The Crimean War 1854-56 Flashcards
1
Q
What was The Vienna Note?
A
- In order to defuse the crisis, Austria organised a conference in Vienna hoping for a way to please the Tsar and the Sultan.
- The Russians accepted the note but wanted to make some changes in which was rejected by the Tsar.
- In 1853, Türkiye declared war on Russia.
2
Q
What was the state of the British army?
A
- Was 26,000 strong which had 5 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry division which was described by The Times as “the finest army that has ever left these shores”.
- But its dashing appearance was only a camouflage for the problems in command and organisation.
- The army had been neglected since 1815 and was not fit to fight a continental war.
3
Q
Who was Lord Raglan?
What was the pros and cons of him?
A
- In 1854, he was appointed the command of the British expeditionary force.
- He served on Wellington’s staff.
- He had personal qualities such as patience, loyalty to subordinates and devotion.
- However, he was 65 years old and had not seen active service since 1815.
- Only one of Raglan’s commanders had seen action out of five.
4
Q
What were British officers like?
A
- Many officers had not seen active service and purchase of commissions was still in place making wealth more important than talent.
- Too many officers joined the army because it was fashionable and not too strenuous.
5
Q
What was Military Administration like?
A
- It was a shambles in 1854 as too many ministers and officials were involved.
- It had 9 different officials.
- This structure led to rivalry, procrastination and inertia.
6
Q
How much did army budget decline after 1815 and why?
A
- A passion for economy raged in parliament
- Budget declined from £43 million in 1815 to 9.5 million in the 1840s.
7
Q
What was the issue with manpower?
A
- Army rarely had more than 115,000 men.
- Soldiers served 21-24 years in the infantry or cavalry which led to heavy toll of death rates.
- 58,000 deaths between 1839 and 1853.
- Army were failing to attract recruits.
8
Q
What were soldier conditions like?
A
- Was not popular amongst working class due to:
- Barracks overcrowded and unsanitary
- Food was monotonous
- Soldier basic pay was poor( 1 shilling a day)
- Discipline was still harsh
- Discouraged marriage
9
Q
What was the state of the armies(Britain,France,Russia,Turkey) by 1854?
A
- British army had been neglected yet were expected to achieve a swift and professional victory and with the later Lee Enfield rifle it did give them an advantage yet underlying problems were still at hand.
- French had 40,000 men which later grew to 120,000. Officers were much younger than British and had qualified staff to deal with supply.
- Russians had 1 million soldiers but army was a state suffering the worst conditions.
- Turkish had 700,000 men but were poorly equipped and led.
10
Q
What happened at The Battle of Alma and when?
A
- September 1854
- French and British arrived unopposed and attacked the Russians but had poor coordination but ended up taking the land leading to the Russians retreating.
- A final push forced the Russians to withdraw yet Raglan was indecisive and did not pursue them with cavalry.
- Exposed the poor ally communications and leadership.
- Allies wasted time digging siege works allowing the Russians to prepare defences.
11
Q
What happened at The Battle of Balaklava and when?
A
- October 1854
- The allies caution let Menishikov to occupy Causeway Heights overlooking Balaklava.
- Allies withdrew troops from sieges and Balaklava may have been taken if Menishikov had been decisive.
- Led to “The stand of the 93rd foot” and the Charge of the Light and Heavy Brigade.
12
Q
What was The Stand of the 93rd Foot?
A
- Menishikov had seen Turks retreating so sent Russian cavalry forward but were opposed by Highlanders in the 93rd foot.
- General Colin Campbell had positioned his men on a reverse slope and then on a hilltop, shooting down on Russian cavalry.
- 500 Highlanders stood their ground against superior numbers and led to Russian retreat.
13
Q
What happened at The Charge of the Heavy Brigade?
A
- Lord Lucan had moved his heavy cavalry to help the highlanders and charge at the Russians.
- The 800 strong attacked them uphill and broke the line sending Russians into retreat.
14
Q
What happened at the Charge of the Light Brigade?
A
- Raglan wanted to stop Russians taking Turkish guns and wanted Lucan’s light brigade to stop them. Raglan ordered Captain Nolan to communicate this however Raglan’s orders were vague. Lucan told Cardigan to send in his cavalry so he did.
- Light Brigade charged towards Russian guns and took heavy fire from front and sides. Nolan killed by Russian shell.
- By the time the men had reached the guns half had been killed or wounded with many horses lost
- Death toll was 113 out of 673 with 134 wounded.
- This exposed poor leadership, communications and after Lucan was replaced.
15
Q
Why could it be argued it was Raglan’s fault at the Charge?
A
- Sent a verbal message to Lucan to take the place Russians were advancing. Ultimately told Lucan to attack with his cavalry.
16
Q
Why could it be argued it was Nolan’s fault at the Charge?
A
- Was the member chosen to deliver the message.
- Was due to him being an excellent horsemen as he could quickly get there. However he was excitable and scornful of Lucan and Cardigan.
- He told Lucan to attack immediately and waved his arms while Lucan argued it was would be useless.
17
Q
Why could Lucan be blamed for the Charge?
A
- Lucan, who lacked Raglan’s high vantage point could not see the guns on Causeway Heights.
- Nolan’s angry wave gave Lucan the impression to attack the mass of Russian guns 2000 miles away.
- Lucan realising it would be suicidal rode to Cardigan who hesitated even though he was keen to get involved.
- Lucan and Cardigan agreed it was wrong yet stated they had no option but to obey.
18
Q
Why could Cardigan’s role be blamed for the Charge?
A
- Cardigan gave the order to advance even though 20 battalions of Russian inventory was ahead and over 50 guns.
- Was 2000 metres away and would take 7 minutes to cover the ground.
- Nolan dashed before Cardigan waving his sword and telling him to stop yet Cardigan continued the charge into “The mouth of hell”.
19
Q
What was The Siege of Sevastopol and when?
A
- September 1854-55
- Allies laid siege on Russian port of Sevastopol and advanced towards it.
- Assault was postponed due to the harsh winter.
- During November 1854, Crimea was hit with one of the worst storms as allied camps were wrecked and ships were sunk with supplies.
- Disease killed far more than the enemy did as supplies took too long.
- In Summer 1855, army received fresh horses and built a railway in order to improve supply.
20
Q
What was the Fall of Sevastopol?
A
- It was a battle of artillery and engineers rather than cavalry fight.
- Allies eventually took Sevastopol in 1855 as the allies had high ground.
- Was the last major battle and end of the war.
21
Q
What was the background of Lord Raglan?
A
- Was an old school officer who had been under Wellington in The Battle of Waterloo but had not seen active service since.
- Raglan’s tactics were similar to Wellingtons used with infantry and showed his tactics were out of date.
22
Q
What was Raglan like as a general?
A
- Not afraid to commit men to danger such as at Balaklava he committed his cavalry to help the slower infantry.
- Raglan had assumed Sevastopol would fall quickly with a counter attack however was persuaded to wait which meant his men spent weeks in camp.
- Raglan knew he needed to attack yet didn’t want to risk his men which led to a stalemate.
23
Q
What was Florence Nightingale’s background?
A
- Was born into a wealthy family and instead of settling down with a family she went to train as a nurse.
- From the beginning of the war, The Times reported on the poor quality of medical care. She was sent to Crimea with 38 volunteer nurses with her leading it and arrived in 1854.
24
Q
What were the issues at Scutari?
A
- Medical supplies had low priority an example medical supplies being taken off to be replaced for troop transport.
- At the start of the war, there was no doctors assigned in Crimea and the stretcher bearers were army veterans who were unfit to work.
- The Scutari Hospital was hardly any clean water available as it was on top of a sewage pit.
25
How did Nightingale improve Scutari?
- At first faced resentment from doctors.
- At Scutari, she reorganised the kitchens and improved food.
- Cleaned wards and provided clean bedding.
- She arranged a school room and a library while also sending some men to grow vegetables.
26
What was Nightingale's effect?
- Was seriously ill when arriving in Crimea but was back to her feet quickly.
- The McNeill Tulloch Report 1856 confirmed most of Nightingale's findings yet Nightingale still faced backlash.
- Her work divided opinion as some praised her improvements of cleanliness and popularity with soldiers yet death rates continued to grow showing The Sanitary Commission was more successful.
27
What was Nightingale's legacy?
- Became a legend as "The Angel of Crimea".
- Role model for Victorian women who before had little prospect in medicine.
- Set fund up for nurses that raised £45,000 by 1859.
- Her book "Notes on Nursing" in 1859 which is still used for nurses to this day.
28
What was Mary Seacole's background?
- Was from a more humble background and her mother practiced folk medicine and taught Mary her remedies.
- In 1853, Jamaican authorities asked her to come home to combat yellow fever, evidence her impact was recognised.
29
What was difficulties with Seacole's journey to Crimea?
- Made her own way there.
- Was turned down by Nightingale assistants which she believed to be because she was mixed race.
- Made it to Crimea in 1855 but was rejected again by Nightingale so she set up in Balaklava.
30
What was "The British Hotel" and when?
What did Seacole do what Nightingale didn't?
- Set up in Spring 1855
- It was part hotel, shop and clinic where soldiers could enjoy basic comforts.
- Hotel attracted British officers who saw the better quality food compared to army rations.
- She treated the wounded in the mornings and prescribing drugs to overcome fever in which most in the British army were surgeons who had little knowledge on how to overcome fevers.
- Unlike Nightingale, she visited battlefields offering medical supplies which was where she met Russell, who became her biggest enthusiast.
- Stayed in Crimea until 1856.
31
What were the impacts compared with Nightingale and Seacole?
- Nightingale's work was widely publicised with a huge legacy while Seacole after a short stint was largely forgotten.
- Nightingale met several important figures and was a heard voice.
- Seacole took no part in Crimea reforms and was mostly forgotten.
- After Nightingale, nursing became a more respected profession and laid the foundations of modern nursing.
32
What point was photography and communication at by the start of Crimea?
- Images for the first time could be captured, there was no action shots so subjects had to hold their poses for seconds. Nevertheless, gave people at home an improved insight.
- Improved communications and development of the steam train as newspapers could be taken around the country in 1 day while the French Wars took weeks.
33
Who was Rodger Fenton and when did he arrive in Crimea?
- Was not the official war photographer in Crimea or the first.
- Worked as a commercial photographer and was encouraged by Prince Albert.
- Albert believed that photography would counter the negative newspaper publicity and gave Fenton a letter of recommendation to army command.
34
What was the nature of Fenton's photographs?
- He was told to take photographs that would sell and believed his main target would be servicemen but mostly targeted officers as they were more wealthy and likely to buy. He also needed officers help in moving his wagon about.
- Fenton's photographs are not in the action due to his heavy equipment so therefore his photos are posed and motionless.
- He was also not allowed to take photos of the wounded or dead as it would not sell as his market was private purchasers.
35
What did Fenton arrive in Crimea and why was this significant?
- Did not arrive until March 1955 and arrived back in June the same year.
- Therefore, he was not present for any major battles or the immediate after effects. Was not there for the worst winter for the British 1854-55.
- Strain at Scutari was at its worst here. However, Fenton took pictures of Officers in the 68th regiment with fur coats on aware of public opinion.
- His reports could often deceive rather than inform.
36
What were the impacts of Fenton's photographs?
- Fenton exhibited his photos around Britain for 8 months starting September 1855.
- His positive photos of the war influenced public opinion and gathered considerable interest.
- However some such as Valley of the Shadow of Death increased empathy for soldiers.
- Led to people questioning the war.
37
Who was William Howard Russell?
- Was a correspondent for The Times who spent more time on the frontline than any photographer.
- He wrote many articles about the experiences of Nightingale and the conditions in Scutari.
- Was sent to Crimea with the first wave of allies and witnessed the Battle of Alma. By getting close to the fighting Russell was able to convey some of the horror he saw and was particularly interested in treatment of the wounded. Made comparisons on how the French were much better equipped.
- Was critical of Raglan and his decision to stay put at The Battle of Alma instead of pursuing the Russians.
38
Was Russell's writing successful for The Times and how did he gather his info?
When did he arrive and leave Crimea?
- Had a steady stream of writing that The Times ran a lead article from him.
- Russell would often talk to soldiers and was able to get people to talk to him. Little did they know their casual conversation could end up in The Times.
- Arrived in 1854 early and left in Dec 1955.
39
What was the influence of The Times in Crimea?
What did Russell campaign for?
- Correspondents could go where they pleased on allied soil and they aimed to uncover things authorities would have kept hidden
- Russell was at major battles unlike Fenton and had firm opinions. He wrote about the appalling conditions for soldiers and was convinced the generals were not up to the task. His writing was full of sympathy for the soldiers. Raglan told his officers to not speak to him yet soldiers were happy to.
- The Times raised thousands for casualties.
- Russell and The Times further campaigned for Seacole in 1856 after she declared bankruptcy. Russell also wanted recognition for bravery of soldiers in the war which led to The Victoria Cross made in 1856 and awarded to 111 men.
40
What was the impact of the press at Crimea on public opinion?
- Newspaper correspondents were free to roam and significantly influenced opinion such as Russell's critique of Raglan led to demands at home.
- After Crimea, politicians paid much more attention to the press and government management of information.
