Balaklava, Battle of

Balaklava, Battle of
(1854)
   Fought on October 25, 1854, Balaklava was one of several major battles of the Crimean War (1854–56). With British and French forces besieging the principal Black Sea port of Sevastopol, the Russian General Menshikov sought to drive a wedge between Allied forces and the British base at Balaklava. Russian troops managed to seize some Turkish redoubts and guns on a height known as the Vorontsov Ridge, which commanded the Balaklava-Sevastopol road; but, when Menshikov’s cavalry attempted to exploit this success, they were repulsed by the British Heavy Brigade and by a regiment of Highland infantry. The most noteworthy episode of the battle concerns the epic charge of the Light Brigade, accidentally launched to its destruction down a valley with enemy artillery to its front and infantry deployed on the heights on both flanks. Although it managed to silence the Russian guns, the Light Brigade suffered horrific losses, thus ceasing to be operationally effective for the remainder of the war. The Light Brigade’s sacrifice, immortalized in a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that has since been memorized by generations of school children, was tactically inconsequential. Nevertheless, the Russian attempt to disrupt the siege and capture the British supply base failed, thus enabling the Allies to continue operations as before.
   FURTHER READING:
    Adkin, Mark. The Charge: The Real Reason Why the Light Brigade Was Lost. London: Leo Cooper, 1996;
    Barthorp, Michael. Heroes of the Crimea: Balaclava and Inkerman . London: Blandford, 1991;
    Brighton, Terry. Hell Riders: The True Story of the Charge of the Light Brigade . London: Henry Holt & Co., 2004;
    Sweetman, John. Balaclava 1854: The Charge of the Light Brigade . London: Greenwood Publishing, 2005;
    Woodham-Smith, Cecil. The Reason Why . London: Penguin, 1991.
   GREGORY FREMONT-BARNES

Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Balaklava, Battle of — (Oct. 25, 1854) Indecisive military engagement of the Crimean War. The Russians sought to capture the Black Sea supply port of Balaklava, which was controlled by the British, French, and Turks. The Russians occupied positions on the heights above …   Universalium

  • battle — battle1 battler, n. /bat l/, n., v., battled, battling. n. 1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces: the battle of Waterloo. 2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements: wounds received in battle. 3. a… …   Universalium

  • Battle of Balaclava — (Balaklava) Part of the Crimean War Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Cat …   Wikipedia

  • Balaklava — For the article about the South Australian town see Balaklava, South Australia. For other uses, see Balaklava (disambiguation). Infobox Settlement settlement type = subdivision type = Country subdivision name = UKR subdivision type1 =Territory… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Inkerman — Infobox Military Conflict caption=The 20th Foot at the Battle of Inkerman, by David Rowlands conflict=Battle of Inkermann partof=the Crimean War date=November 5, 1854 place=Inkerman, Russia (present day Inkerman, Ukraine) result=Allied victory… …   Wikipedia

  • Balaklava, South Australia — Infobox Australian Place | type = town name = Balaklava state = sa caption = lga = Wakefield Regional Council postcode = 5461 pop = 1,626 (2006 Census) Census 2006 AUS id=UCL401600 name=Balaklava (Urban Centre/Locality) accessdate=2008 06 01… …   Wikipedia

  • Balaklava (album) — Infobox Album Name = Balaklava Type = Album Artist = Pearls Before Swine Background = lightsteelblue Released = 1968 Recorded = Genre = Psych folk, folk rock Length = 29:49 Label = ESP Disk ESSP 1075 Producer =… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Leyte Gulf — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Leyte Gulf caption=The light aircraft carrier Princeton afire, east of Luzon, 24 October 1944. partof=the Pacific War, World War II date=23 October 1944 ndash; 26 October 1944 place=Leyte Gulf, The… …   Wikipedia

  • battle — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. fight, engagement, combat; contest. See contention, action, attack. II (Roget s IV) n. 1. [An armed encounter] Syn. engagement, fight, action, skirmish, encounter, contest, clash, brush, sortie,… …   English dictionary for students

  • The Thin Red Line (1854 battle) — Infobox Military Conflict caption=1881 painting of the Thin Red Line by Robert Gibb conflict=The Thin Red Line (part of the Battle of Balaclava) partof=the Crimean War date=October 25, 1854 place=Balaklava, Russia ) result=Decisive British… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”