How well prepared was the British army to fight in the Crimea?

Question 1

what new weapon used in the Crimean war gave the British and French an edge?

Answer 1

the new French Minie rifle was muzzle loading, like the old Brown Bess musket, but much more powerful
-it had three times the range of the muskets used by most Russians
-rifle fired a Minie Ball, which was a large projectile that could inflict serious wounds

Question 2

what time periods was the Crimean war?

Answer 2

1854-56

Question 3

what was the state of the British army by the time of the Crimean wars?

Answer 3

-the British army had not fought a major European battle since Waterloo
-it fought colonial wars in India and Afghanistan
-1857 Indian Rebellion shocked military complacency. How supply systems with an obsolete commissariat and slow transport systems could cope with a far in the Crimea, and unfamiliar war zone
-the navy remained on of Britain’s best fighting tools
-recent success in China during the Opium wars had perhaps made it overconfident
-navy was key to supply and was modernising, if slowly. it had yet to acquire its first steam-driven ‘ironclad’ all-metal battleship
-ships used in the Crimea were a mix of wooden steamers and sailing vessels

Question 4

what was the job of the British army in the Crimean wars?

Answer 4

it was to blockade the Russian fleet, transport the army, safeguard supplies and lend gunfire support when needed

Question 5

did army support services change much since the French wars, when the Crimean war came about?

Answer 5

no, army’s support services had changed little since the French wars
-the commissariat, which arranged food, supplies and transport, was still largely dependent on civilian contractors. They were not really efficient and often fraudulent

Question 6

what did the French wars reveal in the British army’s leadership?

Answer 6

war revealed shortcomings in the British army’s leadership:
-a lack of professionalism among officers
-inability of units to communicate and co-operate
-inadequacy of medical treatment
-shortage of decent food and shelter for soldiers

Question 7

who led the British army during the Crimean war?

Answer 7

Lord Raglan

Question 8

how did the British army arrive to start fighting the Crimean war?

Answer 8

the British army expedition arrived by sea and landed in Varna (Bulgaria) in June 1854
-the British and French had decided to attack the Russians in the Crimea, hoping that with the bulk of Russian further west in the Balkans and Anatolia, they could take the naval base of Sevastopol quickly
-the allied armies landed unopposed at Eupatoria on the 14th Sep 1854, established a base and then pushed south towards Sevastopol

Question 9

what was the first battle of the Crimean war? and what was the battle like?

Answer 9

the first battle was on 20th September 1854 called the battle of Alma. it was against a Russian army under Prince Aleksandr Menshikov.
-the French under Saint-Arnaud and the British under Raglan, with Turkish support, met the Russian army defending high ground south of the River Alma
-the allies outnumbered the Russians and had support from naval gunfire. the battle was confused, first the French attacked, then the British with little coordination
-unsure of what the French were doing, Raglan ordered his infantry to lie down to minimise casualties from Russian gunfire. the British objective was a Russian earthwork called the ‘Great Redoubt’, in which Menshikov had placed artillery. As the British infantry advanced the Russians removed their guns and retreated. The Light Division took the redoubt, but then lost it to a Russian counter-attack only for the Guards Division to regain it after a fierce fight
-a final push by the Highland Brigade forced the Russians to withdraw, but Raglan was indecisive and did not pursue them with cavalry to drive home the advantage.

Question 10

what shortcomings in allied leadership and organisation did the battle of Alma reveal?

Answer 10

-at times, the British mistook the French for the Russians
-there were confusions amid smoke from guns, bugle-calls and officers issuing contradictory orders
-until they waded the river, the soldiers had little idea how deep it was
-an artillery officer, Captain Biddulph, wrote to his father complaining that he and his men were not given clear instructions, but were merely told which way to go. He was highly critical of the ineffectiveness of his commanding officer
-infantry showed good discipline, however, and had the allies lost at the Alma, the Crimean War might have ended there
-after Alma, Raglan wanted to attack Sevastopol at once, but the French disagreed and were supported by Raglans chief engineer
-allies prepared but wasted too much time for unnecessary work, which gave the Russians time to get ready with some strong defences

Question 11

after the battle of Alma, what was the second battle?

Answer 11

it was the battle of Balaclava, 25th October 1854

Question 12

the fight at Balaclava gave rise to which three famous actions in British military history?

Answer 12

-stand of the 93rd Foot
-cavalry charges of the Heavy and Light Brigades

Question 13

explain the famous British military action ‘stand of the 93rd Foot’ during the Balaclava battle

Answer 13

-having witnessed some Turks retreating, Menshikov sent Russian cavalry forward, but they were opposed north of Balaclava by the Highlanders of the 93rd Foot.
-General Sir Colin Campbell had deployed his Highlanders on the reverse slope of a hill, but seeing the Russian cavalry, moved his men to the hilltop lining up in two ranks. This encouraged the Russians to charge. The 500 Highlanders stood their ground despite the disadvantage in numbers. Their Minie rifles doing heavy damages against the Russian cavalry that could not break the ‘thin red line’

Question 14

explain the famous British military action ‘the charge of the Heavy Brigade’ during the Balaclava battle

Answer 14

-General Lord Lucan had moved the British Cavalry Division to support the Highlanders and, observing that the infantry had stood firm against the Russian cavalry, he ordered one of its two brigades to charge.
- the 800-strong Heavy Brigade led by General Scarlett charged the Russians uphill
-inexplicably, the Russians stood still; had they galloped downhill, the result might have been different
-as it was, the British cavalry broke through, British horse artillery opened fire on the Russian rear, and the Russians were in retreat

Question 15

explain the famous British military action ‘the charge of the Light Brigade’ during the Balaclava battle

Answer 15

-Seeing Russian troops removing allied guns captured earlier on the Heights:
– Raglan wanted Lucan to move to stop them
– Lord Cardigan’s Light Brigade had so far remained immobile, but Raglan ordered a staff officer, Captain Nolan, to tell Lucan to send in Cardigan’s cavalry
-none of the senior officers present had a clear view of events, and Raglan’s order to advance was vague
-Lucan disliked Nolan, and the two probably did not share much discussion
-the only guns Lucan could see were Russian, at the end of the North Valley, which had more enemy artillery batteries either side
-when he told Cardigan to attack, Cardigan asked for clarification, aware of the likely cost of such a charge
-Lucan insisted those were Lord Raglans orders
-reporting later on the incident was The Times correspondent, William Howard Russel

Question 16

what were all the mistakes involved with the charge of the Light Brigade?

Answer 16

-The Light Brigade charged towards the Russian guns and took heavy fire from front and sides.
-Captain Nolan was killed by an exploding Russian shell.
-By the time the brigade reached the guns, over half of the men had been killed or wounded.
-The survivors fought against Russian artillerymen and were only saved by cover provided from a French cavalry charge.
-The death toll was 113 out of 673, with 134 wounded.
-The impact was immense.
-The Charge of the Light Brigade became emblematic of the Leadership problems in the Crimea: poor planning; poor communication; vague generalship; conflicting orders – failings balanced only by the bravery of the soldiers.
-After the Charge, Lucan was replaced.
-Raglan was blamed, and he and Lucan blamed one another.

Question 17

Dont forget to look at ‘the debate’ section of the Wordpress notes for more evaluation points on the mistake of the charge of the Light Brigade

Question 18

what was the third battle in the Crimean war?

Answer 18

it was the battle of Sevastopol, September 1854 - September 1855

Question 19

Explain the advance towards Sevastopol

Answer 19

-the allies had laid siege to the Russian port of Sevastopol which was their prime objective
-They advanced slowly towards it. In response, the Russians fought hard to check the advance and relieve Sevastopol. In November 1854, they attacked the British at Inkerman, and advanced in early morning fog. Although they were caught off-guard in camp, the British won.
-losses were heavy and the assault on Sevastopol were postponed
-The siege army now faced a Crimean Winter.
-During November 1854, the Crimean peninsula was hit by one of the worst storms in memory.
-The allied camps were wrecked and many ships carrying supplies for winter were sunk.
-Took weeks to ship in fresh stores, while allied soldiers suffered from the cold, hunger and disease.
-Horses and mules died from lack of food.
-Starving soldiers foraged for scraps.
-Huts and tents were destroyed.
- Firewood was scarce.
-Disease killed far more soldiers than the enemy killed.
-Even when supplies reached the base at Balaklava, they were slow to reach the troops outside Sevastopol.
-After the winter, by spring 1855, things had improved.
-Army received fresh horses and a new railway was built to link Balaklava and around Sevastopol.
-More guns and ammunition as well as troop reinforcements arrived.

Question 20

explain the fall of Sevastopol

Answer 20

• In the spring, the allies planned a fresh attack, aiming to capture the higher southern hills first.
  -Four main targets were strong points:
  Mamelon fort -Behind it were three large redoubts: Redan, Malakoff, and Little Redan.
  -Both armies dug trenches to protect their positions.
  -French took the Mamelon fort in June 1855.
  -Allies bombarded the Russian defences, using siege guns including mortars.
  -Sevastopol was a new kind of battle, fought by engineers and artillery gunners. here was no role for dashing cavalry. The infantry sheltered in trenches and stormed fortifications, harassed by enemy snipers.
  -In September, the allies at last took Sevastopol.
  -French took the Malakoff redoubt and held off the Russian counter-attacks.
  -British captured the Little Redan.
  -Main Redan remained in Russian hands until the French moved cannons into the Malakoff and enfilade fire forced the Russians to withdraw.
  -Allies had the high ground, and so the Russians left Sevastopol, and the allies were too tired to pursue them.
  -Diplomatic arguments continued until March 1856, where the Treaty of Paris ended the war.

Question 21

when and how did Raglan die?

Answer 21

he contracted cholera and died on 28th June 1855

Question 22

explain the influence of Raglan

Answer 22

-His reputation soon came under fire, as did the performance of the army.
-Critics called for change.
-Raglan’s conduct of the war was seen as indicative of deeper problems.
-Raglan was too “old-school”.
-He had fought at Waterloo in 1815, and had always been close to Wellington.
-The “Iron Duke” had not encouraged army reform in his later life as a leading politician.
-Raglan’s army in the Crimea was little changed from Wellington’s in the peninsula or at Waterloo.

Question 23

what was Raglan like as General?

Answer 23

-He was not afraid to commit men to danger.
-Deployed infantry against the Great Redoubt at the Alma, because it was a key objective.
-At Balaclava, he committed cavalry to buy time for his slower-moving infantry.
-The Charge of the Light Brigade was not his fault alone, since British cavalry had a reputation for being reckless.
-Raglan had bravely fought sieges in Spain during the Peninsular War.
-However, attacks on ancient Spanish citadels were not like the siege of Sevastopol, with its guns and earthworks.
-Raglan had assumed that Sevastopol would fall quickly after a concerted attack, but he was persuaded to wait. His men spent weeks in camp while siege equipment was still as Varna.
The storm of November 1854 caused further delays and the allies were left out-gunned by the Russians.
In the Peninsular War, the Portuguese population was friendly, and the British had access to a supply base in a big city, Lisbon. However in the Crimea, the locals were hostile and the supply base was a tentatively held village port, Balaclava.
As his troops starved and died of disease in their thousands, Raglan knew that a retreat to Balaclava would assist the Russians in resupplying Sevastopol.
However, he still did not sanction an all-out assault.
Stalemate continued until his death.

Question 24

what was the conduct of war like?

Answer 24

Wellington’s influence can be seen in Raglan’s conduct of the war.
Raglan’s infantry was stilled trained in the old methods, firing fast and accurately with modern rifles.
In terms of overall organisation, there were failings because the army was badly supplied.
They were often ill-equipped and the state of the men at times wretched.
The work of Florence Nightingale and the Sanitary Commission, as well as the McNeill-Tulloch Report, and subsequent investigations drew public attention to the shortcomings of the Crimean campaign.