BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854-55

Alma—Balaclava—Inkerman—Sevastopol.

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The perennial quarrel between Russia and Turkey entered on a new phase in the year 1854, when England and France, espousing the Ottoman cause, despatched their fleets into the Baltic and a combined naval and military expedition to the Crimea. The command of the British army was entrusted to General Lord Raglan—a veteran officer, who had served on the Duke of Wellington's Staff in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, where he lost an arm, and who for many years had held the important post of Military Secretary at the Horse Guards. He had never exercised the command of an independent body of troops, and his experience of war was not of recent date. The whole campaign was grievously mismanaged, but the chief blame rested with the authorities at the War Office, who neglected to provide the army with the thousand and one requisites for troops waging war in such a climate as a Crimean winter. It was retrieved by the bravery of our troops and their cheerful endurance of sufferings—sufferings that might have been avoided by the exercise of common forethought.

The army that landed in the Crimea on September 14, 1854, numbered some 27,000 men, with fifty-four guns, and was distributed as under:

Commander-in-Chief: Field-Marshal Lord Raglan.

Cavalry Division: General the Earl of Lucan.

First Division: H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge.

Second Division: Lieutenant-General Sir de Lacy Evans.

Third Division: Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England.

Fourth Division: Major-General Sir George Cathcart.

Light Division: Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown.

In addition to the above, the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade was also present, but in the earlier stages of the campaign it acted as a divisional battalion.

Acting in co-operation with us was a strong French army, under Marshal St. Arnaud, a division of which was commanded by one of the Napoleon Princes, and a Turkish force of 8,000 men, under Omar Pasha.

In the spring of 1855 a division of the Sardinian army also arrived, and was sharply engaged with the Russians at the Battle of the Tchernaya.

The army was reinforced from time to time by regiments from home and from India, and when peace was declared in 1856 it was composed of close on 50,000 well-equipped men, capable of carrying on the Siege of Sevastopol to a satisfactory conclusion. The casualties during the campaign, apart from those incurred at the Battles of Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and the two assaults on the Redan, were not heavy, the losses in some regiments being remarkably small; but the losses from disease were regrettably severe—the more regrettable as, with proper forethought, many hundreds—nay, thousands—of valuable lives might have been saved. The campaign is memorable as the first in which the whole of our infantry were armed with a percussion arm, and also the first in which a body of lady nurses was organized for service in military hospitals. The honoured name of Florence Nightingale must for ever be associated with the war in the Crimea. It was also the first in which officers and men were authorized to accept and to wear foreign medals and decorations; and, lastly, it was to recognize the bravery of subordinate officers and men in the campaign that the decoration of the Victoria Cross was instituted.

Alma, September 20, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the following regiments:

4th Hussars.
8th Hussars.
11th Hussars.
13th Hussars.
17th Lancers.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Scots.
King's Own (Lancasters).
Royal Fusiliers.
Yorkshire.
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Gloucesters.
East Lancashires.
West Riding.
Border.
South Staffords.
Welsh.
Royal Highlanders.
Sherwood Foresters.
North Lancashire.
Royal Berkshire.
West Kent.
Middlesex.
Manchester.
Durham Light Infantry.
Cameron Highlanders.
Connaught Rangers.
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.

At the Alma the Russians occupied a strong natural position, following the crest of a range of hills dominating the valley of the Alma River. Their front was covered by one or two redoubts, but no serious effort had been made to strengthen it. Had this been done, the disparity in numbers would have been compensated for. The actual strength of the combatants and casualties are as follows:

A good-sized library might be filled with the literature on the Crimean War. Most of the more valuable books, such as Hamley's, Kinglake's, Clarke's, and Sir William Russell's "Letters to the Times," are in every library, so that it is quite unnecessary to deal in any detail with the events of this campaign. At the Alma the French took the right, their right flank resting on the sea. We advanced, covered by the Rifle Brigade, with the Cavalry Division on our outer or left flank. The Second Division, on our right, kept touch with the French, and had in support the Third Division, under Sir Richard England. On our left the Light Division, under Sir George Brown, led, supported by the division under the Duke of Cambridge, who in this, his first engagement, showed the hereditary courage of our Royal Family. In the course of the advance through the vineyards at the foot of the hill, and before the final advance took place, the troops suffered much from the artillery fire of the Russians, and were thrown into some confusion. Few amongst the senior officers had seen any service since the Peninsular War, and the number of regimental officers who had heard the whistle of a bullet was infinitesimal; yet the behaviour of all was excellent, and after three and a half hours of hard fighting the Russians were in full retreat, leaving a couple of guns in our hands. Unfortunately, we were in no condition to follow up our advantage. The Russians were able to retire unmolested into Sevastopol, and we were compelled to embark on a siege of indefinite length, with totally inadequate means.

It was necessary to secure a harbour as a base of operations, and the allied armies carried out a flank march within striking distance of the Russians. No advantage was taken of this movement, and by the commencement of October our troops were in possession of the little land-locked harbour of Balaclava, and the labours of the long-drawn-out siege commenced.

Casualties at the Battle of the Alma.

Balaclava, October 25, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the

4th Dragoon Guards.
5th Dragoon Guards.
Royal Dragoons.
Royal Scots Greys.
Inniskilling Dragoons.
4th Hussars.
8th Hussars.
11th Hussars.
13th Hussars.
17th Lancers.
Sutherland Highlanders.

The defence of the country surrounding Balaclava had been entrusted to the Turks, who in a series of actions on the banks of the Danube had shown that they could fight well behind stone walls. Some redoubts had been thrown up on the neighbouring heights, and these were armed with ships' guns, lent by us to the Turks. In Balaclava itself was one battalion—the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders)—and the command of the place had been entrusted to one of the few veterans of the army who had seen modern war. Sir Colin Campbell had served under Wellington in the Peninsula, and had earned mention in more than one despatch when still a subaltern. For his conduct at Barrosa and at San Sebastian, at both of which actions he was wounded, he was promoted to a company in the 60th Rifles. In the China War he had commanded the 98th, and was made an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. In the Punjab Campaign he had added to his reputation by his masterly handling of a brigade in the hard-fought battles of Chillianwallah and Goojerat, and he had earned still higher laurels when in command of the troops at Peshawur in the early days of our occupation of the Punjab frontier.

On the early morning of October 25 the Russians, who had no very great opinion of the Turkish troops, made a determined attack on Balaclava. The valley leading down to the sea is cut in two by a low range of hills, and down these two valleys they advanced. The Turks, after one or two rounds, incontinently abandoned the redoubts, and fled in haste to the refuge of the town. Sir Colin moved up the 93rd Highlanders, and awaited the advance of the Russian cavalry division. He had a firm faith in the new weapon with which his troops were armed, and a still firmer belief in his Highlanders. On swept the Russians, and, as they came within range, a volley from the 93rd at 600 yards emptied many saddles, but did not stop the advance; then, as the dense Russian columns neared the "thin red streak, tipped with steel," a second volley, at 150 yards, rang out, and as the smoke cleared away the Russians were seen moving to the rear. Now was the opportunity for our cavalry, and the Heavies were not slow in taking advantage of it. Scarlett moved forward his brigade in two lines, the Greys and Inniskillings leading, with the 5th and 4th Dragoon Guards on the right and left flanks respectively, and the Royal Dragoons in support, the total strength being some 750 men. As Russell graphically wrote, while the Russians fell back, Scarlett charged into them. "By sheer steel and courage the Inniskillings and Scots were winning their desperate way right through the enemy's squadrons, and already grey horse and red coat had disappeared right at the rear of the mass, when the Royals, 4th Dragoon Guards, and 5th Dragoon Guards rushed at the remnants of the first line of the enemy, and went through it like pasteboard. In less than five minutes after they met our Dragoons the Russians were flying at full speed from a foe not half their strength."

Lord Raglan had in the meantime moved down the First and Fourth Divisions to reinforce Balaclava, and, recognizing the military genius of the Brigade Commander, ordered the Duke of Cambridge to take his instructions from Sir Colin Campbell. The services of the infantry were not called into requisition, but, owing to some inconceivable blunder, never yet properly explained, the Light Brigade of cavalry, without any supports, were ordered to attack the Russian troops in the westernmost valley. Here there was a whole division of Russian cavalry, with a force of six battalions of infantry supporting thirty-six guns, and at this force the little cavalry brigade, just 636 strong, was let loose. "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre!" was the comment of a French General who witnessed the spectacle. The Earl of Cardigan was not wanting in personal courage, but he was totally inexperienced in war. He led his men straight at the guns, and escaped scathless himself, but he acted in defiance of all the canons of the art of war. The charge of the Light Brigade has been immortalized by Tennyson, but, alas! the men who participated in it were rewarded with the same decoration as the infantry soldiers who marched down from the camp to act as spectators of that gallant charge. The clasp "Balaclava" means nothing; the name on the colours is the battle honour.

Casualties at the Battle of Balaclava.

Inkerman, November 5, 1854.

This battle honour is borne by the

4th Hussars.
8th Hussars.
11th Hussars.
13th Hussars.
17th Lancers.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Scots.
King's Own.
Royal Fusiliers.
Yorkshire.
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Gloucesters.
East Lancashire.
West Riding.
Border.
South Staffords.
Welsh.
Essex.
Sherwood Foresters.
North Lancashire.
Royal Berkshires.
West Kent.
Middlesex.
Manchesters.
Durham Light Infantry.
Connaught Rangers.
Rifle Brigade.

This was indeed a soldiers' battle. In the early dawn of November 5 a large Russian force, taking advantage of a dense fog, issued from Sevastopol and surprised our troops in the trenches. Reinforcements were hurried up from the camp, and the men—the few men on duty in the trenches and in the advanced siege-works—behaved with unexampled heroism. As each fresh regiment came up it was hurried into action, without any regard to brigades or divisions, and, indeed, in many cases men were found fighting in groups under officers of different regiments. The Allies were not merely surprised: they were outnumbered, as the following table shows:

After an heroic struggle, in which the Russians displayed the greatest gallantry, they were driven back, with terrible slaughter, the fire of those of our regiments which were armed with the MiniÉ rifle doing fearful execution in the dense columns of the enemy. It will hardly be believed that many regiments were still armed with the Brown Bess with which we fought in the Peninsula, although the MiniÉ rifle had in the Kaffir War three years before proved itself a most formidable weapon.

The losses of the army during the winter of 1854-55 were appalling, but the men bore them without a murmur. With the spring active operations were renewed, and on June 18, the anniversary of Waterloo, an attempt was made to carry the fortress by storm. In this disastrous attack our losses were 22 officers and 247 men killed, 78 officers and 1,207 men wounded. Ten days later the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Raglan, died, and the command was given to his Chief of the Staff, another Peninsular veteran, Sir James Simpson, an officer who did not enjoy the confidence of the army, and who practically owned that he felt himself unfitted to exercise its command.

On September 8 a second attack was made on the Redan, the outwork which had defied our attempt on June 18. Again we were driven back, after our men had made good their footing in the place. This defeat was entirely due to the neglect to support the stormers, who had shown the habitual gallantry of the British soldier.

Casualties at the Battle of Inkerman.

On the following day the Redan was found to be evacuated, and our men entered unopposed. This was the last general action of the war. The Russians now abandoned the city, and retired to the far side of the harbour, and, though actual fighting was at an end, the winter was passed as if on active service. In the spring overtures of peace were made, and in the summer of 1856 the army returned to England, Sevastopol being restored to the Russians.

In writing of battle honours, I must not omit to mention that our allies, the French, Turks, and Sardinians, bestowed a certain number of decorations on our officers and men. The French distributed crosses of the Legion of Honour, which were, as a rule, given to officers. In some exceptional cases a cross was given to a non-commissioned officer, and in some very few cases to privates. The French war medal was bestowed on a certain number of men in each battalion, and one was given to H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. The Turks showered the Order of the Medjidieh with no niggardly hand, and the Sardinians gave a few crosses of the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus to senior officers, and a few medals to each regiment. The distribution of these foreign decorations gave rise to considerable dissatisfaction. There were certain regiments which had fought throughout the campaign; there were others which had landed at the very close of the operations, and had not lost a man in action. All shared equally, like the labourers in the vineyard.

There were few officers on the Staff or in the Brigade of Guards who did not receive four decorations for this campaign, and, in truth, the Guards deserved all they received. They not only took their fair share of trench duty, but at the Alma and at Inkerman they suffered most severely. A party of Guardsmen who happened to be on fatigue duty at Balaclava the morning of the battle were collected by a young officer, and fell in on the left of the 93rd. That young officer afterwards acted as Brigade-Major to the heroic Nicholson at the Siege of Delhi, and as I write is, I believe, the only living officer who saw Sevastopol and Delhi fall. I allude to Lieutenant-General Sir Seymour Blane, who served as a subaltern of the Scots Guards in the Crimea. Afterwards exchanging into the 52nd, he marched down with Nicholson to Delhi, and was by his side when the hero of the siege was shot down inside the Cashmere Gate.

Sevastopol.

This distinction was awarded to all regiments which landed in the Crimea prior to September 8, 1855, the date of the last storming of the Redan:

King's Dragoon Guards.
4th Dragoon Guards.
5th Dragoon Guards.
Carabiniers.
Royal Dragoons.
Royal Scots Greys.
4th Hussars.
Inniskilling Dragoons.
8th Hussars.
10th Hussars.
11th Hussars.
12th Lancers.
13th Hussars.
17th Lancers.
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
Royal Scots.
Buffs.
King's Own (Lancaster).
Royal Fusiliers.
Norfolks.
Somerset Light Infantry.
West Yorkshire.
Leicester.
Royal Irish.
Yorkshire.
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Scottish Rifles.
Gloucesters.
East Lancashire.
East Surrey.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
West Riding.
Border.
South Staffords.
Dorsets.
South Lancashire.
Welsh.
Royal Highlanders.
Essex.
Sherwood Foresters.
North Lancashire.
Northamptons.
Royal Berkshires.
West Kent.
Middlesex.
Wiltshire.
Manchester.
Durham Light Infantry.
Highland Light Infantry.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Cameron Highlanders.
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Connaught Rangers.
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.

In addition to the following casualties in action, between the landing of the army in the Crimea on September 14, 1854, and the storming of the Redan on September 8, 1855, 11,375 non-commissioned officers and men were invalided and 16,037 died of disease!

Casualties during the Campaign in the Crimea (including the Battles of Alma, Balaclava, and Inkerman).

The Sultan of Turkey, in addition to the Order of the Medjidieh, bestowed a silver medal on every officer and man present in the Crimea, and Queen Victoria in like manner granted the Crimean Medal to every French, Sardinian, and Turkish soldier or sailor present in the campaign.

Decorations bestowed by our Allies during the Crimean War.

The Victoria Cross.

This decoration dates from the Crimean War, and was instituted, as is well known, as a reward open to all ranks for conspicuous bravery in presence of the enemy. During the campaign the following regiments were able to add to their other honours the Victoria Cross:

The following table is of interest, as showing the total losses incurred by the army in the Crimea in the different arms:

From the above it will be seen that, whilst 2,769 officers and men were killed in action or died of their wounds, the losses by disease amounted to no less than 16,037! For every ten officers killed in action, six died from disease, whereas in the proportion of the men who fell the figures were reversed. For every ten who fell in action or as a result of their wounds no less than sixty died of disease.

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