reveal about British army’s leadership ?
- Lack of professionalism
- Lack of communication between units
- Inadequacy of medical treatment
- Shortage of decent food and shelter
When did the Russians agree to withdraw and why did this not prevent the war regardless?
- August
- France and Britain were already preparing to land troops in Crimea to attack Sebastopol
When was the Battle of Alma, who led it and how many forces were there?
- 20 Sep 1854
- 5 infantry divisions + 1 cavalry division
- 26000 British troops
- Lord Raglan
When did the British army expedition land, where and why?
- Jun 1854
- Varna
- To raise siege of Silistria
Why had the British and French decided to attack Crimea?
With the bulk of Russian forces further in west in Balkans, they could take naval base of Sebastopol quickly
When did the allied armies land in Eupatoria, where and what did they do after this and when?
- 14 Sep 1854 at Kalamita Bay
- 19 Sep –> Established a base and pushed south towards Sebastopol
Who commanded the Russian and French army in the Battle of Alma and how many were there of each force?
- Prince Aleksandr Menshikov –> 33,000
- Saint Arnaud (and Raglan) –> 63,000
Where did the French and the British first meet the Russian army in Battle of Alma and why were they in this position?
Defending high ground south of River Alma because they were outnumbered
Earthwork:
Defensive position, often supported by wood and trenches
Give examples of allied shortcomings in leadership and organisation:
- Could’ve driven home the advantage if Raglan hadn’t been indecisive and actually pursued cavalry
- British sometimes mistook French for Russians
- Officers issued contradictory orders
How did the French and British commanders differ on their choice to attack Sebastopol immediately and who got their way?
- St Arnaud wanted immediate march
- Raglan wanted to round up supplies from local countryside first
- Raglan got his way
Whose choice did the Allied army go with after first meeting the Russian army and what was the initial disagreement?
- St Arnaud –> French attack from next to sea to protect from fleet’s guns, GBR attack centre and left
- Raglan –> Sceptical about whether they were underestimating Russian strength
- Went with St Arnaud because Raglan is diplomatic
Describe the events of Battle of Alma: (4)
- Raglan ordered British to advance to support French
- Light Division captured Great Redoubt (Russian earthwork), but lost it when exposed to enemy artillery fire
- Regained by Grenadier Guards after general British advance
Casualties in Battle of Alma:
- Russia: 5700
- GBR: 1500
- French: <1000
Where did Raglan and Lucan disagree during Battle of Alma?
- Lucan –> Pursue retreating Russians
- Raglan –> Camp temporarily due to danger of Russian cavalry on their left
After the Battle of Alma, what did Raglan and St Arnaud disagree with and what decision was made?
- Raglan: Intended to attack Sebastopol immediately
- St Arnaud: Argued for prepared siege assault
- Raglan conceded
Where did they make their base, when and what had the Russians and British each done?
- 26th Sep –> Balaklava
- British: Deployed artillery to bombard Sebastopol, wasted time digging siege works and unloading heavy siege guns
- Russian: Scuttled warships into Sebastopol harbour and toom the ships’ guns to defend the town (prepped formidable defences)
Give stats to show comparing the defences built up by Russia and Allies:
- Russians had doubled number of guns they had 3 weeks earlier to 341 guns
- Whereas Allies only had 126 guns
Why had the British chosen to waste time like this?
French were now led by Canrobert after Arnaud’s death, who wanted this, although Raglan disagreed
How were the British under strain at Balaklava?
- Too small of a port
- Had to both defend the flank from Russians and lay siege to Sebastopol
When was the Battle of Balaklava?
25 Oct 1854
What were the 4 stages of the Battle of Balaklava?
1) Russians overrun Ottoman outposts along Causeway Heights and capture Turkish-controlled guns
2) The stand of 93rd Foot
3) Charge of the Heavy Brigade
4) Charge of the Light Brigade
What had the Allies’ caution allowed Menshikov to do and what did the Allies do in response?
- Move Russian army to occupy Causeway Heights, overlooking Balaklava
- Allies recalled troops from siege
Describe the events of the stand of 93rd foot:
- After seeing some Turks retreating, Menshikov sent Russian cavalry forward to port of Balaclava
- However, they were opposed by the Highlanders of 93rd Foot
- Russians charged
- 500 Highlanders held off with 2 lines against superior numbers
The thin red line:
Line of Highlanders of 93rd Foot
Why were the Russian cavalry opposed by the Highlanders?
- General Sir Colin Campbell
- After seeing Russian cavalry, he moved his men to the hilltop lining up in 2 ranks
Why were the Russians encouraged top charge the Highlanders?
It was common for infantry facing cavalry to form squares however the Highlanders had not, which was a good opportunity for them
How did the British win against superior numbers?
Minié rifles inflicted heavy casualties on ‘thin red line’
Who commanded the British Cavalry Division?
General Lord Lucan
Why did Lucan order the Heavy Brigade to charge?
After seeing that infantry had stood firm against Russian cavalry
Who was the Heavy Brigade lead by and how many were there?
- 800
- General Scarlett
Describe the events of the Charge of the Heavy Brigade: (3)
- Heavy Brigade charged Russians uphill
- Russians stood still
- British horse artillery fired and Russians were in retreat
Why did Raglan want Lucan to move his troops, which led to the Charge of the Light Brigade and who was ordered to give this order?
- To stop Russian troops removing allied (Turkish) guns
- Captain Nolan
Who was in charge of the Light Brigade?
Lord Cardigan
What wrong decision was made during the Charge of the Light Brigade?
The cavalry headed towards the wrong army of Russians (enemy artillery batteries at the end of the North Valley)
Why was this mistake in the Charge of the Light Brigade made? (4)
- Nolan vaguely gestured where the army was when passing the order to Lucan (possibly because they disliked each other)
- Order was not clear
- Lucan could not see the guns from where he was
- Second order so Lucan felt that he had to agree despite knowing that it was against the basic rules of warfare for cavalry to attack artillery unless supported by infantry
What was the death toll of the Charge of the Light Brigade?
113/673
Describe the events of the Charge of the Light Brigade: (3)
- Light Brigade advanced in 3 lines
- Facing over 50 Russian cannon and 20 battalions of infantry
- Reached the guns, where some were saved by cover from French cavalry charge
How many men participated in the charge and how many were killed?
- 664 men
- 110 killed
Who blamed who after the Charge of the Light Brigade and what were the consequences? (5)
- Lucan was recalled to Britain for criticising senior Raglan
- Lucan also blamed Nolan
- Raglan blamed Lucan
- Cardigan blamed Lucan
- Cardigan was promoted to Inspector General of the Cavalry
Successes and failures of the Charge of the Light Brigade:
+ Russian adavance was halted and siege of Sebastopol continued
- Russians now confined British to narrow area between Balaclava and Sebastopol
- British positions guarding approaches to Balaclava are now vulnerable
- By Nov –> Russians had been able to build up their forces to 120,000 men
When did the Allies first lay siege to Sebastopol and what did the Russians do in response?
- When they first landed in the Crimea
- Russians fought hard to relieve Sebastopol
When did the Russians attack the British at Inkerman?
5 Nov 1854
Describe the events of Battle of Inkerman: (4)
- Russian advance hidden by rain and fog
- Fighting was difficult to coordinate due to small number of British infantry against larger numbers of Russians
- 9am –> Mist cleared and British troops were abt to be driven back
- But French troops arrived leading to Russian retreat
How many Russian casualties were there compared to British and did this help them to capture Sebastapol?
- 11,000 Russian losses
- 2,500 British
- Did not get them closer to its capture
What did Raglan warn the Duke of Newcastle about and what response did he receive?
- Warned of the dangerous wintering in Crimea
- Duke said Crimean winters were among the mildest in world…
What was the winter of 1854 like and what was the impact of this on the war? (3)
- One of worst winters in living memory
- Shortage of tents and firewood
- Took weeks to ship in fresh stores eg 14 Nov –> loss of 20 ships carrying supplies
- Allied soldiers suffered from cold, hunger and disease
Why was the Balaclava harbour a poor choice of port?
- Admiral Boxer, who was in charge of transport arrangements, was not good at his job
- Organisation of stores was poor
- It was unknown what each ship was carrying, which mean consumables were often left rotting in open air
Strengths and weaknesses of Raglan’s role: (+2, -3)
+ Hard worker
+ Unafraid to commit men to danger
- Did not inform gov enough
- Did not rouse morale enough
- Poor decision making
How had things improved by spring 1855? (4)
- Administration issues had lessened –> separate depots for provisions, plentiful supplies by March (ready to capture Sebastopol again)
- New railway built linking Balaklava to camps around Sebastopol
- End of Feb –> Fewer deaths in military hospitals
- Russian morale suffered as they couldn’t send relief to Sebastopol
By late Spring, how many Allied troops were in the Crimea and who were they joined by in May?
- 170,000
- Joined by large numbers of Ottomans, mercenaries and Piedmontese
Despite Britain’s current strengths in numbers, what issues did they still have? (2)
- Sebastopol was still not encircled
- City’s earthworks (defences) remained strong
However, at this point, what major issues did Russia have?
- Lack of infrastructure, specifically railways
- Corrupt administration
- Not concentrating military efforts due to fear of attacks elsewhere
When was the second great bombardment of Sebastopol?
9th April 1855
In May 1855, who was Canrobert replaced by and what did this mean for the French forces?
General Pelissier who was much more determined to attack
What were the 4 strong points of the attack the Allies had planned in Spring?
- Mamelon fort
- The Redan
- The Malakoff
- The Little Redan
When did the French take Mamelon fort and what happened here?
- 7 June 1855
- Allies bombarded Russian defences using mortars (siege guns)
Which two strong points did the British and French attack on 18th June?
Malakhov fortifications and the Redan
How did both assaults in June end and what was a further consequence for the relationship between the 2 allies?
- Both failed
- Increased divisions, as they blamed each other for defeat
What other significant event occurs in June 1855?
Raglan dies and is replaced by Sir James Simpson, who had little military experience and resigned 4 months later
When was the last attempt by Russians to break the siege of Sebastopol, where and who were the defeated by?
- 16 Aug 1955
- Attack across River Chernya (Battle of Chernya)
- Defeated by French and Piedmontese
Why did the Russians evacuate Sebastopol?
- 8 Sep –> French took Malakoff
- British attacked the Redan (although they failed)
How serious was losing Sebastopol for Russia?
Quite a serious setback, though Russia still had guns to north of city so the Allies couldn’t occupy Sebastopol safely
After the siege of Sebastopol, how did the opinions about continuing the war change for France and Britain?
- Napoleon III felt capture of Sebastopol satisfied French honour so wanted to stop
- Palmerston wanted to continue
When was the Treaty of Paris and what did it confirm?
- March 1856
- 4 points that Austria had initially demanded from Russia
What were the long-term consequences of the war? (7)
- Russia weakened –> 4 points meant her navy was kept out of Mediterranean, Balkan ambitions halted
- Successful British navy, but low reputation for army
- Obvious that logistics and firepower were major issues
- Role of press
- For Britain –> neutralisation of Black Sea, Straits Settlement of 1841 reaffirmed
- Eventual creation of Romania in 1859 after settlement of Walachia and Moldavia
- Economic consequences
What were the economic consequences of the war on Britain?
- Not a major burden because Britain was wealthy and war was short
Under Gladstone: - Increase in taxation –> income tax, duty on spirits
- Increased national debt through borrowing
1855 –> new Chancellor Lewis: - Preferred borrowing to raising taxes (under half cost of war met through this)
