Major Battles in the Crimean War

The Battle of Balaclava was fought on 25 October 1854 and was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, which was the Russian main naval base on the Black Sea. The battle followed the earlier Allied victory in September at the Battle of the Alma. The Crimean War, known for the 'Charge of the Light Brigade', would hugely shift the balance of power in Europe and in a way make way for WW1.
The highest ranking officers and the ones to blame are Lord Raglan, Lord Cardigan , Lord Lucan and Lord Nolan . However, the most influential officer responsible was Lord Raglan as he was in command at the time.
Lord Raglan was overall commander of the British forces and had intended to send the Light Brigade to pursue a retreating Russian artillery battery. Due to terrible communication and confusing orders the Light Brigade was instead sent on an assault against a different battery which was more prepared and had a huge strategic advantage.
The Light Brigade reached the battery under direct fire and scattered some of the gunners, the brigade was forced to retreat. The assault ended with very high British deaths and gain to the Army. 

The Battle of the Alma, 20 September 1854, which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War, took place just south of the River Alma. An Anglo-French force commanded by General St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan defeated the Russian army, which lost around 6,000 troops.

General St. Arnaud  was a French solider and he served as French Minister of War until the Crimean War when he then became Commander-in-chief of the army in the East. He commanded in the Crimean War with Raglan, both commanders led the allies to the first victory which set morals high for the British, conditions slipped more and more throughout the war due to leadership not being up to a good standard and the supplies the Army needed were not there due to the government being run by under qualified aristocrats. This impacted the war because if they hadn't won this battle, they would have found themselves becoming more prepared for events throughout the war which as I know would have saved the Army countless deaths and losses at the hands of the Russian army.

Key Individuals of The Crimean War

Lord Aberdeen was the Prime Minister during the Crimean war, the most influential happened involving him, ended with his resignation from power. This was due to the media coverage the war received through the newspapers. The Crimean war was the first to involve reports by the media and one of its main reporters was William Howard Russell. His reports showed what was happening in the Crimea and led the Aberdeen and his party to step down at the start 1855. Aberdeen was important as he ran the country, but in running the country he didn't do a good job of looking after his countries troops e.g. making sure they had all the supplies they needed, especially in the winter. 

Lord Raglan was a part of was one of the most influential moments in the Crimean War. Raglan commanded the Charge of The Light Brigade which led to many deaths of soldiers in the British army. This act showed Britain as weak, but it also made for a lot of glorification and pro-war propaganda in the media. The war effected Raglan because as part of the aristocracy, it showed Britain how incompetent the aristocrats were, all they had was status and money. Raglan had great importance in the war. When war ended, the ability to buy your way into the Army at high ranks was removed and this was just one part of the military reforms to come.

Mary Seacole was a nurse in the war and made herself very famous for helping lost soldiers on the battle field; many people have said that she would not have been famous if it wasn't for her race because she didn't do much to be very significant. However she did give moral to the soldiers when they came to her nursing house that they could visit. These houses had alcohol, tobacco and food available for the soldiers. She did treat soldiers on the front line and her bravery was widely recognized, because of the war she became known  for working as a women in medicine but also being of a different ethnicity. 

At the time of the Crimean war, women didn't play a role in much. Florence Nightingale had influences on the Crimean war, being one of the first women in to the nursing practice she came up with new ways of medicine usage. She became an important figure for women and nursing and made it become a valued profession. Helping soldiers in the Crimea meant she was able to improve health and sanitation issues. The war effected Nightingale because she became known throughout history.  She became known as the lady with of the lamp, her hard work helped many movements towards female rights.

William Howard Russell was a war correspondent, sending dispatches home from the front line. His articles and reports, often exaggerated, caught the attention of the public in Britain. Russell spent 22 months reporting the war, including the Battle of Balaclava and The Charge of The Light Brigade. He became known for his articles being published in The Times which, was being read by millions. He had a great impact on the war. War corresponding is now a big part of public knowledge on war and kicked started the detailed reports we have today 

The editor of The Times, John Delane, had a lot of power over what the British public got to read. He allowed William Howard Russell to write what he wanted and say what he liked about different groups such as the aristocracy and the French ( he disliked the French) and the majority would be printed to be read back in Britain. His newspaper became common reading to all classes which meant, during the Crimean war a few million would read the reports in The Times which were radical and previously unheard of. It also allowed people to see truthful accounts,leading up to the over throwing of the government

Roger Fenton sent photographs of the war back to Britain to be used in news papers such as The Times. The people in Britain had never seen a battlefield in imagery. They had not seen the conditions or what anything looked like. However Fenton didn't photograph battles but instead the landscapes in the aftermath when no fighting was taking place, meaning people didn't actually see the reality of war. They did have reports from Russell which filled in blanks however. This had an impact because it began to create a certain amount of curiosity which meant people wanted to read more and see more.

Alfred Tennyson was a British poet who published 'The Charge of The Light Brigade', this poem of glorification became famous when honoring those who had died in the battle. Alfred Tennyson is an influential figure in Crimean war because his poem has meanings; one of glorification and one of disappointment. This poem can be seen as a glorification of war but it can also be seen as defining faults of the system being allowed in the army (the aristocracy and commissions system). Depending on who read it, its meaning changed.

The Crimean War (1853 - 1856)

The Crimean war started in 1853 and ended in 1856 lasting about 3 years. The war is known  as the Eastern War and was between the Russian Empire and the French against the  British and the Ottoman Empires (Turkey) There were many reasons for the beginning of the Crimean war, such as Russia demanding the right to protect Christian shrines in Jerusalem,which was a part of the Ottoman Empire at the time. Below is a map of the Crimea where the war took place.

The French were Catholic so wanted to protect the Catholics in the Ottoman Empire at the time. Britain did not want the Russians to expand their current empire and threaten their own because Britain had the strongest empire at that time. They allied with the Ottoman empire to help prevent the Russians from invading and taking over more land.

Britain was triggered to war when the Ottoman empire suffered a defeat against the Russians when the Ottoman fleet was destroyed. After going to war in the Crimea it became obvious that Britain and its huge empire were not as strong as previously thought, suffering losses and defeats which were reported through newspapers and photography.