How far did the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 change the nature of warfare?

Learning objective – to be able to identify the significance of the Battle of Balaclava. I can describe the key changes and continuities shown in the Battle of Balaclava. Grade 3 I can explain the key changes and continuities shown in the Battle of Balaclava. Grade 6 I can explain and assess changes and continuities shown in the Battle of Balaclava. Grade 9

Why did the Battle of Balaclava take place in 1854? The Battle of Balaclava was part of the Crimean War of 1853-56. The war was between Russia and the Allied forces of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. The war was fought over the control of the Black Sea – part of the Ottoman Empire and Russia wanted to expand its territory in this region, where both Britain and France had imperial interests. To defeat Russia, the Allied powers saw taking Russia’s main port on the Black Sea, Sevastopol, as key. To do this the British forces, led by Lord Raglan, set up base at the nearby port of Balaclava and besieged Sevastopol.

How did the British and Russian forces compare? British forces 1,500 cavalry – based 3 km away 2,000 infantry – mostly poorly trained Turkish forces. 26 guns overlooking the port. Russian forces 3,500 cavalry 25,000 infantry 78 guns

How successful was the initial Russian attack on Balaclava? The Russian forces made a first attack at 6am on 25th October. The attack took the Turkish positions and all the guns protecting the route into Balaclava. At 8am, the Russian cavalry made a full charge at the British forces. The British formed a defensive line of two men deep and fired repeated rifle volleys at the Russian charge. The Russians retreated. The part of the battle dubbed the British forces as ‘the thin red line’ after Howard’s reports in The Times.

What was the impact of the charge of the Heavy Brigade? At 9:15am, the Heavy Brigade stopped the Russian cavalry advancing towards Balaclava by charging at them. The was unusual as the charge was uphill. The Russians not expecting this attack from the side scattered and fled. However, the British did not press home their advantage and chose not to pursue the confused Russian forces. The reliance on the older methods of cavalry charges against rifle fire led to high loss of life.

How did the balance of the battle swing towards the Russians? Twice the Russians attacked. Twice the Russians had failed. The Russians were beginning to withdraw and take the cannons they had captured from the battlefield. Seeing this, the British commander, Lord Raglan ordered Lord Lucan to recapture the cannon. However, the message was vague and unclear and Lucan thought the order was to attack the Russian cannon as he could not see the Russians withdrawing from the battlefield. Lucan ordered Lord Cardigan to attack the Russian cannon with the Light Brigade. The Light Brigade charged in three lines with pistols and swords. The charge lasted 20 minutes and was easily repelled by the Russians with heavy losses for no gain.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Balaclava? The Russians claimed Balaclava as a victory as they had captured 7 British cannon and took key positions. On the other hand, the British infantry and heavy cavalry had defeated Russians in direct combat. However, the Charge of the Light Brigade dominated memories of the battle. However, the battle typified the dominance of defensive warfare and the growing dominance of artillery over cavalry. Also, the Battle of Balaclava saw the beginnings of trench warfare as the British dug trenches when under bombardment.

What changes were brought into the Crimean War? Steam Technologies – steam power become a dominant force in the Industrial Revolution and brought with it steam ships and railways. All these were used in the Crimean War to transport people and munitions. Electric Telegraph – This sped up communications and reports on the Crimean war used this new technology. Weapons – Developments in rifles with the Enfield Rifle, using the percussion cap, which could be loaded quickly and had greater accuracy.

Knowledge questions List the features of the Battle of Balaclava which were – Typical of Warfare between 1500 and 1850. - Typical of Warfare between 1850 and 1900. Justify the following for its significance in explianing the outcome of the Battle of Balaclava – - Leadership - Quality of Troops. - Quality of Weapons.

Plenary – My Brain Subheading – My Brain Draw an outline of your brain. Fill your drawn brain with all the things you have learnt in this lesson. This can be in the form of key words, drawings, bullet points, lists – anything you like so long as it summarises your learning and that others can understand it.