Crimean War: The Situation In 1854 Flashcards
After what treaty was there peace throughout Europe? What broke the peace?
Treaty of Vienna in 1815 meant that Austria, Russia, Britain, Prussia and France enjoyed 4 decades of peace
This was broken by Russian territorial designs on the ramshackle Ottoman Empire which included much of the Balkans and the Middle East
What was the reaction of each country to Russia’s desires?
British govt led by a lord Aberdeen (a peelite: supporters of Robert peel who split with the Conservative Party in 1846) feared if Russia seized Constantinople, the Russian black fleet could sail through the Straits and threaten British naval supremacy in east Med
Emperor Napoleon III hoped to destroy the peace settlement that endeavoured to contain a France and was keen to challenge Russia.
Who was Lord Aberdeen? What were the Straits?
He became the head of a coalition government in Britain in 1852. His government comprised Liberals, Whigs, Radicals and fellow Peelites.
The straits is the Bosphorus and Dardanelles which linked the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
On June 1853, where were British ships sent? What did this mean?
British ships were sent to Besika Bay outside of the adardanelles as a gesture of support for the Ottomans.
—> joined by French fleet, causing forced cooperation with France as Britain could not back out. ( serious considerations that France would attack Britain during 1851-53
July and October/Novemebr 1853: what occurred?
July: Tsar Nicholas I ordered his troops into the Ottoman provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia.
—> peaceful solutions attempted but divisions within Aberdeen’ govt did not help: PM was pacific + anti-ottoman vs Home Secretary was bellicos and anti-Russian.
October: Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia
November 1853: Russian black fleet annihilated an Ottoman squad at Sinope.
January to March 1854: what had occurred?
Jan: British and French fleets sailed into the Black Sea
Feb 27th: joint British and French letters sent demanding Tsar to withdraw troops from Moldavia and Wallachia ( ignored)
March27th: France and Britain declared war on Russia.
What diplomatic initiatives were taken in 1854? What were the 4 points made?
July 1854: Russia evacuated Moldavia and Wallachia, resolving the Balkan issues and Austria made diplomatic efforts to end the war, proposing 4 points:
- Russia to renounce any special rights in Serbia, Moldavia and Wallachia.
- navigation of Danube was to be free of all commerce
- 1841 Straits convention, banning warships from sailing through the straits was to be revised, ending Russian naval dominance of Black Sea
- Christian subject of the Ottoman Empire were to be placed under general European protection
How strong was the British army by 1854 ?
26k army sailed for the Crimea Sept 1854 and had 5 infantry divisions and one cavalry division
—> described as finest but had many problems
What was the influence of Wellington on the army?
Post 1815: all run by military high command without government interference. Past victories strengthened forces of conversation and complacency
- Wellington became commander-in chief- 1827-8 and 1842-52
Did not oppose new ideas but stuck to what had previously worked being guaranteed success
—> viewed reforms as no more than demands for further cuts in military spending (43 mill 1815 down to 9.5 by 1840s)
Who was Lord Raglan and what was his effect
65 year old commander of the BEF (British Expeditionary force)
—> served as Wellingtons staff in Peninsula and had become his military secretary
—> diplomatic, loyal to subordinates and devotion to duty
However, he has not been on duty since 1815 and never commanded an army before.
Divisional command : what was it
Quality of British military command was cause for some concern
—> only one infantry division commander was under 60, yet he ( Duke of Cambridge) had never seen command
Chief Engineer was 72 + only 2 of. The infantry divisional commanders had led anything larger than a battalion into action.
How were British officers like?
Signs of growing professionalism among sections of officer corps but actual experience of command was confined to colonial wars (many had not seen active service)
—> system of buying commissions ensured wealth triumphed over ability as in 1814/15 greatly enlarged British army was led by men from professional classes.
—> by 1854, the much smaller army was led by officers drawn principally from landed gentry and families of military tradition
Military administration: what was it like
Shambles by 1854:
- many different roles that did the same thing e.g. Secretary of State for war and also a secretary at war/ commander in chief vid adjutant general and quartermaster general
Ordinance board controlled engineers and artillery + ammunition
Commissariat: treasury department responsible for food, fuel and transport.
This structure produced many rivalries, procrastination and inertia /. Successive cabinets were too timid to produce reforms due to the hostility of Wellington and other senior officers
What was the problem of manpower?
Army rarely had more than 115k men. Long services overseas exacted a heavy toll in human life and health.
—:> 1839-1853: 58,139 deaths ( mainly disease)
Hard to recruit due to poor conditions: most barracks were overcrowded and insanitary, poor pay, families were expected to live with them, army disciplinary code was severe and monotonous
By 1854, what was the situation like in Britain?
Britain had never seriously considered the possibility of troops in a major European war since 1815
–> due to this, little thought was put into staff work ( preparatory planning and administrative work undertaken by commanding officer’s personal team) and large scale administrative co-ordination
–> clear belief that the war would be quick
