Changing nature of warfare 1845-1991

Learning Goals• To gain a general understanding of the major

features of warfare.• To acquire a detailed understanding of the

events of the Crimean War.

• Starter – task page 5

The Crimean War 1854-56• In Britain the Crimean

War is remembered for 3 reasons:

1. Charge of Light Brigade2. Maladministration in the

British army3. Florence Nightingale

• However, this war, fought by an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia against Russia, is far more complex.

• Many wars have been fought on the grounds of the strategic importance of a region; many wars have been fought over religious differences. The Crimean War was the result of both factors

The main events of the Crimean War (page 4)

What do we need to look at?Key Short term

significanceLong term significance

Extra sources/detail from own research

Event – the Battle of Balaclava

Person – Lord Raglan

Technology

Tactics

Key question

• How far had warfare developed by the Crimean War?

Allied positions before SevastopolThis map shows the allied army positions in relation to Sevastopol before the Battle of Balaklava. British positions are marked in red, French in blue, Turkish in yellow and Russian in green.

The Battle of Balaklava

• The Battle of Balaklava is remembered primarily for the Charge of the Light Brigade. However, there were other events in the battle that, militarily, were equally important.

• An important factor in the Battle of Balaklava was the terrain over which it was fought. Two valleys, separated by a ridge, were the scenes of three distinct phases of the battle: two cavalry charges and a standing defence by the 93rd Highlanders. The ridge was significant in that it obscured the action in the north valley from the view of the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Raglan. His inability to see what was happening may have been one reason for the confusing order sent to the Light Brigade during the battle.

'The Thin Red Line'• The first move by Russian forces towards

Balaklava was repulsed by the stand of the 93rd Highlanders, led by Major-General Sir Colin Campbell. Campbell formed his men into a line (rather than into a square, which was the accepted way for infantry to face a cavalry charge) and the probing Russian advance was driven off with volleys of musket fire. This action became known as 'The Thin Red Line'.

The Charge of the Heavy Brigade

• Repelled by the 93rd Highlanders, the Russians regrouped and moved more of their cavalry into the south valley. Brigadier-General Scarlett, commander of the Heavy Brigade of cavalry, saw this and anticipated another Russian attack. He moved quickly and led the Heavy Brigade on an uphill charge into some 2,000 Russian horsemen before the enemy could complete its preparations. The Russians were duly forced back into the north valley.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

• Meanwhile the Light Brigade, commanded by Major-General the Earl of Cardigan, was awaiting orders. The Light Brigade, together with the Heavy Brigade, made up the cavalry division which was commanded by Lieutenant-General the Earl of Lucan.

• The order which came stated: 'Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front - follow the enemy and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. Troop Horse Artillery may accompany. French cavalry is on your left. R Airey. Immediate.'

• The order was brought initially to Lucan by Captain Nolan, a talented cavalry officer serving as aide-de-camp to Brigadier-General Airey (the Quarter Master General). Lucan passed the order on to Cardigan who, in response, led a charge of 673 soldiers up the length of the valley between two rows of Russian artillery on the heights. They were bombarded from all sides and suffered heavy casualties. It was a fiasco and only a charge by French cavalry saved the Light Brigade from total destruction. The battle ended with the Russians retaining their guns and their position, although they had failed to break through the British lines.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

'Someone had blundered'?• The interpretation of the order to attack has been the

subject of intense speculation by historians. A popular theory is that the order referred to recapturing Turkish guns that were being taken by Russian forces in the hills above the battlefield. Nolan, however, seems to have assumed the target was the Russian guns about a mile away up the north valley and may have advised Lucan to lead the charge there. Nolan, who charged with the 17th Lancers, was the first to be killed and was thus unable to clarify this point.

• Lucan and Cardigan for their part hated each other. (Cardigan had been married to Lucan's youngest sister but was now separated from her.) None of the personalities involved in initiating the charge appear to have acted well. Raglan's order was imprecise, Airey's drafting of the order was ambiguous, Nolan failed to explain the order to Lucan adequately, Lucan failed to question Nolan properly to establish his commander's intent and Cardigan failed to seek adequate clarification from Lucan. Lucan also failed to provide the support from the rest of the cavalry and the horse artillery mentioned in the order. After the charge, Lord Raglan blamed Lucan.

Working with reliability• Vested interest: the source is written so the writer can protect

an aspect of their power, status or position, such as their social class

• Expertise: the source is written upon a subject which the author (for example an historian) is an expert

• First-hand account: the account reflects a real event or experience. However, only one account tends to provide a narrow or partial view.

• Political bias: a source reflects someone’s political views and therefore gives a one sided view

• Propaganda: these sources cannot always be relied upon as they are designed to promote a policy or idea, such as patriotism during a war.

• Reputation: a source is written to protect a person’s reputation or status and therefore may be misleading.

Task

• Use sources 1, 2 and 3• Each source gives a different accounts of

the Charge of the Light Brigade. List the ways in which the sources differ. Explain the differences using provenance alone

Key Short term significance

Long term significance

Extra sources/detail from own research

Event – the Battle of Balaclava

Person – Lord Raglan

Technology

Tactics

Maladministration in the British army• One of the significant features of the

Crimean War was the dreadful conditions and neglect endured by the troops. Not only were living conditions very poor, but medical supplies for troops in the field were also inadequate.

• W.H. Russell's reports for The Times revealed the true depth of suffering and maladministration, particularly during the winter of 1854. These accounts upset Queen Victoria, who described them as these 'infamous attacks against the army which have disgraced our newspapers'. Prince Albert, who took a keen interest in military matters, commented that 'the pen and ink of one miserable scribbler is despoiling the country‘.

Other issues arising from the Crimean War

• Medical provision

• Problems with supply/transportation

• Problems with organisation

• Newspaper coverage

Homework

1. Complete reading page 58-632. Complete two paragraphs based on

sources 1 and 2 (page 13) - handout