Britain enters the war

Britain enters the war

The Crimean War was fought because of the regional importance of the area and also because of religious differences. In the lead up to the war, France, Russia, Britain and Turkey were all competing for influence in the Middle East and Britain and France were particularly concerned over the potential threat to their trade routes and Russia’s expansion in the region.

Russia moved against Turkey, who then declared war on Russia on 5th October 1853. The British and French responded quickly. In March 1854, they declared war on Russia expecting a quick victory because of their naval supremacy. They prepared an assault on Russian forces in the Crimea to seize the naval base at Sevastopol. The landings were unopposed by the Russians but W.H. Russell, an Irish journalist writing for The Times, witnessed the flaws in the organisation of the joint forces, problems with supplies, troops and transport.

The first battle of the war took place on 22nd September, at Alma. The Battle of Alma saw the combined British and French armies attack a Russian force that was occupying high land above the River Alma. The Russians were forced to flee their positions and the move to take Sevastopol continued the following day. The Russian army lay to the east of Sevastopol in order both to defend its supply lines and to threaten the British lines of communication. On 25th October, the Russian’s moved towards the British lines between their base at Balaklava and Sevastopol. This move resulted in the Battle of Balaklava and the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade.