The British Army and The Crimean War Flashcards
Where and when did the British army establish a military base at the very beginning of the Crimean War?
+ how many troops?
June 1854, Varna, Bulgaria
–> over 40,000 troops, crammed
Where and when did FR and BR troops first land in the Crimea?
+ how many troops?
14th Sept 1854, Kalamita Bay
–> 63,000 FR and BR troops
After landing in Crimea, where was the allied army headed?
Advance towards the Russian naval base of Sevastopol began on the 19th Sept 1854
When and what was the first battle of the Crimean War?
20th Sept 1854, the Battle of Alma
How many Russian troops wet present at the Battle of Alma? Under whose command?
33,000 Russian troops defending high ground, under the command of Prince Aleksandr Menshikov
What was the British goal in the Battle of Alma? Did they achieve it?
- British wanted to capture the ‘Great Redoubt’ (Russian earthworks with artillery inside)
–> as British light infantry advanced, Russians removed their guns and retreated
–> then recaptured by a Russian counter-attack
–> then regained by the British Guards Division
How many men were lost in the Battle of Alma?
- Russians lost 5,700 men
- British lost 1,500 men
- French lost <200 men
What problems surfaced with the way the British army fought at the Battle of Alma? (3)
(generally fought well)
- sometimes mistook the French for Russians
- officers issued unclear, vague, and contradictory orders
- there was little coordination between the French and British army
How did the Battle of Alma end?
Disagreement between Raglan and the French + General Burgoyne (Raglan’s chief engineer)
–> disagreed with Raglan’s plan to advance on Sevastopol immediately after the battle
= no advance (French army was larger), instead to attack Sebastopol from the south
What battle followed the Battle of Alma and when?
(5)
- 23rd Sept 1854, allied advance on Sevastopol
- 26th Sept 1854, British forces entered Balaclava; Raglan poorly advised by Admiral Lyons chose to use as a base
- Raglan tried to push for an assault on Sebaatopol but Canrobert insisted on weakening the city’s defences by artillery bombardement; Russians had time to improve their defences
- 17th Oct 1854, coordinated allied land cannonade and naval bombardement; 126 allied guns vs 341 Russian guns (2X three weeks earlier)
- repreated; successful bombardement, Canrobert refused to attack, Russian repaired defences
Why was the allied decision to stay at Balaclava poor?
(3)
- wasted time digging siege works and unloading heavy siege guns
- gave Russians time to prepare formidable defences
- allowed Menshikov to move the Russian army to occupy the Causeway Heights overlooking Balaclava
