The influence of Lord Raglan Flashcards
When did Raglan die?
28 June 1855
- died of cholera
- reputation came under fire soon after
What did the Crimean war do to Raglan’s reputation?
tarnished his reputation
- methods debated afterwards & opinions divided
Aa his reputation was poor was Raglan known as a coward as well?
NO
no one doubted his courage/bravery
e.g. arm amputated at Waterloo - he made no sound
What were Raglan’s strengths & weaknesses?
great administrative skills & bravery
BUT
-had never commanded an army before (lack of experience)
- not seen active service since 1815
- unable to persuade allies to all-out attack Sevastopol (lack of international authority)
Who was Raglan heavily influenced by?
Wellington
- attitude on the battlefield reminiscent of Wellington
- ‘old school’ ideas blocked army reform
- few changed made to army = v similar to during the P wars
How old was Raglan when he was appointed to command the Br expeditionary force?
65 & hadn’t seen active service since 1815!!!
What was Raglan not afraid to do?
commit men to danger:
- he deployed infantry against the Great Redoubt bc it was a key objective
- he committed cavalry at Balaklava to buy time for his slower-moving infantry
- BUT he should have been more precise before the Charge of the Light Brigade as lives were lost needlessly
Were the P wars similar to the Crimean war?
NO
R had bravely fought sieges in Spain during the P war BUT not a similar experience to the siege of Sevastopol w its guns & earthworks:
- in P war the Portuguese pop. were friendly & the Br had access to a secure supply base in Lisbon
- vs. Crimea where locals were hostile & the supply base was a village port (Balaklava)
What did Raglan refuse to do that resulted in the deaths of thousands?
his troops starved & died of disease in their thousands
BUT
a retreat to Balaklava would allow the Russians to resupply Sevastopol = he wouldn’t sanction an all-out assault so the stalemate persisted until his death in June 1855
Who heavily influenced Raglan’s conduct of war?
Wellington:
- infantry still trained in the old discipline: firing fast & accurately w modern rifles
- they did keep the Russian field army at bay during the siege of Sevastopol
BUT
failings in overall organisation:
- army was badly supplied
- often ill-equipped
- state of the men at times wretched
What drew attention to the shortcomings of the Crimean campaign?
the work of Florence Nightingale, the Sanitary Commission, the McNeill-Tulloch Report & subsequent investigations:
drew public attention to the shortcomings of the Crimean campaign
& influenced subsequent army reform
