How prepared was the British Army to fight in the Crimea? (Battles and Seiges)

Question 1

When was the Battle of the Alma?

Answer 1

20th September 1854

Question 2

Who led the British Army Expedition at the Battle of the Alma?

Answer 2

Lord Raglan

Question 3

What did the British Army Expedition land at Varna to do and when?

Answer 3

June 1854 to construct a base before they moved on to the Crimea

Question 4

Why did the British and French decide to attack the Russians in the Crimea?

Answer 4

They hoped the bulk of Russian forces were west in the Balkans and Anatolia so they could take Sevastopol naval bases quickly

Question 5

When did the allied armies land unopposed at Eupatoria and what did they do?

Answer 5

14th September 1854, to establish a base and push south towards Sevastopol

Question 6

Who was the Russian Army under at Alma?

Answer 6

Prince Aleksandr Menshikov

Question 7

Who was the French Army under at Alma?

Answer 7

Saint-Arnaud

Question 8

How did the allied forces meet the Russian army at Alma?

Answer 8

Defending high ground south of the river

Question 9

What advantages did the Allies have over the Russian army?

Answer 9

They outnumbered the Russians and had naval gunfire support

Question 10

Why were the allies confused at the Battle of Alma?

Answer 10

First French attacked then Britain with little coordination. Unsure of what the French were doing, Raglan ordered infantry to lie down to minimise casualties

Question 11

What was the British objective towards the Russians at Alma?

Answer 11

Earthwork called the great redoubt where menshikov placed artillery

Question 12

Earthwork

Answer 12

Defensive position, a barrier of soil supported by wood and with trenches, ‘redoubts’ or ‘bastions’

Question 13

What happened after the Great Redoubt during the Battle of Alma?

Answer 13

British infantry advanced, Russians removed guns and retreated. Light division took redoubt and lost to Russian counter-attack, Guards division regained it.

Question 14

What forced Russians to withdraw after the Great Redoubt?

Answer 14

A final push by the Highland Brigade

Question 15

After the Russians withdrew due to the Highland Brigade, what did Raglan not do?

Answer 15

He didn’t pursue them with cavalry to drive home the advantage

Question 16

What shortcomings did the Alma reveal in allied leadership and organisation?

Answer 16

At times British mistook French for Russians. Confusion amid smoke from guns, Bugle-calls and officers contradicting each other. Didn’t know how deep the river was

Question 17

What did Raglan intend to happen after the Battle of Alma? Why didn’t this happen?

Answer 17

To attack Sevastopol, but the French and Burgoyne disagreed and they prepared a siege. Making base at Balaklava

Question 18

When was the Battle of Balaklava?

Answer 18

25th October 1854

Question 19

What did the Allies caution allow Menshikov to do before Balaklava?

Answer 19

To move the Russian army to occupy the Causeway heights overlooking Balaklava

Question 20

Why did the allies recall troops from the Siege before Balaklava?

Answer 20

Fearing the Russian threat to the harbour and the road to Sevastopol

Question 21

What three famous actions in British military history did Balaklava give rise to?

Answer 21

The stand of the 93rd Foot, The cavalry charges of the Heavy and Light Brigade

Question 22

Where did Sir Colin Campbell deploy his cavalry and where did he move them at the start of the 93rd Foot?

Answer 22

On the reverse slope of a hill (out of artillery fire), moving them to the hilltop lining up in two ranks after seeing Russian cavalry

Question 23

What did General Sir Colin Campbell’s movement of his cavalry encourage the Russians to do?

Answer 23

To charge since it was usual for infantry facing cavalry to form squares

Question 24

What happened in the duration of the Stand of the 93rd Foot?

Answer 24

500 Highlanders stood their ground against superior numbers, Minié rifles inflicted heavy casualties on Russians and they could not break the ‘thin white line’

Question 25

What happened during the Charge of the Heavy Brigade

Answer 25

• Lord Lucan moved cavalry to Highlanders. 800-strong Heavy Brigade led by Scarlett charged the Russians uphill
• Russians stood still and British cavalry broke through, Russians in retreat

Question 26

What happened during the Charge of the Light Brigade?

Answer 26

• Seeing Russians removing allied guns previously captured on the heights, Raglan wanted Lucan to stop them
• Raglan ordered Nolan to tell Lucan to send in Cardigans cavalry, vaguely

Question 27

What happened with the Light Brigade in the End?

Answer 27

They charged towards the Russian guns and took heavy fire from front and sides. Nolan killed.

Question 28

What was the allies prime objective since they landed in the Crimea?

Answer 28

The Russian port of Sevastopol

Question 29

What did the Russians do in response to the allies slowly advancing toward and laying siege on Sevastopol?

Answer 29

They fought hard to check the advance and relieve Sevastopol. Attacked Inkerman.

Question 30

What was the worst part about the Siege of Sevastopol?

Answer 30

November 1854 the Crimean peninsula was hit by one of the worst storms, camps and supply ships sunk

Question 31

What fresh attack did the allies plan in the spring of 1855?

Answer 31

Aimed to capture higher southern hills first, targeting four strong points?

Question 32

What were the four string points that the allies planned to attack at Sevastopol?

Answer 32

The Mamelon fort and 3 large redoubts; The Redan, Malakoff and Little Redan

Question 33

When and how did the French take the Mamelon fort?

Answer 33

June 1855 by bombarding the Russian defences using mortars

Question 34

Why was Sevastopol a new kind of Battle?

Answer 34

Was fought by engineers and artillery gunners with no cavalry

Question 35

When was the Battle of Tchernaya and what happened?

Answer 35

August 185g, Russians suffering at the hands of the French, Ottoman, and Sardinian troops

Question 36

When did the allies take Sevastopol?

Answer 36

September 1855

Question 37

What did the French take from Sevastopol?

Answer 37

Malakoff, holding off Russian counter-attacks

Question 38

What did the British capture after Sevastopol?

Answer 38

Little Redan

Question 39

What happened to Main redan after Sevastopol?

Answer 39

Remained in Russian hands until French moved cannons into the Malakoff and enfilade fire forced them to Withdraw

Question 40

What ended the Crimean War and when was this?

Answer 40

March 1856 through the Treaty of Paris