Depth 2: The Crimean War (Preparedness) Flashcards
When was the Crimean War?
1854-56
What were some strengths of the British Army before the Crimean War began?
- They were well-practiced due to colonial wars taking place in the downtime between the French and Crimean Wars.
- Use of the Minié Rifle, which was more accurate and had three times the firepower of Russian weapons.
- The army had Waterloo veterans at all levels.
- Allied with the French.
- Navy remained a strong fighting force.
What were some weaknesses of the British Army before the Crimean War began?
- They assumed Russian forces would be inferior with no relevant intel to back this up.
- Methods remained the same since the French War.
- Supply systems were burdened with a poor Commissariat and slow transport times.
- Navy hadn’t modernised its fleet, so it was mostly wooden sail and steamers.
When was the Battle of the Alma?
20th September 1854
What were the failures of the British Army during the Battle of the Alma?
- The French and British were uncoordinated and Raglan didn’t know what the French were doing, ordering his men to lie down at one point to minimise Russian gunfire casualties.
- Raglan was indecisive and didn’t pursue the Russians after they retreated.
- British sometimes mistook French for Russians.
- There was confusion from gun smoke, bugle calls and conflicting orders.
- Soldiers had no idea how deep the river was until they waded in.
What were the successes of the British Army during the Battle of the Alma?
- Infantry showed good discipline.
- Russians held an earthwork called the ‘Great Redoubt’, which gave them a high ground advantage that the Allies overcame.
What factors led to the Russians occupying the Causeway Heights overlooking Balaklava?
- The British didn’t pursue the Russians when they retreated.
- The British focused too much on creating siege works and unloading heavy siege guns which many thought were unnecessary.
- The Russians sank warships in Sevastopol and took their guns to defend the town, while the field army moved east to not get trapped in the siege.
When was the Battle of Balaklava?
25th October 1854
What was the ‘Thin Red Line’?
The Highlanders were deployed on the reverse slope of a hill in two lines. This encouraged the Russians to charge, but the 500 Highlanders inflicted heavy casualties on the Russians and caused their retreat.
What was the ‘Charge of the Heavy Brigade’?
Lucan ordered one of the cavalry brigades of the British Cavalry Division to charge uphill. The Russians stood still, meaning the British cavalry broke through and opened fire on the Russian rear.
What happened during the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Seeing Russian troops remove captured Turkish guns, Raglan wanted Lucan to move and stop them. He sent Nolan to tell Lucan to send in Cardigan’s cavalry.
Lucan and Nolan likely didn’t discuss much, and the only guns Lucan saw were heavily defended Russian guns.
The Light Brigade charged towards Russian guns, with many deaths and injuries being inflicted before they even reached the guns. Nolan died.
What was the significance of the ‘Charge of the the Light Brigade’?
113 out of the 673 member of the Light Brigade died, with 134 wounded.
It highlighted all the problems of the Crimean War: poor planning, poor leadership, vague generalship, conflicting orders; all of which was only balanced out by the bravery of soldiers.
When was the Siege of Sevastopol?
September 1854 - September 1855
What happened in November 1854 and how did it hurt British troops?
The worst storm in living memory.
Allied camps were destroyed, many ships carrying winter supplies were sunk. Horses died due to lack of feed, and soldiers had to forage. Very little shelter from the cold.
HOWEVER by spring, things had improved and the Russian morale suffered as reinforcements weren’t sent.
What was different about the warfare used during the fall of Sevastopol?
The battle was fought by engineers and machine gunners rather than cavalry and infantry. The infantry sheltered in trenches and were harassed by enemy snipers. It was a taste of the type of warfare that would be widespread during WW1.
