Crimean War - Battle of the Alma River, September 20, 1854

The Crimean war is notable for poor leadership of both sides and lack of planning of the war operations.  The first battle of the Crimean camppaign, the battle of Alma reveals slips in administartive control.

The landing point for allied fleet was not chosen in advance by British leader Lord Raglan and French Marshal Armand de Saint-Arnaud. Instead, only when approaching to the shore, commanders picked up a flat open beach area for landing the troops. The unwise decision of landing on well observed shore had not been used as an advantage, however, for the enemy attack. Russian commander, Prince Alexander Menshikov showed his lack of ability by losing the chance to destroy allied troops in vulnerable position.

The allied troops started to move towards Sevastopol, and only now, with the allies outnumbering Russians, did Prince Menshikov attempt to stop them in the battle of the Alma. An attempt to hold the line of the River Alma cost Menshikov 5,700 of his 36,400 men, and the allies 3,000 of their 52,000, although Russian reinforcements were already starting to reach the area.

Allied troops while walking through the district road on their way to Sevastopol almost run over poorly armored Russian troops who were withdrawing to Central Crimea.  Instead of a battle or immediate attack of Russians and Sevastopol from the land while Sevastopol’s defensive constructions were still unfinished, allied troops marched to the remote districts of the city to prepare for the siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855).  By this maneuver they inevitably missed the chance to take the leading position from the very beginning.

The allies regained contact with their fleets, and established themselves in their new bases, the British at Balaklava, the French at Kamiesch, where the death of Marshal St. Arnaud raised General Francois Canrobert to command.