Changes

In July 1853 the Russians invaded Moldavia and Wallachia. With the failure of a peace conference in Vienna; in October 1853 Turkey declared war on Russia. Britain and France declared war on 27 March 1854, after their ultimatim for Russia to withdraw was ignored, and concentrated their forces at Varna in Bulgaria, defending any Russian move towards Constantinople. The Turks, however, were able to force the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Principalities.

In July 1853 the Russians invaded Moldavia and Wallachia. With the failure of a peace conference in Vienna; in October 1853 Turkey declared war on Russia. Britain and France declared war on 27 March 1854, after their ultimatim for Russia to withdraw was ignored, and concentrated their forces at Varna in Bulgaria, defending any Russian move towards Constantinople. The Turks, however, were able to force the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Principalities.

The French and British decided to make use of their overwhelming sea forces and capture the Russian base at Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsular. The taking of Sevastopol would end any hope of Russian naval superiority in the Black Sea. They landed about 30 miles north of the base during 14–18 September 1894 and marched south along the coast, accompanied by the fleet. They met the Russians under Menshikov at the Alma River, and after three hours of fighting, the Russians retreated, having lost 9,000 men to the Allies’ 2000.  In one of those inexplicable cases of failure of  command, the Allies’ commanders either couldn't (the British Lord Raglan) or wouldn't (the French St. Arnaud) press home their advantage, and by the time they moved, Menshikov had removed his army from danger and commenced shoring up the defences of Sebastopol by sinking ships in the entrance to the Harbour.

The French and British decided to make use of their overwhelming sea forces and capture the Russian base at [[Sevastopol]] on the Crimean Peninsular. The taking of Sevastopol would end any hope of Russian naval superiority in the Black Sea. They landed about 30 miles north of the base during 14–18 September 1894 and marched south along the coast, accompanied by the fleet. They met the Russians under Menshikov at the Alma River, and after three hours of fighting, the Russians retreated, having lost 9,000 men to France and Britain's 2000.  In one of those inexplicable cases of failure of  command, the Allies’ commanders either couldn't (the British Lord Raglan) or wouldn't (the French St. Arnaud) press home their advantage, and by the time they moved, Menshikov had removed his army from danger and commenced shoring up the defences of Sebastopol by sinking ships in the entrance to the Harbour.

The campaign bogged down into the siege of Sevastopol, which was to last until the Russians finally retreated from the base on 8 September 1855 after a French attack; and included two major battles where the Russians tried to break the siege: Balaclava (25 October 1854) – during which the “Charge of the Light Brigade”, immortalised in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, took place – and Inkerman (5 November 1854) in which numerically superior Russian forces; both from within Sevastopol, and a Russian field army; were repulsed; but not defeated due to the failure of the French and British commanders to act as one... a problem that reoccurred during the war.

The campaign bogged down into the siege of Sevastopol, which was to last until the Russians finally retreated from the base on 8 September 1855 after a French attack; and included two major battles where the Russians tried to break the siege: Balaclava (25 October 1854) – during which the “Charge of the Light Brigade”, immortalised in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, took place – and Inkerman (5 November 1854) in which numerically superior Russian forces; both from within Sevastopol, and a Russian field army; were repulsed; but not defeated due to the failure of the French and British commanders to act as one... a problem that reoccurred during the war.