On the 5th November 1854 a smaller British and (yes) French army beat off an assault by the Russians at Inkerman in the Crimea. It was known as “The Soldier’s Battle” as men fought small engagements due to poor visibility in dense fog.
The Russians had massed 32000 men on the Allied flank and headed for the 2700 man 2nd Division, commanded today by the aggressive Pennefather. Instead of falling back in the face of superior numbers, he advanced. The British had their rifles to thank this day as they took a terrible toll on the musket armed Russian Infantry, who were hemmed in by the valley’s bottle neck shape. The British 2nd Division pushed the Russians back onto their reinforcements and should have been routed by the Russians’ numbers, but the fog and the British Light Division saved them. Three successive Russian commanders were killed in this engagement.
The Russians other 15000 men approached and assailed the Sandbag Battery, but they were routed by 300 British defenders vaulting the wall, blunting the lead Battalions, who were then attacked in the flank. More Russian attacks ensured the Battery exchanged hands several times.
The British 4th Division was not as lucky. Arriving on the field, its flanking move was itself flanked and its commander, Cathcart, killed. This enabled the Russians to advance, but not for long. They were soon driven off by French units arriving from their camps and made no more headway.
The battle was lost and they had to withdraw.
This was the last time the Russians tried to defeat the Allied troops in the field. Despite this reverse, however, the Russian attack had seriously stalled the Allies from capturing Sevastopol. They had to instead, spend one harsh winter on the heights overlooking the city, before it fell in September of 1855.
The British suffered 2573 casualties, the French 1800 and the Russians 11959.
Today: what made the Royal Navy great.
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On March 14th 1757 the English executed their first and only Admiral for dereliction of duty.
It was the during the French and Indian Wars. The year before, 1756, Admiral John Byng had been ordered to the English base of Menorca with a small fleet, as it was suspected the French were after it. Unfortunately, Byng moved slowly and the French did capture the island. He made a weak and poorly planned attack, which he called off stating he was facing insuperable odds, then proceeded to Gibraltar.
The Prime Minister, the Duke of Newcastle, was so angry he resolved to have Byng immediately punished.
The Court Martial was at Portsmouth aboard his own ship, Monarch. The outcome already established, Byng was duly shot today in 1757 by a squad of Marines.
The rest of Europe was amazed by the event.
Writing in Candide, Voltaire said: in England it is good to kill an Admiral from time to time, to encourage the others! -
@wittmann:
Writing in Candide, Voltaire said: in England it is good to kill an Admiral from time to time, to encourage the others!
I’ve heard a French expression which says the same thing about French generals.
People interested in further reading on the subject of what made the Royal Navy great may want to have a look at Arthur Herman’s book “To Rule The Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World”.
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Very interesting. Thanks again Wittmann.
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