Crimean War - Leo Tolstoy

One of the Greatest Russian novelist Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy started his way in literature as a short story writer.  Witness of the war, the lieutenant Leo Tolstoy wrote a few short sketches on the Siege of Sevastopol, collected in The Sebastopol Sketches. The stories detail the lives of the Russian soldiers and citizens in Sevastopol during the siege. Because of this work, Tolstoy has been called the world's first war correspondent. 

In the beginning of the war Leo Tolstoy was serving outside Crimea.  When the war broke out he submitted a petition to send him to Sevastopol battlefields. He served in 4^th bastion during April - August 1855. He was a participant of the Battle of the Chernaya River. He witnessed as the Russians crossed the river and started up the hillside in the morning sunlight. Tolstoy saw Russian soldiers being killed in clusters as shells exploded around them. Before the morning was over, the Russians were forced to retreat. They left thousands of their dead comrades behind. Tolstoy was depressed and angered by the slaughter. He believed much of it was due to incompetent generals and staff. Tolstoy vented his anger by composing some satiric stanzas. His humorous song soon gained widespread popularity among the Russian soldiers. It is the only piece of verse Tolstoy is known to have written.