The Crimea War (3) Flashcards
When was the Battle of Inkerman?
5th November 1854
What concealed the Russians attack on Inkerman Ridge?
- Their manœuvres were hidden first by rain and then by fog
- Fighting broke up into a series of encounters which were impossible to direct or co-ordinate
What was the main issue the British were facing when fighting the Russians at the Battle of Inkerman?
- The smaller units of British infantry fought much larger number of Russians
- At 9am the mist cleared and the outnumbered Brits were at risk of being driven back
What turned the tide in the favour of the British at the Battle of Inkerman?
French troops arrived to help the British
What were the stats of the Battle of Inkerman?
- Russia had 11,000 casualties
- British lost 597 men and 1860 were wounded
- French lost 130 and 750 were wounded
What concern did Raglan raise to the Duke of Newcastle?
- Raglan was concerned about the army’s poor administration warned the Duke of Newcastle of the dangers of the Crimean Winters
- The Duke of Newcastle affirmed that the Crimean winter was mild
What was there a shortage of in the Winter of 1854-55?
- There was a shortage of tents, lack of firewood
- The men were not able to cook, stay dry and warm
What was the result of a terrible storm on 14th November 1854?
- Loss of more than twenty ships carry needed stores
- ‘The Progress’ was carrying enough hay for all the horses in the BA for three week, this was lost
What was the issue of Congestion in Balaclava Harbour?
- Admiral Boxer had great inefficiency in managing transport
- This resulted in ships arriving at Balaclava, with no one being sure of what supplies were in them
- On the ports quayside all of the stuff was piled on each other with any consumables rotting away
What was the issue of Transport?
- Transporting across 6 miles of Balaclavas siege lines was the issue, 4,000 miles from Britain to Balaclava was not the problem
- Until 6th Dec Russians had control of Worontov Road, which deprived the army of metalled road up the Sapoune Ridge
- There was a lack of forage to feed the pack animals, allowing no transport animals to better the situation
- The Commissariat could not provide troops above Balaclava with basic necessities
What was done to fix the problem of transport?
Jan 1855 railway constructor Samuel Peto was brought to lay track from Balaclava to the heights above port
What was the problem of Administrative Incompetence?
- Army administrators were in a bureaucratic mesh
- Departmental jealousies undermined efficiency
- No one acted despite the army’s terrible state and condition
What was the Medical Situation during the Winter of 1854-55
- More men were getting Cholera, Scurvy, Gangrene, Typhus, Typhoid and Dysentry
- Little money was invested in soldiers care, scarce hospital tents and medicine
What did Nightingale find at Scutari’s medical situation?
- Men piling up in corridors, more than 1,000 patients suffering diarrhoea with only 20 chamber pots to go around
- Inch of liquid filth floated over the floor
How many cases of sickness did Dr Blake treat compared to wound treatments?
- Over 3,000 cases of sickness compared with under 600 men for wounds
- Sickness was killing more than the war
How many people did the BA have in Jan 1855 coming out of the winter?
Only 11,000
What was Raglans Role during the winter?
- Raglan was deeply concerned and tried to fix matters
- However he did not inform the gov of his worries or appeal for more help
- He did not do much to uplift his men and this reluctance to give words of encouragement further hurt morale and the men blamed him for their welfare
How did the French cope with the winter and what happened to Aberdeen?
- Frenches coped far better with the winter much better than the British
- The public were appalled that the richest country in the world could not provide for its soldiers
- Aberdeen was blamed, fell from power and was replaced by Palmerston in Feb 1855
Troops began receiving more supplies in March 1855, what three things helped do this?
- Provisions were put in separate depots outside Balaclava
- The railway line was completed
- Ottoman labour was recruited and the confusion in Balaclava
What was the political situation by spring 1855?
- Austria signed a treaty with Britain and France in December 1854, meaning Austria did not have to fight Russia
- Jan 1855 Piedmont allied with Britain and France to achieve its Italian ambitions
When did Russia’s Tsar Nicholas die and why was this a hope for peace?
- March 1855
- His successor Alexander II did not have the same commitment to the war
In March 1855 how many allied troops were ready to take Sebastopol and what nationalities made them up?
- 175,000 troops
- Ottomans, Piemonte, German, Swiss, Poles and the French
Even in March 1855 what problems did the allies face in trying to take Sebastopol?
- Sebastopol was not encircled and could his be easily supplied and reinforces
- Sebastopol’s defences, a series of earthworks fortresses and remained strong
What problems did Russia face in defending Sebastopol in defending against the allies in the spring of 1855?
- No railway lines south of Moscow, meaning it took 3 months for men to get supplies from Moscow to the Crimea
- Russian Administration System was corrupt and made supply system a lottery
How did Austria make life hard for Russia when defending Sebastopol in March 1855?
- Russia was fearing and attacking on a number of fronts
- Due to this Russia failed to concentrate its military effort in the Crimea
- Russia ended up stationing troops on the Austrian border against their 100,000 against their army of ‘observation’
- They focused their forces away from Crimea
What was the ‘Second Bombardment’ of Sebastopol?
9th April 1855
- 520 allied guns put 165,000 rounds into town for ten days
- Russia suffered casualties but their defences remained strong
- Raglan had to follow Canrobert in not attacking the Russians further
When was General Canrobert replaced and when was Raglan replaced?
- May 1855 Canrobert replaced by General Pelissier
- 28th June Raglan died of dysentery and Sir James Simpson replaced him, he had little military experience
In the attack on Sebastopol, what happened on the 7th June?
- The French captured the Mamelon fortress
Both French and British attacked Sebastapols main defensive system, Malakhov fortifications and the Redan. When were these assaults and which one succeeded?
18th June
- British attacked the Redan, French the Malakhov fortifications
- BOTH assaults failed, the British and French lost 5,000 together and blamed each other
What was the final attack by the Russians at Sebastopol, and who defeated them to allow the allies to FINALLY capture Sebastopol?
- 16th August 1855 60,000 Russian troops across the Rivery Chernya were defeated by French and Piedmontese troops
When did the allies capture Sebastopol, but why was it still not entirely safe?
- 8th Sep, French get the Malakhov fortifications and the British fail to get Redan, a loss of 10,000 in total
- Russian guns to the north dominated the city and prevented the allies from occupying safely
Who was Sir Charles Napier and why was he treated unfairly?
- The commander of the Baltic Fleet
- He blockaded the Russian coast till the end of October 1854 despite having a smaller fleet
- Despite him tying down 30,000 Russian soldiers and capturing the fortress of Bomarsund he received a grilling from the Admiralty who were unimpressed
Who replaced Sir Charles Napier and continued his naval beef with Russia?
- 1855 Admiral Dundas blocked Russias ports and destroyed forts at Svastholm and Fredrikshamn
What was the ‘Great armament’ to Palmerston?
- The phrase used to describe the 250 ships in the Baltic which he hoped was strong enough to take St Petersburg
What was the difference in opinion of Napoleon III and Palmerston following the Crimean War?
- Napoleon III was satisfied that it restored French honour and Palmerston wanted to continue the war
Why did Tsar Alexandar II ACTUALLY agree to peace talks? Why was he not bothered before?
- Austria had issued a ultimatum threatening Russia with war if they did not agree to the Four Points in Dec 1855
- Russia knew it was a bluff as their army was demobilising but they agreed as the blockade in the Baltic was damaging Russias economy heavily
When was the armistice, and when was the Treaty of Paris?
- February 1856, armistice
- Match 1856, Treaty of Paris, basically affirming the Four Points
What were the main victories for Britain in Crimea?
- Ottoman Empire Survived
- Russia was weakened
- Russia was kept out of the balkans and kept out of the Mediterranean
When the Crimean war ended, how many British died compared to how many fought?
- 22,000 / 98,000 dead
- This was a lot of casualties
How many casualties did Russia suffer by the end of Crimea?
- Half a million
What was one of the greatest factors in death in Crimea?
- Disease
- Less than one in five soldiers were killed in battle, more of disease
