To give an example of a military campaign that is fully consistent with the widespread notion of the 19th century British army , it’s enough to call the Battle of Balaclava, which occurred in 1854 during the Crimean War. It is not difficult to imagine the young men of that time, listening with fascinating stories about the heroism shown on the battlefield. With a sinking heart, they dream of the day when, having matured, they will be able to take their place in the army of Her Majesty and proudly raise their heads to rush for glory.
Battle legends
The battle of Balaclava is replete with examples of heroic courage and brilliant victories in spite of all circumstances, such as Sir Colin Campbell's thin red line and the impudent attack of the heavy brigade under the command of the outstanding commander James Scarlett. But it was the cavalrymen of the light brigade who immortalized their desperate attack in his poem, which became part of English military folklore, Alfred Tennyson. Their story, an epic combination of unprecedented courage, a terrible catastrophe and the unsolved mystery of the fateful order of Lord Raglan on the offensive.
Causes of the Crimean War
The true causes of the Crimean War have deep roots, but they are mainly associated with the rejection of the British government of Russian expansion. Russia has long had views of the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Her ambitious king Nicholas I saw in the collapse of the Turkish empire an excellent opportunity to declare their claims. The capture of Constantinople would give Russia full control over the entrance to the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Having a fortified naval base in Sevastopol, Russia would have had open access to the Mediterranean for its navy, and at the same time the possibility of influencing external trade routes, mainly English and French. It is not surprising that in the unstable critical atmosphere of the mid-19th century, these two countries were determined to prevent a violation of the strategic balance. Only strong external pressure forced Russia to abandon its original plans to establish control over the Balkans.
Declaration of war
Tsar Nikolai was not one of those who gave up easily. In 1852, he contested in France the right to a key to the main gate of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which belonged to Turkey at that time. When the Turkish sultan resolved their dispute in favor of Catholic France, the king declared war on Turkey. And although this was supposedly done to protect the Orthodox faith, it was obvious to everyone that the issues of faith were secondary in comparison with Russian territorial ambitions. The war took on a fierce character with numerous losses for both sides. Nevertheless, this was not the last conflict between the two countries. For a charity concert to help the wounded in the conflict of 1877, P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote his famous “Slavic March”.
Attack of the Russian army
Britain, of course, was alarmed. But, realizing that Russia is a decisive and serious enemy, she showed restraint, limiting herself to naval patrolling of the Black Sea. Nevertheless, on November 30, 1853, the Russians attacked the Turkish fleet, anchored near Constantinople, and completely destroyed it, with the death of 4,000 Turks. When the British and French ships approached the scene, they had no choice but to save the survivors from the wreckage.
This news aroused widespread indignation in Britain. Until that moment, the impassive press began to demand vigorous action. Government ministers were accused by the press of servility, weakness and indecision. In particular, the press nailed to the pillory of the prime minister.
Such publications had a great resonance, the public mood changed dramatically. Something had to be done to help the miserable besieged Turks. Turkey itself was called the "sick man of Europe." It was impossible to resist a huge wave of public opinion, and then on February 28, 1854, the British government presented an ultimatum to Russia - to withdraw its troops by April 30, otherwise it would declare war. This chance for a peaceful settlement was completely ignored by Tsar Nikolai. As a result, this led to the beginning of the famous Crimean War, and the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 firmly entered the history of the world.
Alliance of France and Britain
Having entered into an official alliance treaty with France, Britain began to mobilize its army to defeat Russia. Of course, there was no talk of a full-scale war with such a huge country as Russia. From the very beginning, the 1854 war was seen as a short harsh lesson with the goal of putting Russian upstarts in their place. England and France decided to act on two fronts - the sea, the Baltic, and where the main threat to their interests came from - the Russian base in Sevastopol, in Crimea. This task was not easy. For about 40 years, England enjoyed peace without entering into major conflicts. This undoubtedly affected its effectiveness, which does not relate to the courage of the participants in this campaign. But from a management point of view, the British army needed modernization.
The landing of the Union Army on the Crimean Peninsula
The Union Army was to land in Crimea without any material support: there were no tents, no field hospital, no sanitary service, and therefore all hopes were pinned on changing the moral climate, and that the upcoming military operations would raise morale. The allies - 27 thousand British, 30 thousand French and 7 thousand Turks - landed in Yevpatoria on September 14, 1854. After that, the allied army made a march to the south towards Sevastopol. The very next day, the first serious battle took place - the Crimean War began. The battle of Balaclava will be later, but in the meantime, the Allied army confidently went on the offensive. If the attacker was surprised that the enemy did not show the proper resistance in Yevpatoria, then very soon she understood why.
Battle of the Alma River
Along the southern bank of the Alma River, the Russian army was already waiting for them. The sight was awesome. For the first time, two armies met face to face. After only an hour and a half, the Allies achieved a landslide victory. Stunned Russians were forced to retreat to Sevastopol.
While the perky English were resting, few knew that at this moment an event was occurring, which was destined to become the turning point of the entire campaign. Lord Lucan tried to convince Raglan to allow him with his army to pursue the retreating Russians. But Raglan refused him. With the support of the French, he decided to attack Sevastopol from the south. Having done this, he embarked on a long, exhausting war. The Russian garrison in Sevastopol under the command of General Kornilov took advantage of this gift of fate and began to strengthen the line of defense. One of the priority tasks of England and France was the task of providing their soldiers with food, which was delivered by sea. For this purpose, it was necessary to capture a deep sea port. The choice fell on Balaclava. On September 26, the British captured this bay.
Despite this, there were constant interruptions in the delivery of products. The water was contaminated. Dysentery and cholera broke out. Soon all this ended the euphoria caused by the victory on Alma. A sense of hopelessness swept the troops, morale fell sharply. But ahead of both armies was waiting for a grandiose event - the Battle of Balaklava - the largest battle in the Crimean War.
Balaclava battle of 1854
On October 25, the Russians launched an offensive with the goal of capturing Balaclava. The famous Battle of Balaklava began - the Crimean victories of Russia began precisely from here. From the first minutes of the battle, the superiority of forces was on the side of the Russians. Distinguished in this battle, Sir Colin Campbell, who built his soldiers instead of the usual square in two lines and ordered to fight to the last. The attacking hussars were amazed to see the enemy in an unusual formation for them. Not knowing how to react to this, they stopped. The Scottish warriors have long been unbridled courage. Therefore, some warriors instinctively rushed at the enemy. But Campbell knew that this could turn into a disaster, and ordered the soldiers to moderate their ardor. And only when the Russian cavalry was within reach, ordered to open fire.
The first salvo discouraged the enemy, but did not stop the advance. As a result of the second salvo, the cavalry randomly turned to the left. The third salvo on the left flank made the hussar retreat. This heroic disposition became a steady circulation and went down in history as the Thin Red Line. The battle of Balaclava did not end there. Encouraged by the success of the 93rd Regiment under Campbell, the soldiers practically forced the Russians to retreat. The battle of Balaclava again ended in victory for the British.
Defeat of the Allied Army
However, the Russians did not think of giving up. Literally within an hour and a half after the defeat at the Battle of Balaclava, they regrouped and were ready for the offensive again. The day, which began so well for the British, ended in disaster. The Russians almost completely destroyed the light brigade, captured the guns and kept part of the heights. The British could only reflect on a series of missed opportunities and misunderstandings. The battle of Balaklava on October 25, 1854 ended with the unconditional victory of the Russian army.