The Crimean War was also the first war attended on by journalists and photographers - William Russell and photographer Roger Fenton particularly distinguished themselves, and brought the realities of war (and military incompetence) to the notice of the British people. The real lessons were learnt in the field of military logistics, communications and organisation. Ironically, when negotiating the peace, the Turks came off worse than the Russians, and Britain and France hardly gained anything of value. Military inefficiency saw far, far more troops killed by disease it was a 'glorious disaster' for Britain. The campaign saw three famous victories for the allies in 1854 (Alma, Balaclava & Inkerman), and after minor battles in 1855, the Siege of Sebastopol succeeded on 8 September 1855. They had good leaders below senior command level, they had superior rifles, the French Zouave troops excelled themselves and the Russians, although superior in numbers were even worse led and equipped. In summer 1854, the allies decided to teach the Russians a lesson by invading Crimea and sacking Sebastopol and the Russian's Black Sea navy.Īs it turned out, the British troops were incredibly brave and fierce. As in Constantinople, the soldiers were debilitated by cholera, drunkenness and syphilis. When they got there, they found that the Russians had withdrawn from the region, and so they stayed put, whilst deciding what to do. The British and French decided to send a task force to the region, and after liaising in Constantinople (Istanbul), they set off for Varna (in today's Bulgaria). They also attacked and destroyed a large Turkish naval force at Sinope in autumn 1853. Russia never believed old foes Britain and France would join forces, and called their bluff by moving into Ottoman territories in Moldavia-Wallachia (modern day Moldova and Romania). The British were eager to preserve their commercial interests and dominance of the Royal Navy, whilst the French were desperate to restore prestige lost in Napoleonic times, with their slightly unhinged head of state Napoleon III provoking a fight with Russia over the 'custody' of Christian land-marks and relics in the Holy Land. The Crimean War arose through the desire of the British and French to prevent Russia from taking advantage of the crumbling of the Ottoman Empire.
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