The Crimean War (Essay Sample)

Name Professor Course Date The Crimean War: A Travesty of Blunders The Crimean war was fought between 1853-1856, with Russia on one side, warring with the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain and Sardinia on the other side (Lambert and Badsey, 1). As can be inferred by its name, it was fought in Crimea. However, it was also fought in other areas such as Anatolia, Caucasus, and the Baltic Sea (Sweetman, 4). The war was caused inherently by the Eastern Question which brought the involved parties into conflict with one another. The Ottoman Empire was growing weaker at every turn, which would be of benefit to the Russians but a loss to the British (Sweetman, 6). The French, on their part, were in conflict with the Russians over the guardianship of the Holy Sites in Palestine. These were the underlying issues in regards to the Eastern Question that caused the Crimean war. This paper examines the Crimean war, the mistakes made as it progressed and their causes. The Crimean War began in 1852 when the Ottomans declared war on Russia and gained victory. However, the victors were defeated in November, 1853 by the Russians (Badem, 103). The new victor gained control over the Black Sea. However, this occupation was short lived as the French and British came together to attack the Russians and thus took the control over this advanategous sea away from them. The war progressed as the two opposing sides gained casualties and sought reinforcments, with the allied forces gaining more support. On 20th March, 1854, the Russians invaded Turkish occupied Bulgaria (Badem, 165). This move was quickly opposed by the Austrians whose force resulted in the withdrawal of Russia back across their own borders. The Russian occupation and control of Sevastopol resulted in the allied forces besieging it and attacking its defenses. This was from October 1854-September 1855, where the newly fortified Sevastopol proved impregnable, especially with the frequent Russian attacks of the allied forces' supply ports (Sweetman, 36). The end of the war eventually came with the Russians on the losing end. This is in the form of continued attacks on Sevastopol's defenses, with the final attack being on 8 September 1855, by French Corps. This rendered the remaining strong points strained and vulnerable. Consequently, Sevastopol was captured and brought about the subsequent peace terms of March, 1856. The Russians were then forbidden from having a navy on the Black Sea, thereby effectively neutralizing it. The Sultan promised to respect the Holy Sites of his Christian subjects and; Moldavia, Walachia and Serbia became independent of Russia but under international control (Sweetman, 90). The errors that are characteristic of the war include the failure of the allied troop commanders to pick a landing point prior to the voyage to the Black Sea. This resulted in the commanders choosing to land at Old Fort, an open beach with no easy port (Lambert and Badsey, 267). This would lead in their delay in attacking Sevastopol, allowing the Russians to fortify it. This is an indication that time is of the essence in war. Also, the Russian commander failed to lead an attack on the allied troops' fleet when they were vulnerabl...