Crimean War

When was the Crimean War?

1854-56

Why had the army been neglected before the Crimean War?

There had been no major war since the British French wars

How were supplies arranged?

Commissariat

What was the commissariat?

The department that arranged food, supplies and transport for the military

What was an issue with the commissariat system?

It was largely dependent on civilian contractors, and was often fraudulent and inefficient

Arguments the military were prepared for war x3

Army used French Minie Rifle - 3x range of Russian's rifles Navy was still dominating the seas Minie Ball - large projectile that could cause serious wounds and penetrate wooden planks

Arguments the military was NOT prepared for war x7

Army was neglected for 40 years Complacency - major previous victories (Waterloo) Wellington commander-in-chief 1842-52 didn't think there was any need for new tactics & India Mutiny 1857 Army budget decreased (1815 £43 million to £9.5 million 1840s) Poor supply system of commissariat Lack of professionalism amongst officers Raglan never led an army before - lack of experience

What were the British uniforms like?

Red - not good for camouflage

What number did manpower never exceed?

115,000

Why did men not want to serve in the army? x6

Barracks were overcrowded and insanitary Soldier's pay was 1 shilling per day (5p in modern money) Families of soldiers expected to also live in barracks Discipline was severe e.g. flogging with cat o nine tails Routine was very monotonous Infantry had to serve for 21 years, cavalry 24 years

One way wealth affected position in army

Commissions system allowed wealthy individuals to buy higher roles in army - less of a meritocracy

When was the Battle of Alma?

20th September 1854

How many British and French troops were in the Crimea in 1854?

63,000

How was poor leadership expressed at Alma?

Raglan (GB) wanted allies to march to Sebastopol straight after Alma, Saint-Arnaud (Fr) refused this and this allowed Russian troops to regroup - wasted time

Other weaknesses shown by Alma

British often mistook French for Russians Orders given to soldiers were unclear

What happened at Balaclava?

Desperate to break the Siege, Russians (led by Menshikov) advance on British supply base at Balaclava with 25,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, 78 guns

When was the Battle of Balaclava?

25th October 1854

What did the allies do after Alma?

Siege of Sebastopol

What were the 3 actions during Balaclava?

'Thin red line' Charge of the Heavy Brigade Charge of the Light Brigade

Who developed the phrase 'thin red line'?

William Russel

How many men were in the Heavy Brigade?

800

Who led the Heavy Brigade?

General Scarlett

What happened in the Charge of the Heavy Brigade?

Russians stood ground on top of hill, and Heavy Brigade was able to break through the line, caused Russians to retreat

How many men were in the Light Brigade?

664

Who led the Light Brigade?

Lord Cardigan

Who did Raglan give orders to to tell Lucan to send in Cardigan's cavalry?

Captain Nolan

How many casualties in the Charge of the Light Brigade?

Out of the 664 men, 110 were killed (including Nolan), 130 wounded, and 58 kept as prisoners

Why did the Charge of the Light Brigade fail?

Attacked up the wrong valley, Russian artillery was surrounding them, miscommunication, casualties high

Leading British officers in COTLB

Raglan Lord Lucan Lord Cardigan Captain Nolan

Why was the COTLB important?

Illustrated the poor leadership Lucan was replaced Raglan was blamed

Negative of the Charge of the Heavy Brigade

The victory was based on pure luck - if the Russians had decided to gallop downhill the result may have been different

Leading officer of the 'thin red line'

Sir Colin Campbell

Why was Alma an important victory?

If they didn't win they wouldn't have been able to advance to Sebastopol

When was the Siege of Sebastopol?

September 1854 - September 1856

When was the Battle of Inkerman?

5th November 1854

What caused the Russians to retreat in the Battle of Inkerman?

arrival of French troops

How many Russian casualties in Inkerman?

11,000

British & French casualties in Inkerman

GB - 597 killed, 1.8k wounded Fr - 130 killed, 750 wounded

Problems faced in Siege of Sebastopol

Poor supplies - e.g. firewood, food, warm clothes and tents

What was the problem with transporting supplies?

the first 4k miles of Britain to Balaclava was possible, but the last 6 miles (Balaclava to Sebastopol) was difficult

How was inertia shown at Balaclava Harbour?

The commissary were seen smoking cigars and showed a lack of urgency - using the soldiers' supplies

Examples of diseases that were common amongst the soldiers

cholera, scurvy, typhus, typhoid and dysentry

How did the lack of supplies affect the medical situation?

there were lack of hospital tents & medicines

How many sick & wounded by January 1855?

23k were sick & wounded, leaving the army only 11k

How can you explain the conduct of the war under Raglan?

Raglan's infantry were still trained like old times, poor organisation due to lack of supplies - often poorly equipped

Who was Florence Nightingale?

She was the leader of the first women army nurses in the Crimean War.

How many nurses set sail with Nightingale?

38 (in Oct. 1854)

Problems with Scutari x3

Nightingale and her team not based in Crimea directly - Scutari hospital originally intended to be a barrack for the Turks so not fit for purpose - hardly any clean water, toilets = primitive Medical supplies were low & staffing = unsatisfactory

Positives of Nightingale x5

Reorganised kitchens & improved food Cleaned wards and fresh bed linens Soldiers with minor wounds were made to plant foods like turnip in gardens Received formal training Worked long hours and did rounds when other nurses in bed

Negatives of Nightingale x6

She was fourth right and argued with staff Resented by peers and colleagues Not in charge of the biggest group of nurses Arrived in Nov. 1854 and the situation got far worse by Jan. 1855 (Winter) Death toll was dominated by disease Sanitary Commission was required after she arrived

Threats to Nightingale x3

Sanitary Commission reduced death rates at Scutari from 52% --> 5.2% in just 3 months Seacole Doctors resented her e.g. Dr John Hall tried to get her shipped back

Who was Mary Seacole?

Jamaican nurse Played a major role in Crimean War Opened lodging house for wounded soldiers Contributed to control of the cholera epidemic through knowledge in tropical medicine Honored w/ a medal for saving lives from the Jamaican government & British Commonwealth

Positives of Seacole x7

Often on the frontlines Provided food, drinks & other necessities Respected more by rank and file soldiers (majority) Supported by William Russel Created remedies from what she'd learnt in central America and from her mother More practical experience over Nightingale

Negatives of Seacole x6

Her nursing achievements were less considerable than Nightingale's Not represented in media as much Self funded Not have financial independence Not able to do extensive procedures e.g. amputation Nursing skills learnt from mother - Nightingale's taught in Germany

Threats to Seacole

Faced prejudice Bankrupt on return Forced to rely on goodwill of people for money No connections Rejected by GB authority when applied to go out

What was the Sanitary Commission?

Relief organisation of volunteers to help care for the sick

What did the Sanitary Commission promote?

cleanliness, nutrition, and medical care in Northern army camps

Examples of what the Sanitary Commission did in the 'clean up'

removed dead animals, whitewashed walls, cleared rubbish

Mortality rates at Scutari before and after Sanitary Commission

52% to 5.2%

Why did Nightingale create a legacy?

became known as the "Angel of the Crimea", spent the rest of her life campaigning for reforms to army medical services and nursing contributed to the Royal Commission on the Health of the army 1857 Helped pioneer the nurses' training school

What book did Nightingale release?

Notes on Nursing 1859

Why was Seacole's British Hospital popular?

Supplied soldiers with hot food, shelter, and small comforts e.g. tea, coffee, blankets and bread

How did Russell describe Seacole?

kind and successful physician

Did newspaper coverage affect attitudes to war? Why?

Yes, people had not been able to read about the events of war as during 18th Century most information spread through town criers.

Why did the number of newspapers increase during the Crimean War?

The price of newspapers were slowly falling, so more people were able to buy them and read about the events of the wars HOWEVER - the majority of people still couldn't read and newspapers were still expensive for some people

Who was William Russell?

Most influential reporter for The Times who gave insight to the events of the war

How did Russell gather information for his reports?

Through informants like other soldiers

What were the majority of Russell's reports about?

treatment of the wounded, brutality of battlefield surgery, preparations for evacuating casualties, performance of Generals

Example of Russell's reporting impact

Influenced Lord Tennyson to write 'Charge of the Light Brigade' poem - very popular

What did Russell's reporting on the people in power lead to?

Bringing down Administration of GB PM Lord Aberdeen Jan. 1855

How did the press help Seacole after the war?

The Times and other publications organised a fund to help her after she was left in debt

What did the increase in press lead to?

The pressure on the army to recognise the bravery of the soldiers led to 111 men receiving the Victoria Cross

Who was Roger Fenton?

First official war photographer sent by Prince Albert to counteract negative reports by The Times

What types of images were photographed in the war?

No action shots because had to pose for several seconds so there were photos of the aftermath of battles, posed photos of men officers or landscape

When did Fenton arrive in the Crimea?

March 1855

When did Fenton return to England?

June 1855

Negatives to Fenton's photography

He wasn't present for any major battles as he arrived late, and therefore didn't see any of the immediate after-effects

The impact of Fenton's photographs

his photos exhibited GB for 8 months, saw a lot of interest in the photos as interest in war increased, poor living conditions were exposed, horrors of battlefields exposed - popular photo of COTLB shells everywhere

Why did photos change the view of war?

Fenton's realism is something the public had never seen before - only seen paintings and drawings - so seeing the 'real deal' created wave of empathy for soldiers

How did reporting by Russell and The Times affect Raglan?

The army's aristocratic leadership was exposed and highlighted incompetence.

Why was censorship of the press not introduced?

the government feared it may give the public the idea that they were trying to hide its responsibility for situation in Crimea - lead to public outcry

What did press attacks on generals cause?

Public demanding scapegoats

Who was a common scapegoat of the COTLB?

Captain Nolan

Why was Nolan used as a scapegoat?

As he died in battle he was seen as the easier target of blame

Who did Raglan blame for failure of COTLB? Why?

Lucan, because he failed to inform that the Heavy Brigade and horse artillery would support the Light Brigade