Crimean War

The Crimean War lasted from 28 March 1854 until 1856. It was fought between Russia and an alliance of the United Kingdom, France, and the Ottoman Empire, joined somewhat tardily by Piedmont-Sardinia.

Characteristics of the war

The war became infamously known for military and logistical incompetence, epitomised by the Charge of the Light Brigade which was immortalised in Tennyson's poem. Cholera undercut French preparations for the siege of Sevastopol, and a violent storm on the night of 14 November 1854 wrecked nearly thirty vessels with their precious cargoes of medical supplies, food, clothing and other necessaries. The scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers in the desperate winter that followed was reported by war correspondents for newspapers, prompting the work of Florence Nightingale and introducing modern nursing methods. Although acknowledged at the time, the work of Mary Seacole, the so-called "black Florence Nightingale", was subsequently overshadowed by that of her white contemporary, and has only recently been readmitted to mainstream history. The Crimean War also introduced the first tactical use of railways.

Related Topics:
Charge of the Light Brigade - Tennyson - Cholera - Siege of Sevastopol - 14 November - 1854 - Florence Nightingale - Mary Seacole - Railway

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The Crimean War occasioned the introduction of hand rolled "paper cigars" — cigarettes — to French and British troops, who copied their Turkish comrades in using old newspaper for rolling when their cigar-leaf rolling tobacco ran out or dried and crumbled.

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