Crimean War: Battle of Balaklava. Battle of Balaclava Battle of the Balaclava

160 years ago, on October 25, 1854 (October 13, old style), the Battle of Balaklava took place, perhaps the only field battle between the Anglo-French and Russian armies in the Crimean War, in which our losses were significantly less than those of the enemy. However, despite this, it cannot be called our victory, since in the end the Russian army retreated without reaching its main goal - the Allied camps near Balaklava.
In the West, this battle is known mainly due to the suicidal attack of Lord Cardigan’s light cavalry brigade on Russian positions in order to recapture 10 cannons previously captured from the British. Surrendering artillery to the enemy was considered a disgrace, so the British commander-in-chief, General Raglan, ordered Cardigan to immediately return the guns at all costs, although he was warned that the risk was too great and success very doubtful.
The British attacked along the valley, which was shot through from three sides by our infantry and artillery. Despite heavy losses, they managed to reach Russian positions and even return the cannons for some time, but General Ryzhov’s cavalry launched a counterattack and, after a fierce battle, put the enemy to flight. The British had to retreat along the same valley, again galloping through it from end to end under hurricane fire.
Raglan's adventure cost them 102 soldiers and officers killed, 129 wounded (many of whom later died) and 58 captured. The French general Bosquet, who observed the attack, said: “Great, but that’s not how they fight. It was madness.”

In total, the Allies lost 305 people killed (122 Englishmen, 13 French and 170 Turks), 496 wounded and more than 150 prisoners. Our losses are 131 killed, 481 wounded and 15 missing.
Unfortunately, despite the successful repulsion of the attack, the capture of the redoubts and the significant numerical superiority of the Russian army (approximately 15,000 people versus 4,500), General Liprandi, who commanded it, did not bring the matter to a decisive victory, ordering the troops to stop at the Fedyukhin Heights and the village of Komary, and later withdrew them for the Black River, thereby nullifying the results of the battle. Perhaps he was afraid that reinforcements would approach the enemy and cut off his army from Sevastopol.
It was impossible to hide or gloss over the defeat of the Cardigan brigade, since it was an elite unit and dozens of scions of noble families died in it at once. However, propaganda managed to present what happened as a great feat and triumph of the British spirit, focusing not on Raglan’s tyranny and mediocre attack planning, but on the courage, bravery and self-sacrifice of the cavalrymen. This perception of the Battle of Balaclava persisted in English society for quite a long time, but in the mid-twentieth century it began to change, as evidenced by the caustic satirical film “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” filmed in 1968 by director Tony Richardson from a script by Charles Wood and John Osborne. Cardigan's attack is shown there as absolute nonsense and a tragic farce, and the British generals are shown as arrogant fanfare, without hesitation sending people to their deaths for the sake of showing off and personal ambitions.

Scheme map of the Battle of Balaklava.

An English tent camp near Balaklava, which the Russian army never reached.

"The Thin Red Line" - General Campbell's Scots Guards repulse a Russian cavalry attack at Kadykioy. Painting by Robert Gibb.

Attack of the light brigade, view from the Russian positions. It can be seen that the British are attacking in a “bag of fire”, under fire from the front and from both flanks, and in the lower left corner the Russian cavalry is concentrating for a counterattack.

The British recapture the cannons, only to lose them again a few minutes later. In front, on a dashing horse and in bright red leggings, is Lord Cardigan himself, who was lucky enough to survive this massacre.

Return of the survivors of the attack of the light brigade. Painting by English battle painter Elizabeth Thomson-Butler.

Officers of the Cardigan Brigade who survived the Battle of Balaklava.

Three more English cavalrymen took part in the battle.

Well, in addition, as usual, there are samples of weapons and uniforms of the warring parties.


The Enfield model 1853 muzzle-loading flintlock rifle was the main weapon of the British infantry in the Battle of Balaklava.

Russian smooth-bore infantry rifle of the 1847 model and a rifled carbine-fitting.

English infantrymen and cavalrymen in uniforms from the Crimean War.

Russian infantry and cavalry defending Crimea in 1854.
From left to right: non-commissioned officer of the 33rd Moscow Regiment, grenadier of the 24th Dnieper Regiment, lieutenant colonel of the 9th Arkhangelsk Regiment, staff captain of the 32nd Kazan Jaeger Regiment, private of the 34th Tarutinsky Jaeger Regiment and sergeant major of the 23rd Ukrainian Jaeger Regiment shelf.

Drummer of the 32nd Suzdal Regiment, drummer of the 19th Tomsk Jaeger Regiment, trumpeter of the 4th Separate Rifle Battalion, second lieutenant of the 1st Moscow Dragoon Regiment, private of the 2nd National Lancer Regiment and Major of the 10th Reserve Squadron of the Odessa Lancers.

Commanders

Lord Raglan, Francois Canrobert

P. P. Liprandi

Strengths of the parties Losses

English- 122 killed (including 12 officers), 268 wounded (including 2 generals, 25 officers), 59 prisoners (including 4 officers); total - 449 people. (including 2 generals and 41 officers), 2 guns, 1 banner French people- 13 killed (including 2 officers), 28 wounded, 3 prisoners; total 44 people (including 2 officers). Turks- 170 killed (including 7 officers), 200 wounded, 89 prisoners (including 2 officers); total 459 people (including 9 officers), 8 guns, 1 badge Total- 305 killed (including 21 officers), 496 wounded (including 2 generals, 25 officers), 151 prisoners (including 6 officers). Total - 952 people. (including 2 generals, 52 officers), 10 guns, 1 banner, 1 badge.

131 killed (including 7 officers), 481 wounded (including 1 general, 32 officers), 15 missing., Total- 627 people (including 1 general, 39 officers).

Battle of Balaklava occurred on October 13 () and was one of the largest battles of the Crimean War of 1856 between the allied forces of Great Britain, France and Turkey on the one hand, and Russian troops on the other.

The battle took place in the valleys north of Balaklava, bounded by the low Fedyukhin Mountains, Sapun Mountain and the Black River. This was the first and only battle of the Crimean War in which Russian troops were significantly outnumbered.

This battle, which could have remained minor, went down in history in connection with its three episodes: the defense of the 93rd Scottish Infantry Regiment (“The Thin Red Line” in English. Thin red line), an attack by a British heavy cavalry brigade which, contrary to expectations, turned out to be a success, and an attack by a British light cavalry brigade launched by Lord Cardigan after a series of misunderstandings which resulted in heavy British casualties.

The battle was not decisive. The British were unable to take Sevastopol on the move, and the Russian troops retained their guns and position.

Location of allied forces in the Balaklava camp

Pavel Liprandi Hussars, Ural and Don Cossacks, Dnieper and Odessa infantry regiments and a number of other units and units. General Liprandi served as deputy commander-in-chief of Russian forces in Crimea to Prince Alexander Menshikov.

Plans and strengths of the parties

In October, Russian forces approached the allied Balaklava base.
The city and port of Balaklava, located 15 km south of Sevastopol, was the base of the British Expeditionary Force in the Crimea. A strike by Russian troops on the Allied positions at Balaklava could, if successful, lead to the release of besieged Sevastopol and a disruption in the supply of the British.

The Russian detachment, under the command of infantry general Pavel Petrovich Liprandi, numbered about 16 thousand people and included the Kiev and Ingermanland Hussars, the Ural and Don Cossacks, the Dnieper and Odessa infantry regiments and a number of other units and units. General Liprandi served as deputy commander-in-chief of Russian forces in Crimea to Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov.

The Allied forces, mainly British troops, included two cavalry brigades. The heavy cavalry brigade under the command of Brigadier General James Scarlett consisted of the 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, 1st, 2nd and 6th Dragoon Regiments (5 two-squadron regiments, a total of 800 people) and was located to the south, closer to Balaklava. The northern positions, closer to the Fedyukhin Mountains, were occupied by a light cavalry brigade, which included the 4th, 8th, 11th, 13th Hussars and 17th Uhlan regiments (5 regiments of two squadrons, a total of 700 people). The light brigade was commanded by Major General Lord Cardigan. Representatives of the most famous aristocratic families of Great Britain served in the light cavalry, considered an elite branch of the military. Overall command of the British cavalry was held by Major General the Earl of Lucan. French and Turkish units also took part in the battle, but their role was insignificant. The number of Allied troops was about two thousand people.

The British Expeditionary Force was commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Raglan, the French by Divisional General François Canrobert.

Start of the battle

Monument to the fallen British in the Balaklava Valley

The battle began at about five in the morning, before dawn. The Russians, with a bayonet attack, drove the Turkish troops out of redoubt No. 1, located on the southern flank, and destroyed about 170 Turks. The three remaining redoubts, located to the north and northwest, were abandoned by the Turks without a fight. The Turkish troops who fled in panic did not render the artillery located on the redoubts unusable, and the Russians received nine guns as a trophy. The British had to stop the retreating Turks by force of arms.
Having captured the redoubts, while attempting to further develop the attack in order to reach Balaklava, the Russians encountered strong resistance from the heavy cavalry of Scarlett and the 93rd Scottish infantry regiment of Baronet Colin Campbell. In order to cover the too wide front of the attack of the Russian cavalry, Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in lines of two, instead of the lines of four provided for in such cases by the regulations. The words of Campbell's order and the response of his adjutant John Scott went down in British military history:

- There will be no order to leave, guys. You must die where you stand. - Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

Original text(English)

Based on the Crimean war with the British against the Russians. The opening is meant to try and recreate the galloping horses in the charge of the light brigade. It's an atmospheric song.

The Battle of Balaklava took place at the end of October 1854. This was one of the first battles between Russian troops and the forces of the allies - Britain, France and Turkey during the Crimean War of 1853-1856.

By this time, the Allies defeated the Russian troops on the Alma River (near the village of Vilino, Bakhchisarai region) and approached Sevastopol. The British gained a foothold in Balaklava and began to move towards the white stone. The siege of Sevastopol began.

The command of the Russian army decided to cut off the forward positions of the British troops, which were located in the territory from Sapun Mountain to the third bastion (now Brestskaya Street), from the supply base in Balaklava, which would make it possible to lift or significantly weaken the siege of Sevastopol. To do this, it was necessary to capture the redoubts on the hills in the Balaklava Valley and come within direct range of Balaklava.

On October 25, before dawn, a 16,000-strong Russian army under the command of Lieutenant General Pavel Liprandi approached the Allied positions from Mount Gasforta. He was opposed mainly by British regiments and Turkish units under the command of Lord Fitzroy Raglan. The total number of allied forces during the battle reached 4.5 thousand people.

Russian soldiers drove the Turks out of the first redoubt with a bayonet attack. The Turks abandoned the three remaining fortifications with cannons without a fight. According to various sources, Liprandi's troops received 9 or 11 British guns as a trophy. After this success, the cavalry brigade of Lieutenant General Ryzhov advanced to attack the British positions. A fierce battle ensued between the Russian hussars and the English dragoons. The British retreated, but Ryzhov did not build on his success and also returned to his previous positions. However, the British attribute the victory in this part of the battle to themselves.

At the same time, the 1st Ural Cossack Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Khoroshkhin attacked the Scots infantry regiment. The infantry lined up in lines of two (usually four soldiers in a line) to cover the wide front of the cavalry attack. As a result, the Russians had to retreat.

After this, one of the greatest tragedies of the British army occurred - the death of the light brigade under the command of Lord Cardigan. In just 20 minutes, Russian cannons killed the elite of the British Empire: among the wounded and dead were representatives and heirs of the most noble families of Foggy Albion. The causes of this tragedy are still being debated in Great Britain.

Some historians consider the main culprit of that tragedy to be Lord Raglan, who sent cavalry to recapture the British guns captured by the Russians. In those days, the capture of cannons was considered a great disgrace for commanders. Others blame Lord Cardigan, who commanded the brigade, and Captain Nolan, who brought the order for the attack. The military did not understand the direction of the attack and, instead of the redoubt left by the Turks, galloped to distant Russian fortifications. As a result of the attack, the British came under the crossfire of Russian cannons, and the last volley at the British cavalry was fired virtually at point-blank range. The surviving light dragoons, lancers and hussars managed to break into the redoubt, but, realizing the futility of a further attack, Cardigan ordered a retreat. The British also rode towards their positions under fire. Of the 625 British cavalry, 102 were killed, 128 seriously wounded, and 58 captured. In addition, the light brigade lost more than half of its horses. To this day, British schoolchildren learn by heart the poet Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade", which immortalized one of the most tragic events in British history.

The valley is two miles long - the redoubt is not far away...
Hearing: “On horseback, forward!”
Through the valley of death, under a barrage of grapeshot,
The brave gallop six hundred.
Cannonade thunders on the threshold of hell,
Breasts are placed under the muzzles of guns -
But six hundred rush and rush.

Despite the victory, the Russians received no tangible benefits from this battle. The British base was not captured, and the supplies of the British troops were not affected. At the same time, the Battle of Balaklava significantly strengthened the morale of the defenders of Sevastopol, which helped keep the city from being captured by the enemy for a long time.

Alma and Balaklava 1854. Episodes and reconstruction of battles.

L.A.Malyshev

I’ll make a reservation from the very beginning that the material in the article does not contain any new historical facts about the Crimean War of 1854-56. or the results of his own research work on the Alma (in September 1854) and Balaklava (in October 1854) battles.

The purpose of its publication is quite simple - to provide the necessary information about these battles for a wide range of readers of our site and talk about the unusual military-historical reconstruction of the Battle of Balaklava, which took place on July 6, 2013.

In this article I will try to solve two small problems.

Firstly, it seemed to me very appropriate to recall the main episodes of the Alma and Balaklava battles, since in 2014 the 160th anniversary of these events is planned to be celebrated on an international scale in Crimea. And our international military-historical club - “Sea Guards Crew” will participate in these reconstructions for the first time.

Secondly. On July 6, 2013, a military-historical reconstruction of the Battle of Balaklava was carried out in a historically precise place - in the same valley that is located near the modern village of Pervomaika. This reconstruction became, in fact, a “dress rehearsal” for the upcoming anniversary battle, and I, as a participant and spectator, wanted to talk about it.

Part 1. Episodes of the Alma and Balaklava battles

It is well known that these two battles were preceded by a landing of the Allies (Great Britain, France, Italy and Turkey) south of Yevpatoria, in the Kalamitsky Gulf, near the Saki Lakes. The weather was favorable for the landing: September 1, 1854 was a clear day, and the sea was a mirror surface. The Allied armada consisted of 34 warships, 55 frigates and other warships, and more than 300 transports. On September 2, with the same favorable weather, the allies managed to bring 3 French infantry divisions, 59 guns and 2 British divisions with part of the artillery ashore. In total, 45 thousand people were transported that day, but on September 3-4 there was no landing due to fresh weather: strong winds and large waves. In the following days, the Allied landing force was increased to 61,000 people. and they immediately began a rapid advance along the Black Sea coast to the south, towards Sevastopol.

However, the Russians decided to stop the allies in the Alma River area and gain time to prepare to repel the assault on the main base of the Black Sea Fleet.

Note: Any author, telling his readers about past battles, relies primarily on archival historical documents and facts, statistics, memoirs, regimental histories and much more. At the same time, other factors also influence the reliability of the presentation, for example, political preferences at the time the book was written, the author’s ambitions, personal military experience, or deep knowledge of the tactics and strategy of the era described. Therefore, only some military works and essays outlive their authors for centuries. According to the Crimean War of 1854-55. Such monographs include, of course, the 4-volume “Eastern War of 1853-1856. Essay by Lieutenant General M.I. Bogdanovich". It serves as our main source of statistics and main historical facts.

From modern books on the Crimean War we will use “Historical sketch of the Crimean company (1854-1856) of the Eastern War (1853-1856)” in 3 parts: “Invasion”, “Alma” and “Confrontation”, the famous Crimean military historian Sergei Viktorovich Chennyk. This three-volume monograph differs from many other books on the Crimean War, first of all, in the author’s professionalism and critical analysis of events and episodes of battles, the actions of Russian and allied regiments, their officers and generals. It is devoid of authorial or political ambitions, does not impose its beliefs on the reader, but at the same time destroys many established myths and legends. The three-volume work of Sergei Chennyk, as well as his numerous analytical articles in the military-historical magazine "Military Crimea", explain in an accessible language the complex and not always understandable to contemporaries true reasons for successes and defeats in this war, contain emotional personal impressions of the participants in the battles, and are based on the rich domestic and foreign historical material.

Adjutant General, Admiral Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov, who had previously independently arrived in Sevastopol as Minister of the Navy of the Russian Empire, was appointed commander of the Russian troops in Crimea from June 1854. In his note to Emperor Nicholas I dated June 29, 1854, No. 384, Prince Menshikov, assessing the situation on the spot, outlined his view on the upcoming defense of Sevastopol and the entire Crimea in prophetic words:

“...numerical superiority will be on the enemy’s side. There will also be an advantage on his side, both in choosing a place for landing troops and, if possible, keeping us in bewilderment with fake landings. He will undoubtedly not undertake a naval attack. But, having at his disposal a force significantly superior to us, he will launch an attack along the shore. The landing for this army can be made in two or three marches north of Sevastopol, in Evpatoria, for example... and follow along the coast flanked by the fleets.”

Rice. 1. Kruger Franz. Portrait of A. S. Menshikov. 1851.
(Depicted in the vice uniform of the Admiral of the Guards crew) .

Note: Brief information about A.S. Menshikov (1787 - 1869). In 1805, at the age of 18, he began his diplomatic service, and in 1809, his military service. He fought from 1809 to 1811. in the Russian-Turkish campaign and served as an adjutant to the infantry general Count N.M. Kamensky (Kamensky 2nd) - commander of the Moldavian Army. In 1810, he took part in the assault on the Turkish fortress of Ruschuk on the Danube and was wounded by a bullet in the right leg, then during the capture of Nikopol, and received his first Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree with a bow. In 1811, 24-year-old Alexander Menshikov was granted the aide-de-camp to Emperor Alexander I. Thus, he entered the emperor’s retinue and often carried out his instructions. Being “personally brave... for distinction at Borodino”, on November 21, 1812, he was promoted to staff captain. At the end of 1812, Prince Menshikov was transferred to the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment and promoted to lieutenant, and on January 16, 1813 to captain of this regiment. He distinguished himself in the battles of Kulm (August) and Leipzig (October). On September 20, 1813, he was promoted to colonel for distinguished service in the Battle of Kulm. In March 1814, during the capture of Paris, he was wounded in the leg for the second time. In 1814, for bravery, he was awarded the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree with diamond insignia, and on April 2, 1814 - a golden sword with the inscription “for bravery.” In November 1824, he retired and went to the village, where he studied maritime affairs. In 1826, Emperor Nicholas I sent Menshikov for negotiations to Tehran, where he was held captive. Upon his return from captivity, he was reappointed adjutant general by Nicholas I. In 1828, Rear Admiral Menshikov was appointed Chief of the Main Naval Staff and a member of the Committee of Ministers for the transformation of the fleet. During the Turkish campaign of 1828, commanding an amphibious detachment sent to the eastern shores of the Black Sea, he captured the Anapa fortress, after which he was appointed commander of the Russian troops during the assault on Varna. He energetically led the siege of this fortress, but was wounded by a cannonball in both legs and was forced to leave the army for treatment. In 1829, as Chief of the Main Naval Staff, he took command of the naval forces of the Russian Empire. In 1833 he was promoted to admiral. Fifth Naval Minister of the Russian Empire (from February 5, 1836 to February 23, 1855). In 1853, for negotiations with the Porte, he was sent as Ambassador Extraordinary to Constantinople. After the Battle of Alma, on September 30, 1854, at the age of 67, Adjutant General Admiral A.S. Menshikov was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the ground and naval forces in Crimea and remained in this post until February 1855.

This was the first major battle between Russian and allied forces in the Crimean War of 1854-55. Before the battle, Russian troops were located in a position near the Alma River as follows. In the center, to the left of the Yevpatoriya road, for shelling it, there were No. 1 and 2 light batteries of the 16th artillery brigade, and behind them, in columns to attack, stood the Borodino Jaeger Regiment (see map of positions in Fig. 2).

Fig.2. Map of the Battle of Alma.

On the left flank stood the 5th and 6th battalions of the Brest and Bialystok regiments, in company columns. Behind them, in the second line, was the Tarutinsky regiment, in columns for the attack, and in reserve the Moscow regiment and light battery No. 4 of the 17th artillery brigade. The 2nd battalion of the Minsk regiment was placed to the left and behind the first line, near the village of Akles, about a mile from the sea coast.

To the right of the Evpatoria road, 350 fathoms from the river, the 4th battalion of the Kazan Jaeger Regiment (Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich Jaeger Regiment, author) was located in one line, in columns to attack, and in front of them, at a grape shot from the Burliuk Bridge, stood behind the epalement (a low rampart that serves as cover from enemy shots in open areas, author), battery No. 1 of the 16th artillery brigade. Even further to the right was the Suzdal Regiment, partly in company columns, partly in attack columns, with light batteries No. 3 (in epaulette) and No. 4 from the 14th Artillery Brigade.

On the southern slope of the large mountain, in the second line, stood in columns for the attack, the Vladimir and Uglitsky regiments, and behind the Vladimir regiment, in a ravine, the Don batteries: battery No. 3 and light reserve No. 4. Ahead of the first line, on the right bank of the river Alma, in the gardens of the villages of Burliuk and Alma-Tamak, the 6th Infantry, 6th Engineer and Combined Naval battalions were scattered. A sapper team was stationed at the bridge.

In the main reserve, on both sides of the high road, were: the Volyn regiment and three battalions of the Minsk regiment, with light battery No. 5 of the 17th artillery brigade, and the hussar brigade of the 6th light cavalry division (regiments: Kiev Prince Nikolai Maximilianovich and Ingermanland Gross -Duke of Saxe-Weimar), with horse-light battery No. 12. Cossack Don regiments: Tatsyn's 57th and Popov's 60th, were first sent to the right bank of the Alma to guard our right flank, and then located on a large mountain, between the roads leading south to the Kacha River.

The right flank and center (regiments of the 16th Infantry and 1st Brigade of the 14th Division) were commanded by Lieutenant General, Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Gorchakov, and the left flank (regiments of the 17th and reserve battalions of the 13th Division) was commanded by Lieutenant General V.Ya.Kiryakov. The first of them, who participated with honors in the campaigns of 1812 and 1813, and the second, also an old soldier, received the St. George Cross in the Polish War. The Russian troops, however, consisted of young soldiers who had never been in fire. The armament of our infantry, in comparison with the enemy's, was significantly worse. In addition to the 6th Infantry and Combined Naval Battalions, the Russian regiments had only 24 pieces each. to the battalion. Consequently, there were about 2,200 riflemen. In addition, the regimental rifle troops were not reduced to one or two battalions, but remained with their companies, and therefore the rifle troops only took part in the battle from those companies from which the skirmishers were scattered in a chain. Thus, up to 700 excellent shooters did not fire a single cartridge from their guns. Unlike the Russians, all the British regiments, and the French had nine battalions, were armed with rifled guns, and the rest of the French battalions, firing conical bullets from smoothbore guns, had a range advantage over our infantry. Even in the Turkish division, one battalion in each regiment was armed with rifles, therefore, a quarter of the total number of people consisted of good shooters.

The Russians had: 42 battalions and 27 squadrons. 33 thousand infantry. 3,400 cavalry. 120 guns. The rifle teams of the Russian battalions and the Combined Naval Battalion were armed with rifles converted at Russian arms factories from smoothbore rifles, and less often with ready-made foreign rifles.

So, for example, all Russian sailors of the landing (rifle) battalions, boarding and rifle parties of ships of the Black Sea Fleet were armed with converted Littych fittings and Hartung fittings. The history of the appearance of these fittings in the Russian army in general and in the Black Sea Fleet in particular is very characteristic of Russia at that time and interesting.

Note: 1. In 1840, the Russian military department ordered the Belgian manufacturers Falis and Trapman from the city of Littich (Liège) to produce fittings designed by Berner for the guards rifle battalion of the Russian army. A total of 5,000 fittings were manufactured in Littich and sent to Russia, which were named: “Littich fitting of the 1843 model.” At the end of 1845, the main teacher of “solid shooting” of the Guards Corps of the Russian Army, provincial secretary I.V. Hartung, proposed a method of converting smooth-bore dragoon rifles of the 1839 model into rifled ones, using the technology of Littikh fittings with the replacement of flint locks with percussion cap locks. The main advantage of the proposed conversion method was the possibility of further use for combat purposes of obsolete weapons that had accumulated in large quantities in warehouses and arsenals. An equally important argument was the cost of remaking each sample, which was three times lower in comparison with the Littikh fitting with similar combat qualities.

2. While still the Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet and ports, Adjutant General Admiral M.P. Lazarev, in his letter to the Chief Intendant (No. 83316 dated December 22, 1849) reported that “The Emperor deigned to order the introduction of a fitting gradually in naval crews Hartung." Six months later, in his subsequent letter (No. 2189 dated June 5, 1850), Lazarev already gave an order “... to manufacture it on the ships of the 1st and 2nd naval brigades.” In the same year, the first batch of Hartung fittings, numbering 288 units, was ordered from the Tula Arms Plant. In addition to the fittings, the production of 12 bullet molds was ordered (at the rate of 1 bullet and a pickle for every 24 fittings). Taking into account the experience gained in arming the skirmishers of the Guards Corps with rifles (24 pieces per battalion), it was also planned to issue 24 Hartung rifles to each ship. They were supposed to be used during landing operations to defeat enemy personnel located in open areas of the ship, and at approaching distances between boarding ships. With his letter No. 2150 dated May 6, 1853, the head of the Tula Arms Factory, Major General Samson, confirmed the receipt of a “model” fitting and money for the production of 288 units. However, already on August 22, 1853, the Chief of the Main Naval Staff, Admiral A. S. Menshikov, notified the Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet and Ports that the War Ministry did not approve the further production of Hartung fittings and recommended stopping their production. In this regard, the command of the Black Sea Fleet decided to speed up the delivery of weapons already manufactured at the Tula plant. Having received this instruction, the representative of the fleet, Lieutenant Evdokimov, who was in Tula, in October 1853, hastily accepted from the factory 288 fittings already manufactured, complete with 12 bullet molds and accessories, which (together with the “model” copy) were sent in troikas (relay race) to Sevastopol. Later, the Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet and Ports received a report from the commander of the 5th naval division that the 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 44th, and 45th ship crews were equipped with fittings (24 pieces each) and equipment for them.

The Allies put forward: The French - 28 thousand infantry and 72 guns. The British - 26 thousand infantry and 1000 cavalry. With 60 guns. The Turks fielded about 7 thousand soldiers. The French command was exercised by Marshal de Saint-Arnaud. The British and Turks were commanded by the English Lord Raglan.

All Allied European regiments were fully equipped with rifled fittings. For example, the English infantry were fully armed with rifled rifles of the Enfield system. The very noticeable difference in the firing range of rifled and smooth-bore small arms allowed the Allies to inflict significant damage on Russian troops, hitting infantry, artillery personnel and horses at a distance of up to 1200 steps. Let us recall that Russian smooth-bore guns hit the enemy with precision no further than 250 steps.

The Allies decided to attack the Russian position at Alma with all their forces, including about 60 thousand people with 96 guns. On the right flank of their army there were four French divisions: generals Canrobert and Bosquet, Prince Napoleon and General Faure (the brigades of Lourmel and d'Aurelle), and a Turkish division under the command of the French General Yusuf. On the left flank there were five English divisions: General Brown's light , 1st Duke of Cambridge, 2nd General Lesie Evens, 8th England and 4th Cathcart, and even further to the left - Cardigan's cavalry.

The commander of the Russian troops, Adjutant General Admiral Prince A.S. Menshikov, was in the center of the position during the battle. On his right flank was Lieutenant General Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Gorchakov, and on his left flank was Lieutenant General Vasily Yakovlevich Kiryakov. The Allied plan provided for enveloping Menshikov's army from the right and left flanks and striking in the center.

Fig.3. Lieutenant General Prince P.D. Gorchakov.
Portraits of persons who have distinguished themselves by merit and commanders

Fig.4. Lieutenant General V.Ya. Kiryakov.

active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

At about 9 o'clock on September 20, 1854, 10 zouave battalions of the 2nd division of General Bosquet (the right flank of the French Marshal Saint-Arnaud), having pushed back the Russian riflemen to the Alma River, stopped and began to wait. By 12 noon, his units (about 14 thousand in total) began to bypass the positions of the Russian left flank under the command of General Kiryakov. The ships of the French fleet (numbering up to 13 ships) supported the attack of General Bosquet from the sea. Not only the Russian infantry suffered from naval artillery fire, but also the Ingermanland Hussars, who were accompanying Prince Menshikov on the left flank at that time. At about 2 p.m., Canrobert's division, and then Prince Napoleon's division, crossed the Alma River opposite the center of the Russian positions and, with strong fire from their batteries and guns, forced the left wing of the Russian troops to retreat south with great losses. At the same time, the Russian regiments: first Minsk, then Moscow, Tarutinsky and battalions of the Brest and Bialystok regiments began to retreat on the left flank, despite the fact that on the right flank the Russians had already repulsed the first attack of the British.

It was like that. On the right flank, General P.D. Gorchakov saw how the British first crossed the Alma River, and then went on the attack and captured the Russian battery No. 1. Gorchakov decided to recapture it, but was unable to do so with the help of only the battalions of the Kazan Jaeger Regiment, which were greatly reduced by the rifle fire advancing in the center of the British fusiliers. The commander of the 16th division, Major General O.A. Kvitsinsky, tried to save this situation. He bravely led the Vladimir regiment into an attack on the British. A column of Vladimir battalions descended from the ridge and rushed with bayonets, and “... the enemy, not accepting the attack, quickly retreated to the river, where, having settled down, they hit our battalions from a deployed formation with rifle and artillery fire.”

General M. Bogdanovich writes about this episode as follows:

“...the brave Vladimir residents, without giving the enemy time to look around in the fortification they occupied, went at first with bayonets without firing a shot, but, having passed close to the epaulette (a low rampart that serves as cover from enemy shots in open areas, author), they paused, from the front platoons Our columns fired several shots, to which the enemy, retreating to the side of the rampart facing the field, responded with equally disorderly fire. But then the Vladimirites again launched hostile attacks so decisively that the British, without waiting for the blow, began to quickly retreat to the river, and having quickly settled down, opened rifle fire and cannonade.”

The short distance negated the advantage of the British in small arms, and the disorganization of the English regiments allowed the Vladimirites to overthrow them with a terrible bayonet strike in a few minutes and throw them back to Alma itself. At the same time, the Vladimir regiment “carried the enemy on bayonets” for almost 500 meters! The British retreat was not a stampede, but it was not an orderly retreat either. The British light division, which had just celebrated victory, rolled down to the river, beyond which the red line of the Fusiliers of the Guards Brigade could be seen a few hundred meters away. These cold-blooded English guardsmen let the surviving soldiers of their Light Division pass through their ranks and met the Vladimirites with fire from the spot, inflicting huge losses on them. From a short distance, in some places not exceeding 100 meters, bullets from British Enfields tore out entire rows of Russian infantrymen.

However, the heroic attack of the Vladimirts was not supported by the Suzdal and Uglitsky regiments, which were also on the right flank of the Russian troops. These two regiments never received the order from Gorchakov to go forward. Therefore, the fearless, but greatly weakened, Vladimir battalions soon found themselves alone in the very center of the British position - in front of the regiments of the second line of the British, maintaining complete order. The British Guards Brigade, having shot the first ranks of the Vladimir Regiment, immediately launched a bayonet counterattack on them. A chaotic, frenzied hand-to-hand fight began between the Vladimirs and the Guards, but none of the opponents wanted to give in! The fire of several thousand English rifles literally in minutes tore almost all the officers and most of the soldiers from the ranks of the Vladimir regiment. By this moment, the nearest and possible reinforcement for them (4th battalion of the Uglitsky regiment) was located a mile from the epalement. The Kazan regiment, weakened by the battle, retreated to the previous (before the attack) position of the Vladimir regiment. In such a hopeless situation, Major General Onufriy Aleksandrovich Kvitsinsky, having taken the remnants of his Vladimir regiment to the epalement, met the enemy with gunfire and held out against the British for twenty minutes. But, at this time, from the left flank of the Vladimir regiment, two Allied batteries began to intensively fire: the English battery of Captain Turner (battery G) and the French battery of Captain Morris (battery E), which had already crossed to the left bank of the Alma. Shrapnel shells from these batteries caused heavy damage to the Russian infantry. Thus, Morris's battery (Battery E) fired 285 charges - more than any other (English, French and Russian) battery in this battle.

Fig.5. Major General O.A. Kvitsinsky.
Portraits of persons who distinguished themselves by merit and command
active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

Finally, seeing the advance of several fresh English battalions from both flanks and in clear danger of being cut off, General Kvitsinsky gave the order to the Vladimir regiment to retreat. Kvitsinsky barely had time to make this order when a horse was killed under him, and he was wounded by a bullet in the leg. “Already on a stretcher with guns, he gave the last order to Lieutenant Brestovsky to speed up the retreat, pointing to the English troops who were going around Vladimirtsev on both flanks. At this time, another bullet shattered his left arm and rib. This is how their commander, Major General Kvitsinsky, the real hero of this battle, left the scene of the massacre of the Vladimirts. The Vladimir regiment emerged from the battle with only 2 staff officers and 9 chief officers. The loss of lower ranks turned out to be so great that the regiment was formed into one battalion of 4 companies..." .

The Suzdal regiment also began to retreat, followed by the Uglitsky regiment, covering the remnants of the Vladimir and Kazan regiments. Meanwhile, the enemy managed to install a battery on the top of a large mountain and opened cannonade and rifle fire on the retreating troops, from which the Uglitsky regiment, which until that time had suffered minor damage from rifle bullets that accidentally hit it, lost more than a hundred people.

Prince Menshikov, having received information about the regiments leaving the center and right flank of their positions, gave the order to General Gorchakov to begin withdrawing. However, on the left flank, General Kiryakov’s regiments still continued to resist because they had not received this order. Thus, the Minsk and Moscow regiments remained in positions near the telegraph and thereby ensured the withdrawal of the right flank and center of their troops. The British and French did not continue to pursue the Russians retreating to the Kache River.

The allied troops, approaching the position previously occupied by the Russians, stopped and stopped pursuing. Lord Cardigan's cavalry was at first advanced, but Raglan, wishing to preserve his small cavalry, ordered it to turn back and cover the foot batteries. Having received this order, Lord Lucan withdrew to his artillery. The French also did not pursue our army, both due to the lack of a sufficient number of cavalry, and due to the fatigue of the troops and ignorance of the region. But the main reason for the indecisiveness of the Allies’ actions after they occupied our position, without a doubt, was the stubborn resistance of the Russian troops and the losses suffered in the battle on the Alma River.

The Russian retreat was carried out without any fuss, in perfect order, only one of the regiments (Uglitsky), due to a misunderstanding, set off at a quick pace, but immediately stopped as soon as Prince Menshikov, who overtook him, ordered the regiment to stop and continue the retreat with music. The battle ended at half past four o'clock, and the troops gathered across the Kacha River closer to night. The allied army spent the night after the battle in Russian positions and remained in this place for another two days.

In the battle on Alma, Russian troops lost: killed: 6 staff officers, 40 chief officers and 1,755 lower ranks. in total 1,800 people; wounded: 4 generals (Kvitsinsky, Kurtyanov, Goginov and Shchelkanov), 8 staff officers, 76 chief officers and 2611 lower ranks, a total of 2700 people; shell-shocked: 1 general, 9 staff officers, 47 chief officers and 417 lower ranks, a total of 474 people; missing in action: 7 chief officers and 728 lower ranks, a total of 735 people; in general, our damage extended to 5,709 people.

The damage to the Allied army reached 3,353 people.

The immediate consequence of the battle on Alma was the beginning of the retreat of the Russian army on September 9 (21) to Sevastopol.

Episodes of the participation of Black Sea sailors in the Battle of Alma.

Little is known about the participation of military sailors in the Battle of Alma. The author of the article was able to find incomplete information about the preparation and episodic participation in this battle of the Combined Naval Detachment of two combined battalions of boarding and rifle ship parties only in the sources, and.

Note: Below are these episodes, as facts, for the subsequent historically based participation of “officers, sailors and artillerymen”, our Naval Guard Crew Club, in the upcoming military-historical reconstructions of the battles of Alma.

On March 27, the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov, and the commander of the fleet squadron, Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov, gave orders for the defense of the city and port of Sevastopol. According to these orders, two non-standard landing battalions (1st and 2nd), each with 6 platoons, were formed from rifle parties of ships. The number of platoons was 48 people. The battleships: “Selafail”, “Yagudiil”, “Brave”, “Three Saints”, “Chesma” and “Paris” were allocated a platoon each for the 1st airborne battalion. The 2nd airborne battalion was equipped with the following ships: “Rostislav”, “Twelve Apostles”, “Empress Maria”, “Grand Duke Konstantin” and “Varna”. These battalions were assigned ten mountain unicorns taken from the ships.

In July 1854, the 3rd and 4th landing battalions were additionally formed from landing parties of ships. At the same time, the 3rd battalion (8 platoons) was formed on the ships of the 4th naval division, and the 4th battalion (6 platoons) on the ships of the 5th naval division. These battalions were allocated 16 mountain unicorns from the arsenal, from which two batteries were created (8 unicorns each).

After the Allied landing (at the beginning of September 1854), three more naval battalions were manned by sailors: the 34th from the battleship Uriel and the frigate Flora, the 36th from the battleship Rostislav and the frigate Sizopol, 37th - battleship "Gabriel" and frigate "Kahul".

The officers and sailors of the formed naval battalions (especially the 1st and 2nd) had already gained combat experience during landing operations on the Caucasian coast and received additional training in linear and ranger tactics, as well as target shooting, in Sevastopol.

The following is said about the participation of two incomplete amphibious battalions in the case of Alma:

On the morning of September 4, 1854, following a signal from the admiral's ship "Grand Duke Konstantin", Lieutenant Commander D.V. Ilyinsky. was requested to the Chief of the Fleet Staff, Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov. At headquarters, Ilyinsky was announced about his appointment as head of the Consolidated Naval Detachment of two units: a consolidated battalion of boarding parties of ships under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Count Kollensch-Rachinsky and a half-battalion of rifle parties of ships under the command of the commander of the brig "Jazon" Lieutenant-Commander Prince Shirinsky. Shikhmatova. This Combined Naval Detachment was sent overland to support the Russian regiments hastily assembled by Prince Menshikov on the eve of the Battle of Alma.

Rice. 6. Commander of a special detachment of sailors at the Battle of Alma
Captain-Lieutenant Dmitry Vasilyevich Ilyinsky.
Portraits of persons who distinguished themselves by merit and command
active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

Further: “The detachment’s departure was scheduled for 4 o’clock in the afternoon in order to have time to approach the Alma River, which was 40 versts from Sevastopol, before nightfall. The order to move was carried out with precision and the detachment, singing as if on a pleasant walk, set off on the road.”

Former flag officer of Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov, Lieutenant Commander A. Zhard recalls that

“... on the morning of September 4 from Kachi... this detachment under the command of Capt.-Lt. Ilyinsky went to the river. Alma to the active army" .

Ilyinsky remembered this vigorous, cheerful transition to the site of the upcoming battle for the rest of his life, also because most of the participants in this transition had little more than a month to live:

“Night found us in Kutch. We stopped, lit a fire, the sailors joked and joked, and we, it seems, did the same thing until late at night. In rosy, serene hopes about upcoming victories and the complete destruction of the enemy, conversations fell silent, and the hour of rest and sleep came. This healthy, life-giving sleep, after no more than one month, for many of us turned into an unrestrained sleep of death. We, all three bosses, were service comrades, and besides, we were bound by sincere friendship. I was the only one left alive. (During the first bombardment of Sevastopol, Count Rachinsky was torn in half by a cannonball when he stood at full height on the parapet of the 3rd bastion. Shikhmatov was shot through the jaw by a rifle bullet on the fifth bastion, and he died in terrible agony at the dressing station). Few of the young people around us survived. All these young men, boldly, with a smile of contempt, throwing themselves into the fire, died without a murmur.” .

After spending the night by the fire, getting up at dawn (September 05th) and having breakfast, Ilyinsky reported on his arrival to Prince Menshikov. The prince met Ilyinsky with the words:

“I’m glad, dear Ilyinsky, that the sailors came with me to die or win.” .

Midshipman Prince Ukhtomsky, who had recently joined Prince Menshikov’s retinue, took care of all types of support for the detachment of sailors and, thanks to his care, the sailors did not need anything. Almost all the sailors were armed with rifled Littych rifles and Hartung rifles, as well as boarding sabers and boarding pikes. With their emphatically aggressive appearance and all kinds of weapons, this naval detachment was remembered by many participants in the Alma battle. He also had with him four (according to other sources only two!) mountain unicorns, which were supplied to the ships to support boarding parties.

Initially, Captain-Lieutenant Ilyinsky received orders to position the Combined Naval Detachment on the right flank of the Russian position behind the Vladimir Regiment. According to Prince Menshikov’s adjutant A.A. Panaev:

“... in a hidden place, as... he did not have a specific purpose, and his participation in the matter depended on the case of extreme necessity” .

“Next to us stood the hussar regiment of the Prince of Leuchtenber under the command of Kholetsky, with whom I was friendly. I asked him to buy me a horse, and he soon sent a Cossack horse with a saddle and even a whip. This purchase gave me the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity to look at the landing armada in the Yevpatoriya raid. And I, having joined the detachment of the adjutant Isakov, who had an assignment, took Tatsen’s Cossack regiment stationed near Yevpatoria, to burn haystacks in the nearest meadows.” .

The view of the sea that opened up was truly amazing. From the Saki salt lakes to Evpatoria and beyond there was a whole forest of masts of countless sailing and steam ships. Being directly on the ground, many forecasts and plans are seen in a completely different light.

“I happened to hear the judgment that we, the Russians, allowed a landing on our shores? But it is impossible to prevent a landing on a low-lying shore: the fire of naval vessels will drive the troops at least five miles away, and subsequently, during an attack, will protect them with flanking fire.” .

On the morning of the 6th, the Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov, arrived at the Alma position. He proposed to Prince A.S. Menshikov to build on an elevated, rocky, steep seashore, on the left flank, a redoubt of 4 naval guns for action against enemy steamships, which otherwise could approach the very mouth of the Alma River with impunity and cause harm Russian troops, but Prince Menshikov rejected this proposal.

In the evening, news was received from the Tatzen Cossack regiment that “General Bosquet’s division moved along the road to Simferopol, with riflemen in front of them positioned like a fan”. At the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief it was noticeable that this news made a strong impression. There was talk of sending Prince Menshikov's van with his correspondence and reports to Simferopol. Subsequently, rumors spread that this van and another 3,000 half-imperials of Menshikov’s own money fell into the hands of the enemy. Among the captured papers, the allies allegedly found draft reports to His Majesty, in which Menshikov wrote that he was not worried about the Northern side of Sevastopol, which was heavily fortified, but was very afraid that the Allies would undertake a siege of the Southern, completely unfortified side of the city. They said that Prince Menshikov specifically sent this van so that it would fall into the hands of the allies, in order to subsequently mislead them. But this rumor has no documentary confirmation yet.

“On the 7th, news was received from Tatzen that the enemy was advancing with all his might towards Alma. And indeed, at two o’clock in the afternoon, the allies, having crossed the Bulganak River, stopped for the night in sight of our troops, 6 versts from the Alma position.” .

The sailors of Ilyinsky's Combined Battalion were scattered before the Battle of Alma, on the evening of September 7, in a chain in front of the center and right flank of the Russian position. The following two sources speak about this:

“Late in the evening on September 7, the Combined Naval Detachment, together with the 6th Rifle Battalion, was moved forward and scattered in a chain in front of Burliuk and along the Alma” .

“I was summoned to Prince Menshikov and received orders with naval riflemen to occupy a chain from the center to our right flank, while the left flank was guarded by a rifle battalion.” .

To the left of the bridge over the Alma, for artillery support of the Combined Marine Detachment, by order of Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff A.E. Zimmerman, two Don Cossack batteries were placed: battery No. 3 and reserve light No. 4.

The condition of the guns of the naval detachment itself is eloquently mentioned by the captain of the Tarutino Jaeger Regiment Khodasevich:

“...It was extremely interesting to observe the movements of the sailors: four of their guns were obviously taken from the warehouses of defective guns in Sevastopol; pulled by ropes to the carriages, each of them was dragged, drawn by pitiful horses, with the help of eight people, and often, when the road was difficult or went up a slope, the entire battalion was forced to drag these guns.” .

Early in the morning, September 8 at dawn, on the day of the battle, Captain-Lieutenant Ilyinsky “... left the rifle half-battalion at the disposal of its chief, Prince Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, leaving him with the best hunter officers, Nikolai Yakovlevich Skaryatin and Obezyaninov, and he himself went to the battalion of Count Kollensch-Rachinsky. Leaving the sailors at their previously occupied position, I myself went to the elevated mountain on which the commander-in-chief’s tent had stood before the start of the battle. From this point a wide panorama spread out, and the entire approaching army was visible in full view. I did this with the intention, having received orders to send the sailors into action, not to look for places under rifle and artillery fire where exactly this help was needed, but to directly lead people to the threatened area along the shortest road.” .

It is also advisable to describe the critical situation that finally turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Allies. As soon as the Zouaves managed to climb the heights of the left bank of the Alma (which, by the way, was considered impregnable by our command), the 2nd battalion of the Minsk regiment, which was defending the left flank, found itself in an extremely difficult situation. Unable to hold a position near the village of Akles, exposed to crossfire from the front and rear, fearing to be cut off from the main troops, this battalion only engaged in a skirmish with the French Zouaves and tried to hold back their onslaught, but due to its small numbers it was unable to do so. began to retreat to the village of Orta-Kisek. At the same time, subjected to longitudinal fire from naval artillery from steamships, General Kiryakov’s regiments began to retreat, exposing the left flank of the Russian troops.

At this critical moment, Prince Menshikov appeared on the left flank, and here he showed himself. Having instantly assessed the situation, he realized the danger of the situation. Having broken through, the enemy with a quick onslaught could not only threaten the left flank, but also go to the rear of our entire Russian army. Having stopped the retreat of the badly damaged battalion of the Minsk Regiment, Menshikov changed the line of defense. Prince Menshikov sent the column of the first line of troops of General Kiryakov to reserve. And he placed the Moscow regiment in the first line, strengthening it with the 4th and 5th light batteries from the 17th artillery brigade. Light battery No. 4 arrived at its assigned place before the infantry and, settling in position, helped the weakened 2nd battalion of the Minsk regiment hold out until the arrival of the Moscow regiment. In a very short time the battery lost out of 100 people. - 48 killed and wounded, mostly from Allied gunfire. Soon the battalions of the Moscow Regiment and Battery No. 5 entered the position.

“Prince Menshikov was always in the first line under murderous artillery and rifle fire. Of the 4 people in his retinue, the young general staff officer Zholobov was killed, and the adjutant Skolkov’s arm was torn off. Having reinforced the position with the 3 remaining battalions of the Minsk regiment, two Don batteries and two divisions of hussars and thereby stopping the rapid onslaught of the enemy, the prince went to inspect the position of the central position.”

Prince Menshikov probably foresaw the outcome of the battle and therefore did not accept any counter-offensives by Russian troops at Alma. Prince Baryatinsky in his memoirs states that the presence of Vice Admiral Kornilov could radically change the outcome of the battle. This statement is controversial, but something else is indisputable in this episode - if Kornilov had been next to Menshikov during the battle, then Ilyinsky’s detachment of sailors would probably have gotten combat work.

To confirm, it is enough to remember that the most striking period in the service of Lieutenant-Commander D.V. Ilyinsky (participation in the heroic defense of Sevastopol) is described in two lines of his service record.“From September 13, 1854 to August 27, 1855, he was in the garrison of Sevastopol. On December 6, 1854 he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree."

The specificity of the sailors' participation in the defense of Sevastopol was that they remained in defense of their city and the Black Sea Fleet from the first to the last day of defense. The sailor was removed from the list of defenders either due to death or injury. This situation differed significantly from the participation of army units in the battles to defend Sevastopol. Regiments and batteries were sent to Sevastopol for a certain period of time, usually not exceeding 2-3 months, and then were withdrawn from the deadly ring for reorganization and rest. The sailors located on the bastions, redoubts and on ships could not afford this, therefore the losses of the sailors were significantly higher than the average for the garrison.

Despite the withdrawal of Russian troops, the Battle of Alma stopped the rapid advance of the allied expeditionary forces to Sevastopol and delayed the completion of their main task in the outbreak of the Crimean War - the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet. The Allies began to act more cautiously, believing that they were dealing only with the vanguard of the Russian army. This made it possible to avoid a quick capture of Sevastopol, which was left without troops, and gave some time to prepare the city for defense.

It is known that later Sevastopol was defended from land mainly by Russian sailors under the command of admirals Kornilov, Nakhimov and Istomin, who urgently built defensive bastions around the city. For example, by March 28 (April 9), 1855, out of 10,562 people. gun servants on the bastions 8886 were sailors, 1285 were army artillerymen of the garrison artillery of Sevastopol and 391 were officers and soldiers of field artillery.

So, did the allies achieve complete success over the Russians in the Battle of Alma? Answering this question, Sergei Chennyk writes unequivocally in his book: “It was undoubtedly an unconditional victory.”, which, for example, “...inspired confidence in the French army...”. But was this success complete? The answer is also clear: no. Well-known in the history of the Crimean War, the English admiral Slade (“Mushavar Pasha”) writes about the results of the allies at Alma as follows: “They occupied disputed territory, and nothing more. Their dead lie mixed with the Russian dead in a ratio of one to four; but there are no captured batteries, no destroyed fortifications, no columns of prisoners are visible that would indicate complete defeat.”.

The author further concludes: “The Allied commanders-in-chief, the Englishman Raglan and the Frenchman Saint-Arnaud, apparently understood that they failed to achieve their main goal - the complete defeat of the Russian army. Retreat is not defeat. Especially for the Russians, who have always been able to turn defeats into victories. It was more likely that Menshikov withdrew the troops from under attack and, like an experienced chess player, positioned them in such a way that if they tried to go straight to Sevastopol, the allies themselves found themselves in a situation with vague prospects, they found themselves between a rock (Menshikov) and a hard place (Sevastopol).”.

It’s hard to disagree with these glorious conclusions about Russian military victories and defeats! The history of Russia's subsequent wars bears witness to this. Here are the facts...

Notes: 1. At the beginning of 1856, 100 sailors - St. George Cavaliers of the Black Sea Fleet, participants in the defense of Sevastopol, were transferred for distinguished service to the Marine Guards crew in St. Petersburg. These heroes of the Crimean War passed on their combat experience, fearlessness, and faith in victory to the rest of the ranks of the Guards crew, which turned out to be in great demand in the subsequent war between Russia and Turkey in the Balkans.

2. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (the Elder), the third son of Emperor Nicholas I, was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. On January 19, 1878, he signed preliminary peace conditions for Russia in Andrianople and concluded a truce, and On March 13, 1878, he paid a personal visit to the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid. To do this, he departed on the imperial yacht “Livadia”, accompanied by the steamer “Constantine” from San Stefano and arrived at the roadstead of Constantinople. All the ships stationed there raised Russian flags and greeted the Victorious Country in this war. Together with the Commander-in-Chief, an honor guard company of the Guards crew arrived with the St. George Banner and an orchestra. Tall sailors, combatants and St. George cavaliers were specially selected for this company. The yacht "Livadia" anchored in front of the palace of the Sultan of Dolma Bahce. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich was given a marble palace on the shores of the Bosphorus as his residence, where he received a return visit from the Turkish Sultan. At this ceremony, a company of honor guard of the Guards Crew was lined up with a banner and orchestra. So the only battle flag of Russia unfurled in the capital of defeated Turkey was the St. George Banner of the Naval Guards Crew, and the honor guard included the St. George Knights - heroes of the Crimean War.

The Battle of Balaklava took place on October 13 (25), 1854.

It is considered the second major battle of the Crimean War of 1854-1855. between Russia on the one hand and the allied forces of Great Britain, France and Turkey on the other. This battle took place in a valley north of a fishing village, conquered by the Turks back in 1475, and named Balaklava (translated from Turkish as “fish tank”). The deep Balaklava Bay has always been very convenient for anchoring sailing ships. It is stretched out among the rocks and protected from waves and winds from the sea by its winding throat. The balaclava became a thing in 1854-55. the main base for supplying the British and Turkish troops by sea, and their military camp was located in the valley near the town of Kadykoy.

Notes: 1. Kadykoy (Kadykovka) is a small suburb located along the Balaklava - Sevastopol road. After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. According to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty (1774), the Turks lost their possessions in Crimea (including Balaklava), and the Crimean Khanate became an independent state. In 1776, the Balaklava Greek battalion was created from local Greeks, whose soldiers carried out cordon service on the Black Sea coast of Crimea and were based in Kadykoy. In 1778, the Crimean Greeks petitioned Catherine II to accept them into Russian citizenship. Part of the land on the southern coast of Crimea was distributed to the Greeks of this battalion, who honestly served the interests of Russia. For example, the small Greek settlement of Ai-Yan (St. John) - modern Livadia, was owned at the beginning of the 19th century by the commander of the Balaklava Greek battalion, Colonel Theodosius Revelioti. On the night of September 13-14, 1854, the British approached Balaklava from land. The British vanguard, having passed the village of Kadykoy, began to approach the city, but was unexpectedly met with rifle and cannon fire. About a hundred soldiers of a company of the Greek battalion under the command of Colonel M.A. Monto took up defense in the ruins of the Genoese fortress. The defenders had only four half-pound copper mortars at their disposal. The garrison resisted to the last opportunity. The wounded Colonel Monto, 6 officers and about 60 soldiers, almost completely wounded, were captured. Amazed by the courage of a handful of Greeks, the British, interrogating the battalion company commander, Captain S.M. Stamati, they asked what he hoped for, trying to hold the military formation with a company? To which we received the answer:

“Of course, by surrendering I would have incurred the wrath of my superiors and your contempt, but now my conscience is calm, I have fulfilled my duty to the end.”.

2. The very first drawings and photographs of the Crimean War were made by an employee of an English photographic company, secretary of the first London Photographic Society and artist Roger Fenton. He received the title of war photographer from the British Queen Victoria and went to film the Crimean War near Sevastopol, where he was supposed to witness the military successes of the British Expeditionary Force. Roger Fenton stayed in Crimea for less than four months, from March 8 to June 28, 1855, during which time he was able to create about 360 photographs, as well as many graphic drawings and sketches, under extremely difficult conditions. In May 1855, Fenton and his photographic laboratory wagon appeared near Sevastopol. Today we can, thanks to Fenton, imagine what this war looked like almost 160 years ago.

Photo by Roger Fenton. A British warship at the pier in Balaklava Bay. 1855.

Photo by Roger Fenton. British and Turkish military camp in the valley near Balaklava. 1855. .

The valley in which the Battle of Balaklava took place was located between the small Fedyukhin Mountains, the high Sapun Mountain (translated from Turkish as “soapy”), the Chernaya River and a low ridge dividing this valley into the northern and southern parts. The Vorontsovskaya road ran along this ridge from Savastopol to the Baydar Valley.

In the Battle of Balaklava, the Russians won a tangible victory over the Allies for the first time. However, this battle would have remained ordinary in the Crimean War if it had not gone down in military history thanks to several episodes described later in poetry, newspaper articles and books as heroic (almost epic!) exploits.

These are the 4 episodes of the Battle of Balaclava

1. The attack and rapid capture by Russian troops of four Turkish redoubts on the Vorontsov ridge north of the village of Kadykoy and the resulting threat of a Russian breakthrough to Balaklava.
2. Stable defense by the Highlanders of the 93rd Scottish Infantry Regiment of the approaches to Balaclava during an attempt by Russian Cossacks and Hussars to break into the main supply port of the British.
3. Counterattack of a heavy British cavalry brigade against a Russian light brigade of hussars and Cossacks.
4. An attack by British light cavalry on a Russian artillery battery, resulting in catastrophic losses for the British.

The Battle of Balaklava, ultimately, was not decisive for either side. The Allies, again, as after Alma, were unable to take Sevastopol on the move, and were forced to return part of the troops back to Balaklava to strengthen the defense of this port and the British camp. The battle also made it possible to delay the assault on Sevastopol from land for some time and strengthen its bastions. It was in vain that the Russians did not want to develop their successful offensive, since with the capture of Balaklava, the position of the allies, and the very outcome of the war, would have been completely different. And it so happened that after the battle the Russians retained only their previous positions.

Rice. 9. Map of the Battle of Balaklava.

Russian troops. Before the battle, a special detachment was formed from the Russian troops under the command of Infantry General Pavel Liprandi to attack the British troops in Balaklava. This detachment included: Kiev and Ingermanland Hussars, Don Cossack, Dnieper and Odessa infantry regiments and a number of other units and units. The detachment concentrated across the river. Chernoy near the village of Chorgun. The combined Uhlan regiment within the detachment was commanded by Colonel Eropkin, and he was given the task of observing the enemy. Major General K.R. Semyakin also arrived at Chorgun, with the 1st Brigade of the 12th Infantry Division and the 1st Ural Cossack Regiment. In total, the Chorgun detachment included: 17 battalions, 20 squadrons, 10 hundreds, 48 ​​foot and 16 horse guns with a total number of up to 16 thousand people. To support the Chorgun detachment, a detachment of Major General I.P. Zhabokritsky was also appointed, consisting of 8 infantry battalions, 2 squadrons and 2 hundred cavalry, with 14 guns, numbering up to 5 thousand people. General P.P. Liprandi was at that time the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops in Crimea - Prince A.S. Menshikova.

Fig. 10. Lieutenant General Pavel Petrovich Liprandi.
Commander of the Russian detachment in the Battle of Balaklava.
Portraits of persons who distinguished themselves by merit and command
active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

Allied forces. Access to Balaklava and the British and Turkish military camp was protected by double rows of fortifications. The inner row (closest to the city) consisted of several batteries connected to each other by a continuous trench, which rested on one flank against the high Sapun Mountain, and on the other on the road leading to the Baydar Valley. Another row of fortifications (external) consisted of six redoubts and ran along the hills along the Vorontsov Sevastopol-Yalta road. In the east, the Balaklava Valley was crossed by the Black River with the Chorgunsky (Tavern) Bridge and separated the Chorgun detachment of Russian troops from the valley. The easternmost redoubt of the Allies, shown on the map under No. 1, was located at a distance of about two miles from the village of Komary. The remaining redoubts were built west of it along the Vorontsovskaya road and north of the village of Kadykoy. Three fortress guns were installed on redoubt No. 1, two on No. 2, and three guns on Nos. 3 and 4. These fortifications were made hastily by the Turks, so they turned out to be very cramped and did not represent an interconnected line of defense. Each redoubt was filled with Turks (250 people) with one English artilleryman. In general, the allies in Balaklava, in two rows of these fortifications and in the valley itself had: 3,350 British and French, and about 1,000 Turks. Of these, 1,100 British naval crews were in Balaclava and at nearby defensive batteries. The road to Balaklava was covered by the 93rd Scottish Highlander Infantry Regiment (650 people and 100 disabled), which was located north of the village of Kadykoy. The dragoon brigade (heavy cavalry) of General Skerlet consisted of the 4th and 5th Guards Regiments, the 1st, 2nd and 6th Dragoon Regiments (consisting of five two-squadron regiments, a total of 800 people). General Cardigan's Hussar and Lancer brigade (light cavalry) included the 4th, 8th, 11th, 13th Hussars and 17th Lancers (5 two-squadron regiments, 700 men in total). Both cavalry brigades were considered elite, and representatives of many aristocratic families of Great Britain served in them. Both cavalry brigades were located northwest of the village of Kadykoy and were under the overall command of Count Lucan.

Photo by Roger Fenton.
Commander of the heavy cavalry brigade, General James Scarlet (1855).

Rice. 12. Commander of the light cavalry brigade
General James Cardigan.

General command of the British cavalry was held by General George Lucan,

Rice. 13. British cavalry commander General George Lucan.

French and Turkish units also took part in the Battle of Balaklava. The British Expeditionary Force was commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Fitzroy Raglan, and the French Expeditionary Force by Divisional General François Canrobert.

Photo by Roger Fenton. Commander of the British Expeditionary Force
Lieutenant General Lord Fitzroy Raglan,
who lost his right arm at the Battle of Waterloo (1855). .

In Balaklava there were military depots for the allied forces, and in front of Balaklava in the northeast there was a British military camp. The British and French treated their Turkish allies with arrogance and contempt, but used them in different ways. If in Kamyshevaya Bay the French turned the Turks, in fact, into beasts of burden, using them to carry cargo, then in Balaklava the British turned them into forward detachments and put them on redoubts so that the Turks protected the English camp and warehouses with their breasts. It was customary to feed the Turks very meagerly, beat them to death for infractions, not allow them to communicate, and even Turkish officers were not seated at the table with them.

In October 1854, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops in Crimea, A. S. Menshikov, decided to strike the allies in their most vulnerable place - in the Balaklava area. The immediate task of the Chorgun detachment, as proposed by Lieutenant General P.P. Liprandi, was planned to capture the Turkish redoubts on the Kadykoy heights, and then, depending on the development of success, the subsequent capture of Balaklava. However, A. S. Menshikov refused access to Balaklava and the subsequent capture of the port and convinced P. P. Liprandi to limit himself to only capturing the Turkish redoubts located along the Vorontsov road.

The city and port of Balaklava, located 12 km. south of Sevastopol, was the main base of the British Expeditionary Force in the Crimea. A strike by Russian troops on the Allied positions at Balaklava could, if successful, lead to a disruption in the supply of the British and the release of besieged Sevastopol. But, before the Battle of Balaklava, Prince A.S. Menshikov decided to wait for the arrival of two more Russian divisions (10th and 11th), with the arrival of which they could strengthen the combined detachment of P.P. Liprandi before the attack on Balaklava.

Episode 1. Attack and rapid capture by Russian troops of four Turkish redoubts on the Vorontsov ridge north of the village of Kadykoy and the resulting threat of a Russian breakthrough to Balaklava.

The attack on the allies was planned to be carried out by three columns of the Chorgun detachment of Lieutenant General P.P. Liprandi:

The left column under the command of Major General Gribbe was supposed to head along the gorge leading to the Baydar Valley, and then turn onto the road to Komary and occupy this village.

The middle column of Major General K.R. Semyakin was divided into two echelons: the first under the direct command of Semyakin himself and the second under the command of Major General F.G. Levutsky. This middle column was supposed to advance along the road from Chorgun to Kadykoy.

Rice. 15. Major General Konstantin Romanovich Semyakin.
Commander of the 1st brigade (Azov and Dnieper regiments) of the 12th infantry division.
Portraits of persons who distinguished themselves by merit and command
active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

Colonel Skuderi's right column of 4 battalions and 3 hundred cavalry, with 8 guns, was supposed to move towards redoubt No. 3, and 14 squadrons and 6 hundred cavalry, with two horse batteries under the command of Lieutenant General Ryzhov Ivan Ivanovich after crossing the Black River - line up in columns to attack, and then wait for further instructions from Liprandi himself. To assist the troops of the Chorgun detachment and to cover it on the northern side, facing the French expeditionary corps of General Bosquet, a special detachment of Major General I.P. was sent to the Fedyukhin Mountains. Zhabokritsky.

Fig. 16. Major General Joseph Petrovich Zhabokritsky.
Commander of a special cover detachment at the Battle of Balaklava.
Portraits of persons who distinguished themselves by merit and command
active units in the war of 1853-1854-1855-1856.

The Battle of Balaklava began at about 5 a.m. on October 13 (25), 1854.

According to the plan agreed upon the day before, the Russian troops of the Chorgun detachment moved in columns in their own directions. At this time, British generals Colin Campbell (93rd Scottish Highlanders) and the commander of the British cavalry, Lord Lucan, noticed the advance of our columns and defiantly moved their entire cavalry to redoubt No. 4. At the same time, the British cavalry battery came forward and stood to the right of redoubt No. 3. Already at 6 o’clock in the morning, Major General Fyodor Grigorievich Levutsky and his detachment, approaching the Kadykioy heights, opened fire on redoubts No. 2 and 3 and attacked them. At the same time, Major General Gribbe, having driven out enemy outposts from the village of Komary, deployed his artillery on the heights and opened fire against redoubt No. 1. The Turks, taken by surprise, had not yet had time to prepare for defense when General K.R. Semyakin, under the cover of a cannonade and rifle fire, quickly approached the height of redoubt No. 1 and personally led the Azov regiment into the attack. The company columns of the first line of this regiment rushed forward shouting “hurray!” The enemy defended stubbornly, but, despite his resistance, the Azov regiment, at 7:30, had already captured the redoubt, destroyed most of its defenders (about 170 people) and captured 3 guns. Frightened by the capture of this fortification and the advance of the Ukrainian and Odessa battalions, the Turkish troops occupying redoubts Nos. 2, 3 and 4 fled to Kadykoy, abandoning all the guns, as well as gunpowder, tents and entrenching tools stored in the fortifications. Redoubt No. 4 , located at a considerable distance from the others, was also captured by Russian troops, the guns standing there were riveted, the wheels of the carriages were chopped up, and the guns themselves were thrown down onto the Vorontsov road. The cannonade on the Balaklava heights alarmed the allies. The French general Bosquet immediately sent Africans to the Balaklava Valley Chasseurs, and the British general, Lord Raglan, for his part, immediately sent for the reserve - the 1st and 4th divisions.Awaiting their arrival, the 93rd Scottish regiment lined up in front of Kadikoy. Several hundred Turks joined his right flank, and a hundred disabled people joined his left flank. Scarlet's heavy brigade was sent to the rescue of the fleeing Turks towards the redoubts, while Cardigan's light brigade remained in place, behind and to the left of the infantry.

Episode 2. Stable defense by the Highlanders of the 93rd Scottish Infantry Regiment of the approaches to Balaklava during an attempt by Russian Cossacks and hussars to break into the main supply port of the British.

After occupying the redoubts, at about 10 o’clock in the morning, General P.P. Liprandi ordered General I.I. Ryzhov with a brigade of hussars and Cossacks (about 2500 sabers), as well as the Ural infantry regiment with 16 guns of two horse-light batteries (battery No. 12 and Donskoy No. 3), go down into the valley. Then go between the occupied redoubts No. 3 and No. 4 and attack the British camp near the village of Kadykoy.

General I.I. Ryzhov carried out the order and approached the British positions. Then three hundred Cossacks of the Don 53rd Cossack Regiment under the command of Colonel Alexandrov (according to other sources, four squadrons of hussars of the Saxe-Weimar (Ingermanland) Regiment) began moving towards the village of Kadykoy. The 93rd Scottish Highlanders Regiment (about 650 people) was stationed there and covered the British camp. Although, as a result of the attack of the Russian Cossacks (hussars?), the frightened Turks standing on the flank of the 93rd Scottish regiment trembled and fled, but the Russian cavalry encountered strong and very persistent resistance from the highlanders themselves. In order to block the too wide attack front of the Russian cavalry, General Campbell ordered his soldiers (they were in red uniforms) to form in two ranks, instead of the four ranks provided for in the regulations for such cases. The words of Colin Campbell's order and his adjutant John Scott's response to them went down in British military history:

There will be no order to leave, guys. You must die where you stand.
Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

The Scots met the advancing Russian cavalry at a good shot's distance with very strong rifle fire. Contrary to popular and erroneous belief, the 93rd Regiment fired not one, but three salvoes at the Russian cavalry: from 800, 500 and 350 yards, but not a single one of them at point-blank range. Seeing the inevitability of unnecessary losses of the Cossacks (hussars), Colonel Alexandrov ordered the cavalrymen to return. It is alleged that some Scots tried to counterattack the Russian Cossacks, but General Campbell stopped them by shouting:

“93rd, I curse all the impatient!” .

At the same time, Scarlet's English brigade of heavy cavalry headed to the flank of the rest of Ryzhov's cavalry, but he organizedly took all his Cossacks and hussars (together with the Saxe-Weimar (Ingermanland) regiment) back and formed in columns to attack, in the valley between the Kadykoy heights and the Fedyukhin Mountains. This completed the attack of the Russian cavalry on the British camp.

Note : The participants in this episode, General I.I. Ryzhov and Lieutenant of the Ingermanlad Regiment E.F. Arbuzov, in their memoirs categorically deny, as “non-existent”, but described in, the attack on the 93rd Scottish Regiment, 4 squadrons of Saxe-Hussars Weimar (Ingermanlad) Regiment .

Photo by Roger Fenton. Brigadier Colin Campbell
- Commander of the Scottish Brigade.
Commanded the 93rd Scottish Foot Regiment near Balaklava (1855).

Note: Later, the British Times correspondent Sir William Howard Russell described the 93rd Scottish Regiment (in red coats) as "a thin red strip bristling with steel." Over time, this expression has become a stable expression as the “thin red line,” meaning defense with all its might.

Rice. 18. Robert Gibbs. The Thin Red Line (1881). Scottish National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle.

Episode 3. Counterattack of a heavy British cavalry brigade against a Russian light brigade of hussars and Cossacks.

The commander of the heavy British cavalry brigade, General Scarlet Russell, was 55 years old and had not yet participated in any campaign. Realizing the importance of experience in military affairs, Scarlet took advantage of the practical advice of the officers who served with him and fought in India (Colonel Beatson and Lieutenant Elliot), who suggested that their brave and decisive commander counterattack Ryzhov’s advancing cavalry in the flank. At this time, Ryzhov leisurely led his cavalry to the Kadykoy heights at a small trot and, approaching Scarlet’s brigade at a distance of about five hundred steps, slowed down. Scarlet decided to forestall the threatening blow from Ryzhov. He deployed three squadrons towards Ryzhov's columns (one from the Enniskillen Dragoon Regiment and two from the Scots Gray Regiment), and then personally led the attack, galloping first and then into the quarry with these squadrons. Scarlet was immediately followed by the remaining seven squadrons of the dragoon brigade and literally crashed into columns of Russian cavalrymen. “The hussars, who did not expect to be attacked, were crushed, the Cossacks had the same fate. All four regiments rushed in disarray towards the Chorgun Gorge. The British pursued them, but, being met by the fire of our batteries, turned back with great loss." .

Note: The participants in this episode (General I.I. Ryzhov himself and Lieutenant of the Saxe-Weimar (Ingermanlad) Regiment E.F. Arbuzov), describing the attack of the English dragoons, quite definitely say the opposite: “we rushed into the attack, grabbed and fought for about 7 minutes.” 10, forcing the British to take cover behind the infantry.” Moreover, E.F. Arbuzov certifies that “the flower of the English cavalry” - the Guards Dragoons - accepted their attack “standing still, without moving forward a single step.” And finally, it also says: “The Weimar hussars retreated on the orders of Ryzhov, who led the hussars entrusted to him, after the attack, in perfect order to the detachment, and did not at all rush in disarray to the Chorgun Gorge.” .

During a short battle between the hussars and Cossacks and the English dragoons, General Khaletsky was seriously wounded (his left ear was cut off). Seeing the pointlessness of further fighting, Lieutenant General I.I. Ryzhov gave the signal to retreat. The hussars and Cossacks quickly formed columns and began to retreat to their positions in an organized manner. But the British cavalry battery, which had already stood at redoubt No. 3, arrived in time and opened fire in the backs of the Russian cavalrymen. Lieutenant of the Saxe-Weimar Hussars E.F. Arbuzov describes this moment as follows:

“During the retreat, enemy shells began to shower us, and the ranks of the squadron became thinner and thinner with every step. When we came out of the fire, my life squadron turned into a half-squadron. There were only five and six rows in the platoon, but twelve went into action.” .

Among the Russians killed was Colonel of the Leuchtenberg regiment Voinilovich. British dragoons began to pursue the retreating hussars and Cossacks, but, met by heavy fire from Russian batteries, they returned with heavy losses.

Rice. 19. Drawing by Roger Fenton.
Charge of the Heavy Cavalry Brigade, October 25, 1854 (1855).

Note: In 1944, the Library of Congress acquired 263 photographs and many drawings by Roger Fenton from his great-niece Frances M. Fenton. In the drawings of Roger Fenton, the Crimean War appears in the dynamics of military events that could not be reflected with the help of the first cameras .

It is interesting that throughout the entire battle of the British dragoons with Ryzhov’s cavalrymen, Lord Cardigan, with the light cavalry brigade entrusted to him, remained in place and did not join Scarlet’s attack.

Note: Lord Cardigan, 57 years old, like Scarlet, also did not serve in any campaign. A brave warrior and cavalryman at heart, he was very stubborn and considered himself offended by his service, having entered under the command of his half-brother, Lord Lucan. These personal qualities, given Cardigan's mediocre abilities, could have (and did have!) harmful consequences. For example, Captain Morris, commander of the 17th Lancers, suggested that Lord Cardigan support the attack of the Scarlet Dragoons, or at least allow his regiment to take part in the matter, but Cardigan resolutely refused him this .

The remaining regiments of Lieutenant General Liprandi's detachment were located in the field at 10 o'clock in the morning in this way. Three battalions of the Dnieper Regiment, with 4 guns of battery No. 4 and 6 light guns of battery No. 6 from the 12th artillery brigade and a rifle company stood near the village of Komary. One battalion of the Dnieper and four battalions of the Azov regiments with 4 guns of battery No. 4 and 6 light guns of battery No. 6 and also a rifle company - at redoubt No. 1. Three Ukrainian battalions with 4 guns of battery No. 4 and 4 light guns of battery No. 7 from the 12th artillery brigade - at redoubt No. 2. Four battalions of the Odessa regiment with 8 guns of battery No. 7 and a rifle company of the 4th battalion stood in ledges back at redoubt No. 3. One battalion of the Ukrainian regiment with light Company No. 8 from the 12th Artillery Brigade and a rifle company were in reserve, near Chernaya Rechka.

At this time, General Zhabokritsky arrived on the battlefield and his troops settled on the Fedyukhin Mountains. Although the attack of Ryzhov’s Russian cavalrymen was repelled by British dragoons with artillery support, redoubts No. 1-4 of the Allies were captured (and already occupied!) by Russian troops. Therefore, Lieutenant General P.P. Liprandi considered that his detachment had completed the combat mission set for that day by Prince A.S. Menshikov.

Episode 4. An attack by British light cavalry on a Russian artillery battery, resulting in catastrophic losses for the British.

However, the Commander of the British corps, Lord Raglan, on the contrary, was extremely dissatisfied with the loss at the beginning of the battle of 9 guns, abandoned and not riveted by the Turks at redoubts No. 1-4.

Photo by Roger Fenton. Council at Raglan headquarters
(the general sits on the left wearing a white hat and without his right hand) (1855).

Moreover, the counter-attack by Scarlet's dragoons and the subsequent delay in the Russian advance on the British positions at Kadykoy prompted Lord Raglan to think that he could take advantage of this and try to return the guns captured by the Russians in the redoubts. Since the 1st and 4th English divisions, called to help Colin Campbell, were still far away, Raglan first sent the following instructions to Lucan:

“The cavalry must move forward and take advantage of every opportunity to capture the heights. It will be supported by infantry, which has received orders to advance in two columns.”

But, instead of fulfilling the order - "…go ahead…", Lord Lucan limited himself to ordering all his cavalry to mount, withdrew the light brigade a short distance a little to the north, and left Scarlet's dragoons in place, awaiting the infantry, which, according to him - “I haven’t arrived yet”. Instead of a cavalry attack supported by infantry, he interpreted Raglan's instructions to mean that he should first wait for the English infantry to arrive and advance, and only then support him with cavalry. Thus, the most favorable moment for the attack was missed. Meanwhile, Lord Raglan eagerly awaited the fulfillment of the instructions he had given. But as time passed, Lucan’s cavalry did not budge, and the Russians began to take away the guns they had captured at the redoubts. Then, wanting to encourage the commander of his cavalry to greater activity, Raglan considered it necessary to send him a more definitive order. Under his dictation, the chief of staff of the British army, Quartermaster General Airy, wrote the following instructions:

“Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to move quickly forward after the enemy and not allow him to carry away the guns. Horse artillery can accompany her. The French cavalry is on your left flank. Immediately" .

Then Lord Raglan called the aide-de-camp to the chief of staff, Captain Nolan, and instructed him to convey the order given to General Lucan. At this moment, the Russian troops were positioned like this: an additional detachment of General Zhabokritsky occupied the Fedyukhin heights, and the main detachment of General Liprandi was located on the hills from redoubt No. 3 to the village of Komary. Between these detachments was Ryzhov’s cavalry, which the day before retreated deeper into the valley. And in front of the columns of Ryzhov’s hussars and Cossacks, two batteries stood ready, blocking the valley: horse-light No. 12 and Don No. 3, a total of 16 guns. For direct communication between the detachments of Zhebokritsky and Laprindi, the Consolidated Uhlan Regiment of Colonel Eropkin, stationed near the Simferopol road, served.

Captain Nolan, having descended from the high Sapun Mountain, on which the English Commander-in-Chief stood with his headquarters, rode up to Lord Lucan and handed him a note from the Chief of Staff. But Lucan again did not understand Raglan’s intention: to direct the cavalry to the redoubts taken by the Russians, sequentially, starting with No. 3. He began to move the entire cavalry in the valley between the detachments of generals Liprandi and Jabokritsky, then, driving up to Lord Cardigan, he informed him of the orders he had received.

Note: Subsequently, when this attack resulted in catastrophic losses for the Light Brigade, Lucan insisted that he had only ordered it to “move forward,” and Cardigan announced that he had been expressly ordered to “attack the Russian cavalry in the valley, stationed a mile away, on the 13th light dragoon and 17th uhlan regiments." In response to Lord Lucan, Cardigan remarked that:

"The Russians had a battery in the valley, opposite the front of the English cavalry, and other batteries and riflemen on both flanks." “I know, but we have no choice but to fulfill the will of the commander-in-chief,” answered Lucan.

At 11 o'clock in the afternoon, after negotiations with Lucan, Cardigan moved forward with the light brigade. The 13th Light Dragoons and 17th Lancers were in the first line, the 11th Hussars in the second, the 4th Light Dragoons and the 8th Hussars in the third.

Rice. 21. Drawing by Roger Fenton. Charge of the Light Horse Brigade
25 October 1854, under the command of Major General Cardigan (1855).

Note: The English artist William Simpson painted a picture with the same plot and image as in the drawing by Roger Fenton (1855) .

The Dragoon Brigade, with which Lord Lucan himself remained, was supposed to support the attack of the light brigade. As soon as the English cavalry started moving, a horseman galloped in front of the front of the first line from left to right towards the height of redoubt No. 3, raising his hands and, as if indicating the point at which the attack was to be carried out. It was Nolan, who was then fatally struck by a grenade fragment. As soon as the advance of the British cavalry began, the Odessa Chasseur Regiment retreated to the height of redoubt No. 2 and formed a square against the cavalry attack. And the rifle riflemen of this regiment and a company of the 4th rifle battalion opened fire along with the cross cannonade of batteries: Don No. 3 (from the valley), light No. 7 (from redoubt No. 3) and battery No. 1 (from the Fedyukhin Mountains from Zhabokritsky’s detachment). But the British cavalry, not paying attention to the well-aimed firing of Russian guns and infantry, reducing their ranks, on the contrary, accelerated their pace and attacked Don battery No. 3.

Fig.22. Richard Woodville. Charge of the Light Brigade. (1855).

At the same time, she chopped up the servants at the guns and rushed after Ryzhov’s hussars, who were ordered to retreat in order to lure the enemy into the crossfire of other Russian batteries. Thus, the British pursued the Russian hussars to the Chorgunsky (Tavern) Bridge.

Photo by Roger Fenton. Chorgunsky (Tavern) Bridge (1855).

But, at the same time, the squadrons of Cardigan's light brigade suffered serious losses, and did not receive support from the dragoons of Scarlet's brigade, whom Lord Lucan took back to their previous position. Despite this, the British cavalry, carried away by the initial success, continued to rush into the quarry behind the Russian hussars, who had already mixed up and rushed to the Tavern Bridge. The horse-light battery No. 12 that was with them and the limbers of the Don battery No. 3, which was temporarily captured by the enemy, barely made their way to the other side of the river. When the British cavalry was already at the bridge, Lieutenant General Liprandi ordered Colonel Eropkin to attack the enemy with six squadrons of the Consolidated Lancer Regiment, which were stationed near redoubts Nos. 2 and 3 and found themselves practically in the rear of the advancing light brigade. Immediately the lancers set off at great trots and, having reached the road leading to the Tavern Bridge, they turned around from the columns into a line. At this time the English light cavalry, exhausted after their desperate charge, returned at a trot, in perfect order. As soon as the British caught up with our lancers, the 1st squadron of the Consolidated Regiment struck the enemy’s flank and crashed into the retreating column, and the other squadrons went on the attack after it. At the same time, the Russian infantry and artillery opened fire again, from which the light brigade of the British suffered heavy damage, but also our lancers. Colonel Eropkin himself, surrounded by three British, killed one and unhorsed another. Russian lancers pursued the remnants of the British light brigade almost to the 4th redoubt, and Russian artillery and infantry fired almost continuously. Cardigan's attack lasted only 20 minutes and ended at 11-35 o'clock, but its losses were tragic.

Notes: 1. Here is how the English journalist William Russell describes the end of the attack in his report for the Times newspaper:

“So we watched them rush into the battery; then, to our delight, we saw that they were returning, breaking through the column of Russian infantry, scattering it like a haystack. And then they - having lost formation, scattered throughout the valley - were swept away by a flank salvo from a battery on the hill. The wounded and lost cavalrymen running towards our positions testified more eloquently than any words to their sad fate - yes, they failed, but even the demigods could not have done more... At 11:35 there were no more British soldiers left in front of the damned Muscovite guns, except the dead and dying...".

2. At the very beginning of the Eastern War, the author of these lines, William Russell, was tasked with accompanying the British army to Malta, and then to the east coast of Russia and, finally, to Crimea and Sevastopol. Many historians and researchers of the Crimean War consider William Russell to be the greatest war correspondent. He noted the main distinguishing feature of the Crimean War - poor troop management, both on the part of the Anglo-French-Turkish alliance and on the part of Russia. His truthful reporting brought the horrors of war to the British public, and his criticism of the state of the British Army played an important role in the subsequent reorganization and modernization of that army. His reports on the events of the Crimean War for two years (until the spring of 1854) were sent twice a week by sea mail .

Photo by Roger Fenton. William Howard Russell is a special correspondent for The Times.

Perhaps the losses suffered by the British would have been even greater if the commander of the French cavalry, General Morris, had not sent General d'Alonville with the 4th Regiment of African Horse Chasseurs to their rescue. The French wanted to carry out their attack in two echelons: the first echelon, under the command of Abdelal, was supposed to attack battery No. 1 standing on the Fedyukhin Mountains from Zhabokritsky’s detachment, and the other, under the personal command of d’Alonville, was to attack two infantry battalions covering the Russian artillery. At the same time, Cathcart's division and the Espinass brigade were additionally sent against the Jabokritsky detachment, and the Duke of Cambridge's division was sent against the Russian troops of Liprandi, who occupied the redoubts. The first two squadrons of d'Alonville's mounted rangers broke through the rifle chain covering Zhabokritsky's troops, galloped around battery No. 1 on the left and began to cut down the servants. The other two squadrons, following the ledge behind the left flank of the leading division, rushed to cover; but General Zhabokritsky managed to form into groups two battalions of the Vladimir regiment and met the mounted rangers with heavy fire. The French were forced to stop, and then, hit by well-aimed shots from plastuns and riflemen, retreated to Sapun Mountain. Although this attack was not completely successful, it achieved its main goal, weakening the cannonade of Zhabokritsky’s detachment , aimed at the retreating Cardigan brigade. The Allied Commanders-in-Chief decided to leave the taken fortifications and trophies to the Russians and abandon the defense of the outer line of redoubts, concentrating Colin-Campbell's troops at Balaklava and strengthening the inner line covering this city. The proposed attack of the Allied infantry on the abandoned redoubts No. 1 -4 was cancelled, with the general agreement of commanders Canrobert and Raglan. The further battle was limited to a firefight between Cathcart's division, which had recaptured redoubt No. 4, and the nearest Odessa Russian regiment.

The cannonade stopped at 4 pm and the battle of Balaklava ended. The Allied Commanders-in-Chief decided to leave the captured fortifications and trophies to the Russians and abandon the defense of the outer line of redoubts, concentrating Colin-Campbell's troops at Balaklava and strengthening the inner line covering this city. On the Russian side, General Liprandi, content with the successes he had achieved, positioned his troops in the position he occupied as follows. One battalion of the Dnieper regiment in the village of Komary, the Azov infantry regiment and one Dnieper battalion - in redoubt No. 1, one battalion of the Ukrainian regiment - in redoubts No. 2 and 3, the Odessa regiment, two battalions of the Dnieper and one Ukrainian regiment - near redoubt No. 3 One Ukrainian battalion stood in reserve, at the Chorgunsky bridge on the Chernaya Rechka. Zhabokritsky's detachment occupied the Fedyukhin Mountains. The cavalry, as before, remained in the valley, behind the detachment of Lieutenant General P.P. Liprandi.

The losses of Russian troops at Balaklava, which are given as: 6 officers and 232 lower ranks killed, 1 general, 19 officers and 292 lower ranks wounded and shell-shocked, for a total of up to 550 people. The allies showed their losses at 598 people, of which 38 French, 300 British and 260 Turks. But, in reality, these losses are greater: when taking the redoubts, 170 Turks were killed, the attack of the Cardigan Light Brigade cost the British 300 people killed alone, 60 people were taken prisoner . Russian trophies: one banner, captured during the capture of redoubt No. 1, 11 guns and 60 cartridge boxes. In addition, a Turkish camp and an entrenching tool were captured.

Note: Analyzing the Battle of Balaklava in the book, the author makes the following two conclusions:

1. The battle is over. It was not a complete Russian victory, but, of course, it was not in the slightest degree a victory for the Allies, and one can only talk about a Russian “defeat” at Balaklava if one means the occupation of the city on September 16 after Alma, when Balaklava was, in essence, taken and did not defend (except for an insignificant skirmish) - but in no case can the case of October 13 (25) be called that, although the taken redoubts had to be abandoned. On the contrary, both the capture of these redoubts at the beginning of the battle and the extermination of the light English cavalry at the end of it were, undoubtedly, a success for the Russian army, although it did not have any beneficial strategic consequences. Balaklava Day (it would be more accurate to say Kadykoy, but among us, starting with Totleben and Liprandi, and among the allies, it was more customary to call this battle the Battle of Balaklava) - October 13 (25), 1854 forever remained a mourning date in military history England. Only 12 days later, a message about the fatal event arrived in London, sent from Constantinople. This light cavalry, which lay down near Balaklava, included representatives of the most famous aristocratic families. The impression in England of this battle was amazing. For many years (until the outbreak of the 1914 war), pilgrims occasionally arrived from England with the special purpose of visiting the “valley of death”, where the English cavalry died.
2. The most important thing was that, morally, the Russians had a feeling of victory from this Balaklava battle, while the British had a feeling (and a very painful one) of defeat, the consciousness of completely senselessly ruined lives, losses caused by the mediocrity and military ignorance of the high command. Raglan tried to shift all the blame onto Lucan and Cardigan, as if they did not understand him. The government and the press supported him so as not to undermine his prestige.

Tactically, the battle of Balaklava was beneficial for the Russians: the allies suffered significant losses and were forced to limit themselves to covering Balaklava. Even more important were the moral benefits. The defenders of Sevastopol were convinced of the possibility of fighting a strong enemy, and the allies began to doubt the success of the siege. The attack of the British light cavalry brigade was considered by all participants in the battle to be a brilliant feat of self-sacrifice, but everyone condemned the commanders who exposed a significant part of the elite cavalry to obvious death. General Bosquet, seeing this attack, said:

“C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre” (“It’s nice, but you can’t fight like that”).

Lord Raglan, meeting Cardigan after the attack, expressed his displeasure to him by asking:

“How could you attack the battery from the front, contrary to all military rules?”

Then, seeing Lucan, he said:

"you destroyed the light brigade" .

In 1904, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Sevastopol defense, a monument to the Battle of Balaklava was unveiled at the Arab-Tabia heights. The hill received its name from the unofficial name of the 4th redoubt - Arab-Tabia (Arab fortress), built on this hill by the British to protect their troops based in Balaklava. The slender column was made of Alma limestone, topped with a double-headed bronze eagle looking towards Balaklava and stood on a pedestal lined with granite. On the site near the monument, two granite quadrangular slabs were installed with a listing of the units of the Russian troops that participated in the Battle of Balaklava and a diagram of the battle. On the main facade of the pedestal there was a raised inscription: “The Battle of Balaklava. 13 - October -1854". On the opposite side: “7 officers, 124 lower ranks killed”. The monument was reconstructed for the first time in 1875. During the Great Patriotic War, the monument was very badly damaged, so in 1998 it was reconstructed again, installing a cast iron eagle instead of a bronze one.

In the center of the Balaklava Valley in 1856, the British also erected a monument - a small obelisk made of marble-like limestone with an inscription in English and Russian: "In memory of those who fell in the Battle of Balaklava on October 25, 1854". In 1945, during the Yalta meeting of the allies in the Second World War: Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, the head of the British government, Winston Churchill, visited the Balaklava Valley. He laid flowers at the English obelisk, in memory of one of his eminent relatives who died in this battle, the Earl of Marlborough. In 2001, during his visit to Ukraine, Prince Michael of Kent, brother of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, visited the memorial site.

monument at the site of the Battle of Alma

monument at the site of the Battle of Balaklava

Introduction

The Battle of Balaklava took place on October 13 (25), 1854 and was one of the largest battles of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 between the allied forces of Great Britain, France and Turkey on the one hand, and Russia on the other.
The battle took place in the valleys north of Balaklava, bounded by the low Fedyukhin Mountains, Sapun Mountain and the Black River. This was the first and only battle of the Crimean War in which Russian troops significantly outnumbered them.
Three events marked this battle, which might have remained a minor one: the defense of the Scots against the determined Russians (also called the "thin red line" in French). la mince ligne rouge), the attack of the British heavy brigade, which, contrary to expectation, turned out to be a success, and the attack of the light British brigade, undertaken by Lord Cardigan after a series of misunderstandings and which led to heavy losses.
The battle was not decisive. The British folded at Sevastopol, and the Russians retained their guns and position.

1. Location of allied forces in the Balaklava camp

In mid-September 1854, on the hillocks around occupied Balaklava, the allied forces built 4 redoubts (3 large and one smaller), which defended the Turkish troops stationed there by order of Lord Raglan. At each redoubt there were 250 Turkish soldiers and 1 English artilleryman. However, only 3 large redoubts were equipped with artillery. In Balaklava there was a camp and military warehouses for the allied forces. The British treated their Turkish allies with contempt, subjecting them to corporal punishment for the slightest offenses and giving them more than modest rations.

2. Plans and strengths of the parties

In October, Russian forces approached the allied Balaklava base.
The city and port of Balaklava, located 15 km south of Sevastopol, was the base of the British expeditionary force in the Crimea. A strike by Russian troops on the Allied positions at Balaklava could, if successful, lead to the release of besieged Sevastopol and a disruption in the supply of the British.

The Russian detachment, under the command of infantry general Pavel Petrovich Liprandi, numbered about 16 thousand people and included the Kiev and Ingria Hussars, the Ural and Don Cossacks, the Dnieper and Odessa infantry regiments and a number of other units and units. General Liprandi served as deputy commander-in-chief of Russian troops in Crimea, Prince Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov.

The Allied forces, mainly British troops, included two cavalry brigades. The heavy cavalry brigade, under the command of Brigadier General James Scarlett, consisted of the 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, the 1st, 2nd and 6th Dragoon Regiments and was located to the south, closer to Balaclava. The northern positions, closer to the Fedyukhin Mountains, were occupied by a light cavalry brigade, which included the 4th, 8th, 11th and 13th Hussar Regiments. The light brigade was commanded by Major General Lord Cardigan. Representatives of the most famous aristocratic families of Great Britain served in the light cavalry, considered an elite branch of the military. Overall command of the British cavalry was exercised by Major General the Earl of Lucan. French and Turkish units also took part in the battle, but their role was insignificant. The number of Allied troops was about two thousand people.

The British Expeditionary Force was commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Raglan, the French by Divisional General Francois Canrobert.

3. Start of battle

The battle began at about five in the morning, before dawn. The Russians, with a bayonet attack, drove the Turkish troops out of redoubt No. 1, located on the southern flank, and destroyed about 170 Turks. The three remaining redoubts, located to the north and northwest, were abandoned by the Turks without a fight. The Turkish troops who fled in panic did not render the artillery located on the redoubts unusable, and the Russians received nine guns as a trophy. The British had to stop the retreating Turks by force of arms.
Having captured the redoubts, while attempting to further develop the attack in order to reach Balaklava, the Russians encountered strong resistance from the heavy cavalry of Scarlett and the 93rd Scottish infantry regiment of Baronet Colin Campbell. In order to cover the too wide front of the attack of the Russian cavalry, Campbell ordered his soldiers to line up in lines of two, instead of the lines of four provided for in such cases by the regulations. The words of Campbell's order and the response of his adjutant John Scott went down in British military history:

- There will be no order to leave, guys. You must die where you stand.- Yes, Sir Colin. If necessary, we will do it.

The Times correspondent later described the Scottish regiment at that moment as “a thin red strip bristling with steel.” Over time, this expression turned into a stable expression “thin red line”, indicating defense with all the strength.
The attack of Russian troops was repelled. General Liprandi considered the day's task completed.

4. Charge of the light cavalry brigade

But Lord Raglan was extremely dissatisfied with the loss of nine guns at the beginning of the battle and gave an order that led to tragic consequences. The text of this order to Lord Lucan, recorded by Quartermaster General R. Erie, read:

“Lord Raglan wants the cavalry to quickly attack the enemy in front of them and not allow him to take back the guns. A battery of horse artillery can accompany. French cavalry on your left flank. Immediately. R. Erie."

The result of the execution of the order was an attack by about 600 horsemen on Russian positions along a three-kilometer valley, under a murderous crossfire of artillery and infantry located on the hills along the entire valley. From the first line of horsemen, only about 50 people broke through to the Russian positions. During the twenty-minute attack, which began at 12:20, 129 English cavalrymen were killed, and up to two-thirds of the attackers were out of action. The remnants of the brigade, however, managed to retreat to their original positions in an organized manner.

One of the participants in the battle, French general Pierre Bosquet, said a phrase that went down in history - “ It was great, but that's not how you fight" The lesser known ending of the phrase read " It was crazy».

The phrase "charge of the light brigade" has become a common noun in the English language, meaning some desperately bold, but doomed action.

5. Results of the battle

By the end of the battle, the opposing sides remained in their morning positions. On the Allied side, the following deaths occurred: the British - 547 people, the French - 23 people, the Turks - 170 people. The total number of wounded allies is not known, but more than 300 people were wounded by the Turks alone during the battle. Russian losses in killed and wounded were 617 people. Some Western sources, citing Allied losses of about 600 people, do not take into account the significant losses of the Turkish expeditionary force, which during the Battle of Balaklava was completely demoralized and was no longer used as an independent combat unit during the war. Separate units of the Turkish expeditionary force were attached to the British and French units as auxiliary units, and were used mainly for the construction of defensive structures and the transfer of heavy loads.

The Russians were unable to achieve their goal during the Battle of Balaklava - to destroy the English camp and cut off the supply of English troops. However, the result of the battle was the Allies abandoning the idea of ​​capturing Sevastopol by storm and switching to positional siege operations.

6. Balaklava battle in art

Fifth composition ( The Trooper) the fourth studio album by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden Piece of Mind dedicated to the Battle of Balaklava. The song's lyrics describe an attack by a British light cavalry brigade through the eyes of a British cavalryman who is killed by a musket shot from a Russian infantryman.

“The song is based on the Crimean War, where the British fought against the Russians. The introduction is an attempt to recreate the gallop of horses during a light cavalry charge. It's an atmospheric song." - Steve Harris

Literature

Koribut-Kubitovich. Memories of the Balaklava case, October 13, 1854. VS, 1859, t.-7, no. 5, p. 147-166.

Bogdanovich, “Eastern War 1853-56.” (SPb., );

Tarle E. V. “Crimean War” ISBN 5-94661-049-X, 5-94661-050-3

Russian translation of Alfred Thenisson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade"

Attack pattern

Bibliography:

Grant R.J. Nationalisme et modernization - La guerre de Crimée et la Russie en Asie - Guerre de Crimée - Balaklava // Batailles - les plus grands combats de l "antiquité à nos jours = Battles - a visual journey trought 5,000 years of combat. - 1st ed. - M.: Flammarion, 2007. - P. 260. - 360 pp. - ISBN 978-2-0812-0244-3 (French)