To give an example of a military campaign that fully corresponds to the generally accepted idea of the British army of the 19th century, it is enough to mention the Battle of Balaklava, which took place in 1854 during the Crimean War. It is not difficult to imagine the young men of that time listening with wide eyes to the fascinating tales of heroism shown on the battlefield. With bated breath, they dream of the day when, as adults, they can take their place in Her Majesty's army and aspire to glory with their heads held high.
Battle legends
The Battle of Balaclava is replete with examples of heroic courage and brilliant victories against all odds, such as Sir Colin Campbell's Thin Red Line and the daring charge of the heavy brigade under the command of the outstanding commander James Scarlett. But it was the cavalrymen of the light brigade, their desperate attackimmortalized in his poem, which became part of English military folklore, Alfred Tennyson. Their history, an epic combination of unprecedented courage, a terrible catastrophe and the unsolved mystery of Lord Raglan's fatal order to attack.
Causes of the Crimean War
The true causes of the Crimean War are deeply rooted, but mostly they are connected with the British government's rejection of Russian expansion. Russia has long had views of the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Its ambitious Czar Nicholas I saw the collapse of the Turkish empire as an excellent opportunity to make his claim. The capture of Constantinople would give Russia complete control over the entrance to the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Having a fortified naval base in Sevastopol, Russia would have received for its military fleet open access to the Mediterranean Sea, 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 not to allow the strategic balance to be upset. Only strong external pressure forced Russia to abandon its original plans to establish control over the Balkans.
Declaration of war
Tsar Nicholas was not one to give up easily. In 1852, he contested in France the right to the key to the main gate of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which at that time belonged to Turkey. When the Turkish Sultan decided their dispute in favor ofCatholic France, the king declared war on Turkey. And although this was ostensibly done to protect the Orthodox faith, it was obvious to everyone that matters of faith were secondary to Russian territorial ambitions. The war took on a fierce character with numerous losses for both sides. However, 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 "Slavonic March".
Attack of the Russian army
Britain was naturally alarmed. But, realizing that Russia is a resolute and serious enemy, she showed restraint, confining herself to naval patrols in the Black Sea. Nevertheless, on November 30, 1853, the Russians attacked the Turkish fleet, anchored near Constantinople, and completely destroyed it, while 4,000 Turks died. When the British and French ships approached the scene, they had no choice but to rescue the survivors from the wreckage.
This news caused general outrage in Britain. The impassive press until that moment began to demand active action. Government ministers were accused by the press of servility, weakness and indecision. In particular, the press pilloried the Prime Minister.
Such publications had a great response, the public mood has changed dramatically. Something had to be done to help the unfortunate besieged Turks. Turkey itself was called the "sick man of Europe". resista huge wave of public opinion was impossible, and then on February 28, 1854, the British government presented Russia with an ultimatum - to withdraw its troops by April 30, otherwise it would declare war. This chance for a peaceful settlement was completely ignored by Tsar Nicholas. As a result, this led to the beginning of the famous Crimean War, and the Battle of Balaklava in 1854 became firmly established in world history.
French-British Alliance
Having concluded a formal alliance treaty with France, Britain began to mobilize its army to defeat Russia. Of course, there was no question of a full-scale war with such a huge country as Russia. From the very beginning, the war of 1854 was seen as a short, harsh lesson to put Russian upstarts in their place. England and France decided to act on two fronts - the sea, in the B altic, and where the main threat to their interests came from - the Russian base in Sevastopol, in the Crimea. This task was not easy. For about 40 years, England enjoyed peace, without entering into major conflicts. This undoubtedly affected its effectiveness, which has nothing to do with the courage of the participants in this campaign. But from the point of view of management, the British army needed to be modernized.
The landing of the allied army on the Crimean Peninsula
The Allied army had to land in the Crimea without any material support: there were no tents, no field hospital, no medical service, and therefore allhopes were pinned on a change in morale, on the fact that the upcoming hostilities would raise morale. The allies - 27 thousand British, 30 thousand French and 7 thousand Turks - landed in Evpatoria on September 14, 1854. After that, the allied army made a forced march in a southerly direction to Sevastopol. The very next day, the first serious battle took place - the Crimean War began. The battle of Balaklava will be later, but for now the Allied army was confidently on the offensive. If the attacking side was surprised that the enemy did not put up proper resistance in Evpatoria, then very soon she understood why.
Battle of the Alma River
The Russian army was already waiting for them along the south bank of the Alma River. 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 convincing victory. The stunned Russians were forced to retreat towards Sevastopol.
While the perked-up British rested, few knew that at that moment an event was taking place that was destined to become a turning point in the entire campaign. Lord Lucan tried to convince Raglan to allow him and his army to pursue the retreating Russians. But Raglan refused him. Enlisting the support of the French, he decided to attack Sevastopol from the south. Having done this, he embarked on the path of a protracted, 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 priorities of England and France was the taskproviding their soldiers with provisions that were delivered by sea. To this end, it was necessary to capture a deep-water port. The choice fell on Balaklava. September 26, the British captured this bay.
Despite this, there were constant interruptions in the delivery of products. The water was polluted. Dysentery and cholera broke out. All this soon put an end to the euphoria caused by the victory at the Alma. A sense of hopelessness gripped the troops, morale plummeted. But ahead of both armies was a grand event - the Battle of Balaklava - the largest battle in the Crimean War.
The Battle of Balaklava 1854
On October 25, the Russians launched an offensive to capture Balaklava. The famous Battle of Balaklava began - the Crimean victories of Russia began from here. From the very first minutes of the battle, the superiority of forces was on the side of the Russians. Sir Colin Campbell distinguished himself in this battle, who built his soldiers instead of the usual square in two lines and ordered to fight to the last. The attacking hussars were amazed when they saw the enemy in an unusual formation for them. Not knowing how to react to this, they stopped. Scottish warriors have long been distinguished by unbridled courage. Therefore, part of the 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, he 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 randomlyturned left. The third volley on the left flank forced the hussars to retreat. This heroic disposition became a steady turn and went down in history as the Thin Red Line. The Balaklava battle did not end there. Encouraged by the success of Campbell's 93rd, the soldiers practically forced the Russians to retreat. The battle of Balaklava again ended in victory for the British.
Defeat of the allied army
However, the Russians did not think to give up. Literally within an hour and a half after the defeat in the Battle of Balaklava, they regrouped and were again ready for the offensive. A day that had started so well for the English ended in disaster. The Russians almost completely destroyed the light brigade, captured the guns and held 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.
