crimean war Flashcards

1
Q

what happened in june 1853

A

british and french fleets forced to cooperate and wited at besika bay

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what happened in july 1853

A

tsar nicolas i sent troops into moldavia and wallachia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what happened in october 1853

A

ottomans declared war on russia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what happened in november 1853

A

russian black sea fleet attacked ottomans at sinope

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what happened in february 1854

A

britain and france asked tsar to withdraw, but were ignored

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what happened in march 1854

A

27 march - france declared war, britain followed on 28th

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what were the british afraid of?

A

russian expansion scared british, seizing constantinople meant the russian black sea fleet could sail through the straits and threaten british power in the east med

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

why did france get involved in the crimean war?

A

napoleon iii wanted to destroy treaty of vienna 1815 and challenge russia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

how did the british gov feel about russia’s expansion into the ottoman empire?

A
  • aberdeen - pacifist and anti ottoman, didn’t want to intervene
  • palmerston - bellicose and anti russian, most people agreed with him
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what were austria’s 4 points?

A
  • july 1854 - russia left moldavia and wallachia, austria proposed the four points
  • russia to renounce special rights in moldavia, wallachia and serbia
  • navigation of the danube free for all commerce
  • revision of the 1841 straits convention to end russian domination of the black sea
  • christian subjects of oe to be placed under european protection
  • rejected by russia in september
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what did the allies do in september 1854?

A
  • sent troops to varna, arrived to find russians withdrawing
  • duke of newcastle urged raglan to strike a blow despite this and attack port of sebastopol
  • raglan agreed
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what was the state of the british army in september 1854?

A
  • 26k men
  • 5 infantry + 1 cavalry division
  • hadn’t fought since 1854
  • expected a quick victory
  • armed with the minie rifle
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

how had wellington influenced the army?

A
  • was commander in chief for periods, but still exercised massive authority
  • opposed to reform, believed it just cut military spending
  • army budget went from £43m in 1815 to £9.5m in the 40s
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what was raglan like?

A
  • served in the peninsular wars
  • amputated right arm
  • diplomatic, loyal, dutiful
  • had not seen active service since 1815
  • had never commanded an army
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what was divisional command like?

A
  • only one of the commanders was under 60
  • duke of cambridge - 37 and had never seen action before
  • burgoyne - 72
  • only 2 had led anything larger than a battalion
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what were the officers like?

A
  • growing professionalism in some sections
  • many officers had never seen active service
  • commission system still active
  • 1854 - army was led by officers from landed gentry as opposed to professional classes in 1815
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what was military administration like?

A
  • too complex, too many sections dealing with the same issues
  • produced procrastination, rivalries and inertia
  • some ministers discussed reform but were too afraid of wellington
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what was army service like?

A
  • rarely had more than 115k men
  • soldiers served 21 years in the infantry/24 in cavalry
  • difficulty attracting recruits
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what were conditions like?

A
  • overcrowded and unhygienic
  • pay was 1s a day, with a deduction of 6d a day for food
  • families of married soldiers expected to live in the same barracks as the soldiers
  • severe discipline - maximum number of lashes reduced to 50 in 1846
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what was the french army like?

A
  • 120k men
  • younger divisional commanders
  • common promotion + more professional officers
  • organised + well supplied
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what was the russian army like?

A
  • 1m men
  • conscripted men suffered worse conditions than britain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what was the ottoman army like?

A
  • 700k men in theory, probably half in reality
  • poorly led, poorly equipped, poorly trained, poorly supplied
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what was the british navy like?

A
  • had reduced in size, but still strongest navy in the world
  • 130 frigates/gunboats
  • kept up with new developments eg screw propeller
  • 1853 - hms duke of wellington launched. twice the size of victory, 131 guns + 10 knots
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

when did troops start arriving in the crimea?

A
  • 14 september 1854 - landed at calamita bay
  • st arnaud wanted to march immediately but raglan insisted on rounding up supplies first
  • allies had 63k men, russians had 33k men
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what happened during the battle of alma?

A
  • british infantry moved forwards on 20 september, waited for 90 mins while french attacked
  • raglan advanced when the french needed support
  • light division captured the great redoubt, grenadier guards recaptured it when the light brigade fell back
  • russians withdrew, lucan wanted to pursue them but raglan disagreed
  • russians lost 5.7k men, british 1.5k, french 1k
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what happened during the siege of sebastopol?

A
  • 23 september - allies advanced and raglan wanted to attack immediately
  • burgoyne said the russians posed a threat, st arnard agreed and wanted to attack from the south. raglan deferred to the french
  • 26 - british entered balaclava, raglan chose to stay there which strained the army while canrobert led the french west
  • canrobert said artillery bombardment was necessary before attacking sebastopol, which gave russians time to improve defences
  • 17 october - 126 siege guns in position vs 341 russian guns
  • naval bombardment + land cannonade led to damage to warships + 500 allied casualties
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what happened at the battle of balaclava?

A
  • 25 october - 25k infantry, 6k cavalry and 78 guns led russian advance to balaclava
  • cavalry charged 93rd highway regiment
  • 550 men could not deal with the russians themselves, heavy brigade led by scarlette charged the russians and defeated them in minutes
  • only 10 men lost
28
Q

what was the light brigade?

A
  • 664 men
  • led by earl of cardigan, lucans brother in law
29
Q

what were the consequences of the charge of the light brigade?

A
  • lucan criticised raglan and was recalled to britain in march 1855
  • cardigan blamed lucan and left the crimea himself, returned home a hero and became inspector general of the cavalry
30
Q

what was the result of the battle of balaclava?

A
  • ensured the russians were held back
  • british were stuck in a narrow area between balaclava and sebastopol
  • menshikov had 120k men, raglan had 25k and french had 40k
31
Q

what caused the charge of the light brigade

A
  • raglan sent lucan a message saying he wanted the cavalary to follow the russians trying to carry away guns from the causeway heights
  • nolan delivered the message, lucan said the attack was useless and nolan said the attack should be immediate
  • nolan pointed down the valley when lucan asked where to attack
  • lucan couldn’t see the guns on the far side of the causeway heights and attacked the mass of guns in the valley 2km away instead
  • lucan ordered cardigan to attack
32
Q

what happened during the charge of the light brigade?

A
  • cardigan told brigade to advance in 3 lines, against 20 battalions of russian infantry
  • nolan realised they were going the wrong way, but was killed before he could tell cardigan
  • light brigade attacked on 3 sides, cardigan turned around and went back and his men followed
  • 110 killed, 130 wounded, 58 taken prisoner out of 664 men
33
Q

what happened at the battle of inkerman?

A
  • russians attacked inkerman bridge 5 november, hidden by rain and fog
  • small british units fought large groups of russians, but french came as reinforcements and russians retreated
  • 11k russian casualties
  • 600 british killed, 130 french
34
Q

what was the winter of 1854/5 like

A
  • icicles formed in moustaches at night
  • shortage of tents/lack of firewood
  • 14 november - storm led to loss of over 20 supply ships, eg the progress
  • tents blown to shreds
35
Q

what was the issue in balaclava harbour?

A
  • overcrowded due to admiral boxers inefficiency
36
Q

why was transport an issue?

A
  • transport from balaclava to siege lines was difficult
  • russians controlled worontsov road, abandoned it 6 december
  • january - peto brought in to lay a track from balaclava to the heights above the port
37
Q

what was the medical situation?

A
  • cholera, scurvy, gangrene, typhus, typhoid, dysentery
  • little money for medical care, tents and medicine were scarce
  • overcrowded hospital at balaclava, scutari just as bad
  • raglan did not do much to inform the gov of these worries and was reluctant to show himself to the troops or talk to them
38
Q

what was the result of the crimean winter?

A
  • end of january 1855 - only 11k british troops
  • aberdeen blamed and replaced by palmerston in februaryw
39
Q

what was the diplomatic situation?

A
  • dcember 1854 - austria signed treaty with britain and france
  • january 1855 - piedmont aligned with b/f
  • march 1855 - nicholas i died and alexander was not as committed to the war
40
Q

what happened at sebastopol in winter 1855?

A
  • late spring - 175k allied troops in crimea as 20k ottomans, 15k piedmontese, 10k foreign mercenaries arrived
  • sebastopol wasn’t encircled and defences remained strong
  • russian issues - no railway lines south of moscow, took 3 months of travel, corrupt system led to supply issues, failed to concentrate on the crimea
  • 9 april 1855 - second bombardment of sebastopol
  • russians maintained defences and canrobert told raglan to stop
41
Q

what followed the second bombardment of sebastopol?

A
  • may 1855 - canrobert replaced by pelissier
  • 7 june - french captured mamelon fortress, british took the quarries
  • 18 june - british forces attacked the redan, french attacked malakhov fortifications
  • raglan lost 1.5k men, pelissier 3.5k
  • 28 june - raglan died of dysentery, replaced by simpson who resigned after 4 months
42
Q

how was sebastopol captured?

A
  • 16 august 1855 - attack from 60k russians across river chernya defeated by french and piedmontese
  • 8 september - french captured malakhov fortifications, 7.5k casualties
  • failed british attack on the redan - 2.5k casualties
  • russians abandoned sebatopol
43
Q

what happened in the baltic?

A
  • 1854 - napier given command of baltic fleet and blockaded coast until end of october 1854
  • tied down 30k russian soldiers and captured fortress of bomarsund
  • 1855 - replaced by dundas, who blocked russian ports and destroyed forts and svastholm and fredriksham
  • 1856 - allies had 250 ships in the baltic
44
Q

how did the war end?

A
  • campaign petered out after fall of sebatopol
  • winter 1855/6 - british well supplied, but thousands of french died of disease
  • napoleon iii wanted an end to the war, but palmerston wanted it to continue
  • december 1855 - austria threated russia with war if didn’t negotiation on the four points, tsar agreed to peace talks
  • february 1856 - armistice signed
  • march 1856 - treaty of paris, confirmed the four points
45
Q

what were the military implications of the war?

A
  • heavier casualties than any other european war fought from 1815-1914
  • 22k british dead, 95k french, 150k ottoman, 500k russian
  • most died of disease, less than 1/5 died in battle
46
Q

how did the press impact the war?

A
  • newspaper coverage + electric telegraph meant public could quickly read about reality of warfare
  • cost of newspapers fell, but most britons couldn’t read them
  • catered towards literate middle and upper classes
47
Q

how did reporters influence the war?

A
  • russell reported for the times, literate population greatly enjoyed his reports
  • didn’t criticised raglan but wrote about problems + asked awkward questions
  • chenery - times correspondent in constantinople, first to report on conditions in scutari
48
Q

how did roger fenton influence the war?

A
  • first official war photographer
  • sent to crimea in feb 1855 by prince albert
  • took 350 pictures of posed men or the landscape
49
Q

why did the press attack raglan?

A
  • 1854 - struggles of army delane to attack raglan in the times
  • attacked their aristocratic/privileged leadership, led to public outcry
  • raglan did not respond or make an effort to get rid of war correspondents
  • gov did not impose press censorship either
50
Q

how did palmerston come to power?

A
  • 29 january 1855 - roebucks motion to set up committee to inquire into conduct of war was carried 305 to 148
  • aberdeen resigned the following day and palmerston replaced him
  • the public liked him - progressive foreign policy and supported moderate reform
51
Q

what was palmerston’s leadership like?

A
  • unstable position in parliament, lasted as his opposition was not united
  • main peelites in his gov resigned within a month as he refused to veto roebuck’s inquiry, but also disliked palmerston
  • panmure replaced newcastle as secretary of state for war, sent simpson to report on raglan’s staff
  • sanitary commission to improve conditions at scutari and in the crimea
  • special transport department established
  • inefficient administrators sacked
  • bureaucratic structure simplified
52
Q

what administrative reform was made?

A
  • 1855 - administrative reform association
  • urged business like procedures be applied to gov and administration
  • claimed competitive exams would let middle class take over running of state
  • contrasted aristocratic administrative bungling with triumphs of commerce
  • 1855 civil service reforms not significant, didn’t have much to do with the war
  • 1853 northcote trevelyan report only partially implemented
53
Q

how was the war financed?

A
  • gladstone - balanced budget + reduced taxes, but military costs led to increased taxation
  • income tax rates doubled, additional revenue from increases in stamp duty/duties on spirits, sugar and malt
  • forced to offer government bonds for sale
  • 1855 - cornewall lewis replaced gladstone, relied on government borrowing
54
Q

did the war have a big economic impact?

A
  • 1850 - britain became the first urban industrialised economy
  • 2% of global population, but 50% of trade in coal, cotton and iron
  • overall not a huge impact on economy
55
Q

which other women served in crimea?

A
  • russian women cared for russian soldiers
  • french nuns served as nurses
  • irish nuns led by mother francis bridgeman helped the british army in the crimea
  • mary stanley took a group of nurses to work at the hospital in koulali
56
Q

what did nightingale do?

A
  • did not lower death rates, they continued to rise and the death count at scutari was the highest of all the region
  • 4k soldiers died
  • worked to improve hygiene after sanitary commission led to lower death rates
57
Q

what did the royal commission on the health of the army do?

A
  • appointed in 1857
  • nightingale promoted health of the army + improvement of sanitary conditions
  • notes on hospitals - book she wrote which addressed hospital construction and management
  • set up nightingale training school at st thomas hospital in london in 1860, first trained nurses worked at the liverpool workhouse infirmary in 1865
  • established royal commission into health of soldiers in india - improved mortality rates
58
Q

what did mary seacole do?

A
  • was rejected from being sent to the crimea, borrowed money and went to the ottoman empire, rejected by nightingale and sailed to balaclava
  • built a hotel out of salvaged materials to provide canteen business + nursed sick soldiers
  • russell spoke of her well
  • 1856 - returned to britain bankrupt, testimonial fund set up for her
59
Q

what was the mcneill tulloch report?

A
  • january 1856 - report following mcneill and tullochs visit to the crimea in february 1855 to inquire into working of the commissariat
60
Q

why was little military reform carried out?

A
  • parliament was preoccupied with the economy
  • duke of cambridge was sceptical of change, thought it would damage the soldiers morale
  • britons assumed they would never be involved in another major continental war
61
Q

what military reform occurred 1856-68

A
  • nightingales campaign to improve health
  • programme of barrack construction 1859/60
  • staff college set up at camberley
  • provided with better weapons
62
Q

what reforms did cardwell introduce 1868/74

A
  • reorganised war office
  • short term enlistment (6/7 years) introduced to help recruitment
  • purchase system abolished in 1871
  • localisation act of 1872 - designed for more recruits and have home based battalions and militia battalions
63
Q

how effective were cardwell’s reforms?

A
  • no planning department established an no chief of staff appointed
  • army lost more men than it gained after short term enlistment introduced
  • abolition of purchase system didn’t alter social composition of the army
  • localisation didn’t transform army - need for men to serve overseas put strain on home battalions
64
Q

how did the war change attitudes towards soldiers?

A
  • victoria cross introduced to honour the common troops in 1856
  • 1861 - guards memorial in london to honour ordinary soldiers
  • mismanagement of army led to stimulated assertiveness in middle classes
  • conservative and liberal governments introduced reforms to promote middle class ideals - opening of civil service to talent + merit based promotion in the army
65
Q

in what ways did attitudes towards soldiers not change?

A
  • generals remained heroes of most wars
  • few people put soldiers on a pedestal after 1856, families considered it a disgrace if relatives enlisted
  • landed classes exerted a huge power after the 1850s over parliament and the army
  • the fact that the crimean war ended in victory led to belief that further reform wasn’t needed
  • army was starved of money
  • cardwell’s reforms had more to do with the franco-prussian war than crimea