Crimea Leadership

Question 1

Battle of Alma

Answer 1

• 09/1854. 1st military encounter.
• River Alma.
• Little co-ordination, poor communication, ineffective leadership.
• British mistook French for Russians, fired on allies.
• Outnumbered, Russians retreated.
• Raglan wanted to continue march to take Sevastopol, French refused, could have won war there and then.
• Allowed Russians to regroup.

Question 2

Battle of Balaclava

Answer 2

• 10/1854
• Russian surprise attack to Capture Causeway Heights.
• Russians wanted to capture Balaclava port to relieve Siege of Sevastopol.
• Thin Red Line, 500 highlanders with minie rifles held back Russians
• Russians pushed back into Northern Valley.
• Charge of the Light Brigade.

Question 3

Charge of the Light Brigade

Answer 3

• 25/10/1854.
• Intended target: British guns being towed by Russians from Causeway Heights.
• Instead, instructed to charge prepared Russian guns in North valley, flanked by guns on each of the heights were, a suicide mission.
• Orders: Raglan –> Captain Nolan –> Lucan
• 664 men charged.
• 110 killed, 130 injured, 58 captured.
• Tennyson’s poem.
• Symbolized: poor planning/communication, vague leadership and conflicting orders.

Question 4

Nolan to Blame

Answer 4

• Lucan asked Nolan which guns to attack, Nolan wrongly pointed toward North Valley.
• Careless to throw arm out.
• North Valley was flanked by artillery and had guns already prepped, would be a suicide mission.
• Keen to deliver message, he road off before Raglan could finish delivery?

Question 5

Nolan not to Blame

Answer 5

• Misunderstood Raglans command, order vague as Raglan in a hurry.
• Cardigan set off in the wrong direction? Nolan attempted to change direction of brigade by dashing out ahead.
• Experienced cavalryman, knew to preserve horse over a distance, so why dash ahead unless to change direction of brigade?
• Could not defend himself (dead) and it got everyone else off the hook

Question 6

Nolan not to Blame - Kinglake Theory

Answer 6

• When Cardigan set off in wrong direction, Nolan tried to change direction of brigade by dashing ahead.

Question 7

Raglan to Blame - vague message

Answer 7

• Ordered to prevent Russians ‘carrying away the guns’, but which guns, from Lucan’s position in the valley this couldn’t be seen.

Question 8

Raglan not to Blame - Vague Message

Answer 8

• 4th order, ‘prevent the enemy carrying away the guns’ was reiteration of 3rd order; ‘to recover the Heights’.
• Only heights lost was Causeway Heights.
• Together, the orders clearly suggest which guns to recover.

Question 9

Raglan to Blame - Explanation to Nolan

Answer 9

• Nolan was not next in line as messenger, wouldn’t have been listening properly to Airey and Raglan talking.
• Uncertain whether Nolan was given an explanation of the order
• Raglan shouted ‘Tell Lord Lucan the cavalry is to attack immediately’ as Nolan rode away, implying an urgent destruction of the enemy.

Question 10

Raglan not to Blame - Explanation to Nolan

Answer 10

• Calthorpe stated Nolan was given ‘careful instruction’.

Question 11

Lucan to Blame

Answer 11

• Nolan told Lucan “the cavalry is to attack immediately’, so focused on oral words, not more caution written orders.
• Lucan’s could have vetoed order, asking for further confirmation if believed order to be dangerously misconceived.
• Lucan didn’t support light brigade with heavy brigade as he said he would.

Question 12

Lucan not to Blame

Answer 12

• How would he know order was misconceived, could not see landscape from position in the valley.
• Told to attack immediately, overlooked consequences.
• Nolan repeated Raglan’s orders. Military tradition, oral orders brought by aide-de-camp were to be obeyed as if they had been spoken by original speaker himself.

Question 13

Cardigan not to Blame

Answer 13

• Objected to orders on grounds that his brigade would be exposed to flanking artillery.
• Properly protested and then followed his orders when forced to.

Question 14

Siege of Sevastopol

Answer 14

• 1854-55.
• 09/1855, allies took Sevastopol.
• 03/1856, peace agreed, Treaty of Paris.
• British = 2.5k casualties.

Question 15

Raglan to Blame for British Problems

Answer 15

• Lacked experience. Most of his 50 years’ experience had been in staff work.Never commanded a formation larger than a battalion.
• Didn’t always communicate plans and orders clearly to subordinates, e.g. his orders to Lucan before Charge of the Light Brigade
• Didn’t establish a good working relationship with allies, e.g. Battle of Alma.

Question 16

Raglan not to Blame for British Problems

Answer 16

• Inherited a Commissariat not fit for purpose causing him frustration.
• Problems with landing of supplies, concerned about failings of Admiralty
• Refused more land transport at start of campaign.
• Poor medical staff: Dr Hall. More men died of sickness and disease than in combat.