Case Study: The Battle Of Balaclava Flashcards
Who fought in the Crimean war?
Armies of Russia fought against the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France know as the allies
It was a result of the Russians trying to take control of the Black Sea
Was there anything new about the Crimean war?
Steam technologies, electric telegraphs and weapons
What where steam ships? How where they beneficial
Steam ships where used to transport men, weapons, ammunition and supplies to the Crimea more quickly and reliably than before
- However they did still have sails as they couldn’t carry sufficient amounts of coal to power them
What where steam railways? How where they beneficial
Very new and the first time the military used steam railways
They constructed a small railway to transport supplies from Balaclava to their troops in Sevastopol
It proved to be vital in winter when it was hard to move supplies and there where severe food shortages
What where electrical telegraphs ? How where they beneficial and did it change communication on the battlefield
Developments in communications meant it was possible to communicate events that had happened and send them back to England faster than ever before
This was due to the electrical telegraph in 1830 being invented
It didn’t change the battlefield though as before it still relied on gestures, flags and bugle calls
How, when and what did weapons change?
A substantial change had accrued by the time of the Crimean war.
Infantry men no longer used muskets but instead rifles which had been introduced on large scale in the 1840’s
They got their name from the rifling inside the gun barrel making it more accurate and increasing the range
Compare previous weapons with the rifles used by the solider in the Crimean war.
Earlier smooth bore muskets
- poor accuracy of only 50m
-rate of fire being 2-3 shots per minute
The Enfield rifle ,1850,
- effective range of 500m which is reasonably with reasonable accuracy
-fire 3-4 shots per minute
How where weapons improved ? List three different things
Rifling on the inside of the barrel making them more accurate and increasing range
Percussion cap firing mechanism (invented in 1820) more reliable, even in wet weather, than flintlock guns. However they where still muzzle loaded
Increased rate of fire 3-4 but still time consuming reload
What where some continuities of weapons in the Crimean war?
Artillery continues to be smooth pre limiting their range and accuracy
Cavalry still carried pistols and still continued to use swords and pistols still had poor range and limited accuracy
