the Crimean war Flashcards
what bay did allied troops land at in Crimea?
Kalamita Bay
when did the allied troops land in Kalamita Bay?
14 September 1854
who led the French Army in Crimea?
St Arnaud
where did St Arnaud and Raglan disagree upon landing in Crimea?
St Arnaud wanted to march immediately on Sevastopol while Raglan wanted to round up supplies from the countryside
how strong was the allied army?
63,000
who was in command of Russian troops in Crimea?
Prince Menshikov
how many Russian troops were at the Battle of Alma?
33,000
when was the Battle of Alma?
20 September 1854
what did the Light Division do at the Battle of Alma?
they led the attack by taking the Great Redoubt
however, they were pushed back by heavy artillery and infantry fire
who ended up taking the Great Redoubt?
the Grenadier Guards
who pushed the Russians back at the Battle of Alma?
the Highland Brigade
who led the cavalry at the Battle of Alma?
Lord Lucan
what did Raglan and Lucan disagree on at the Battle of Alma?
Lucan wanted to pursue the retreating Russians but Raglan disagreed
how many Russians died at the Battle of Alma?
5,700
how many British died at the Battle of Alma?
1,500
how many French died at the Battle of Alma?
under 1,000
when did the British advance on Sevastopol?
23 September
who was Raglan’s chief engineer?
Sir John Burgoyne
why did Burgoyne stop Raglan from advancing on Sevastopol?
he believed that the Russian defences were too great
why did Raglan agree to attacking from the south of Sevastopol?
he wanted to preserve allied accord
when did the British enter Balaclava?
26 September
why was taking Balaclava important for Raglan?
it was a deep sea port which would have allowed British troop ships to enter
what was Raglan’s official reason for not pursuing the Russians after the Battle of Alma?
he had to give his troops 3 days of rest
what were the consuquences of staying in Balaclava?
- allowed the Russians to repair and improve ther defence
- dispositioned the French
- put strain on the British army
when did the Siege of Sevastopol begin?
17 October
how many British guns did the allies use to siege Sevastopol?
126 siege guns
how many guns did the Russians defend Sevastopol with?
341
what made the Siege of Balaclava a stalemate?
allied troops would attack
then not advance
gave time for Russians to repair defences
and then allied troops attacked again
how many Russian troops did reports show would attack Balaclava?
25,000
who was in charge of defending Balaclava?
Sir Colin Campbell
what had the allies constructed on the Causeway Heights?
6 redoubts
how many battalions of Russians were involved in the Battle of Balaclava?
25 battalions
how many Russian guns were involved in the Battle of Balaclava?
78 guns
when did the Russians attack the first redoubt?
25 October
who led the 93rd Highlanders?
Campbell
how many of the 93rd Highlanders were left to defend the Russians?
550
who led the Russian cavalry?
Ryzhov
how many cavalry did Ryzhov send to attack Campbell’s position?
400
how did Campbell form his men?
they formed up into 2 lines of infantry covering far wide
NOT box which you would expect against cavalry
what was the 93rd’s last stand known as?
the thin red line
what did ‘the thin red line’ acheive?
they prevented the Russians from advancing to Balaclava
they forced Russian cavalry to retreat up north
how many squadrons of the Heavy Brigade did Lucan order to charge at the Russians?
8
who led the Heavy Brigade?
Scarlett
what surprised Scarlett when he advanced?
he saw all 19 squadrons of Russian cavalry heading towards him
how many British at the charge of the Heavy Brigade?
500
how many Russians at the charge of the Heavy Brigade?
2000
how did the Heavy Brigade defat the Russians, despite being outnumbered?
the Russians were so confused and surprised by Scarlett’s troops that they stayed stationary, therefore an easy target for Scarlett’s cavalry
how many British casualties during the charge of the Heavy Brigade?
78
how many Russian casualties during the charge of the Heavy Brigade?
270
what did the charge of the Heavy Brigade achieve?
forced the Russians to retreat to the east side of the Causeway Heights
who led the Light Brigade?
Cardigan
what order did Raglan send to Lucan at 10:15?
cavalry to advance and take the Causeway Heights
who was trusted to carry Raglan’s order to Lucan?
Cpt Edward Nolan
what was Nolan’s role in the failed charge of the Light Brigade?
Nolan held a dislike for Lucan
when Nolan delivered the order to Lucan and Lucan asked where the guns were, Nolan just waved in the wrong direction, therefore he had sent Nolan’s cavalry to the retreted Russian cavalry in the East instead of the guns on the Causeway Heights
what happened to Nolan during the charge?
he realised Cardigan was heading in the wrong direction so he rode forward to warn him but was shot
he ended up being the first man killed in the charge
what was Raglan’s role in the failed charge of the Light Brigade?
he could see the Russians vacating their positions and removing their guns from the redoubts in the Causeway Heights
he was acting far too rash and his communication with his subordinates was poor
could Lucan see the Russian’s vacating the redoubts?
NO
he was not in a high position like Raglan was
how had Nolan misinformed Lucan?
Nolan’s angry wave gave the impression that Lucan had to attack the Russian guns and cavalry at the end of the valley
what was Lucan’s role in the failed charge of the Light Brigade?
despite being warned by Cardigan that there was a Russian battery at the end of the valley as well as on the flanks, Lucan carried forward his order
despite knowing it was a suicidal advance, he carried forward with it
BUT
he was simply following orders from Raglan
how many Russian infantry battalions were at the eastern end of the valley?
20
how many Russian guns were at the eastern end of the valley?
50
how long did it take British cavalry to reach the Russian forces?
7 minutes
how long did the charge of the Light Brigade last for?
20 minutes
how many men charged during the charge of the Light Brigade?
664
how many British were killed during the charge of the Light Brigade?
110
who did Raglan blame for the failure?
he believed that Lucan should have excercised discretion and ignore his own orders
who did Lucan blame for the failure?
he believed that Raglan had given him no independence and expected Lucan to follow every order to the letter
he also blamed Nolan for misinforming him
who did Cardigan blame for the failure?
he blamed Lucan for giving him the order to charge
what happened to Lucan?
he was sent back to Britain where he defended himself
what happened to Cardigan?
he returned to Britain as a hero and given a promotion to inspector-general of the cavalry
what was the outcome of the outcome of the Battle of Balaclava?
stopped the Russian advance on Balaclava
allowe the siege of Sevastopol to continue
BUT
put the British and French in a more vulnerable position
