List of British divisions during the Crimean War

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Main articles: British Army during the Victorian Era and List of British Army formations during the Victorian-era

On 28 March 1854, in support of the Ottoman Empire, the British and the Second French Empire declared war on the Russian Empire. Anglo-French forces landed at Gallipoli, to be in a position to defend Constantinople if needed.[1] On 21 February 1854, FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan was appointed as the general officer commanding of the expeditionary force that was dubbed the Army of the East or the Eastern Army.[2] In mid-June, the British force advanced to Varna, on the Black Sea coast of Ottoman Bulgaria. At Varna, they were reorganised into divisions.[3]

British strategic policy was to destroy the Russian Black Sea Fleet, based at Sevastopol, in order to end the war and carry-out long-term British goals.[4] On 14 September, the expeditionary landed north of Sevastopol and subsequently fought the Battle of Alma.[5] This was followed by the investment the Russian port in October and the start of the Siege of Sevastopol.[6] The expeditionary force fought the Battle of Inkerman soon after. While the battle ended in victory for the British force, it created the conditions that dragged the siege on through the winter into 1855.[7] After the city had been subjected to several major cannonades, the Battle of the Great Redan was launched in 1855.[8] This marked the final effort of the campaign. The expeditionary force remained in the Crimea until the war ended in 1856, after which the British Army demobilised.[9]

  1. ^ Royle 2004, pp. 127–129.
  2. ^ Springman 2005, p. 20; McGuigan 2001, p. 10.
  3. ^ Barthorp 1980, p. 155; Bowden 1991, p. 16; Ponting 2006, p. 72.
  4. ^ Lambert 2016, pp. 119–121.
  5. ^ Ponting 2006, pp. 89, 94.
  6. ^ Ffrench Blake 2006, pp. 169–170.
  7. ^ Warner 2001, pp. 75–79; Ffrench Blake 2006, pp. 86–94, 98–101; Raugh 2004, p. 187.
  8. ^ Warner 2001, pp. 150–152; Richards 2006, p. 152.
  9. ^ Ffrench Blake 2006, pp. 143–144, 150–151; Demchak 2011, p. 127.