the Crimean war (Alma and Balaclava) 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 from a Russian counter-attack
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
what did this show about Raglan?
he was an indecisive commander who failed to capitalise on Russian failures
he could have defeated the entirety of the Russian force but instead allowed them to retreat and recover at Sevastopol
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
what major leadership failures were prevalent in the Battle of Alma?
the British often mistook the French for Russians
officers would often issue contradicting orders which confused many soldiers
these orders were also not precise enough
what were the failures in recon at the Battle of Alma?
the British had not scouted out the terrain
the soldiers had little idea how deep the River Alma actually was
when did the British advance on Sevastopol?
23 September 1854
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 for an immediate attack
he proposed a siege
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 1854
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
- put strain on the British army
POOR LEADERSHIP FROM RAGLAN
when did the Siege of Sevastopol begin?
17 October 1854
how many British guns did the allies use to siege Sevastopol?
126 siege guns
how many guns did the Russians defend Sevastopol with?
341