On the 5th November 1854 a smaller British and (yes) French army beat off an assault by the Russians at Inkerman in the Crimea. It was known as “The Soldier’s Battle” as men fought small engagements due to poor visibility in dense fog.
The Russians had massed 32000 men on the Allied flank and headed for the 2700 man 2nd Division, commanded today by the aggressive Pennefather. Instead of falling back in the face of superior numbers, he advanced. The British had their rifles to thank this day as they took a terrible toll on the musket armed Russian Infantry, who were hemmed in by the valley’s bottle neck shape. The British 2nd Division pushed the Russians back onto their reinforcements and should have been routed by the Russians’ numbers, but the fog and the British Light Division saved them. Three successive Russian commanders were killed in this engagement.
The Russians other 15000 men approached and assailed the Sandbag Battery, but they were routed by 300 British defenders vaulting the wall, blunting the lead Battalions, who were then attacked in the flank. More Russian attacks ensured the Battery exchanged hands several times.
The British 4th Division was not as lucky. Arriving on the field, its flanking move was itself flanked and its commander, Cathcart, killed. This enabled the Russians to advance, but not for long. They were soon driven off by French units arriving from their camps and made no more headway.
The battle was lost and they had to withdraw.
This was the last time the Russians tried to defeat the Allied troops in the field. Despite this reverse, however, the Russian attack had seriously stalled the Allies from capturing Sevastopol. They had to instead, spend one harsh winter on the heights overlooking the city, before it fell in September of 1855.
The British suffered 2573 casualties, the French 1800 and the Russians 11959.
Battle of Glendale (Frayser Farm)
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I’m reading a book on R.E Lee and the Seven Days Battles have played out. This question was raised in the book. What’s your thoughts?
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Hi Worsham. I am glad you are enjoying your book.
I do not have any books on the battles of The Seven Days, but think, despite the near parity in numbers, a victory as comprehensive as Cannae was beyond Lee’s fledgling ANV.
North Virginia itself was perfect defensive territory and very unforgiving to untrained and badly led troops.
Lee’s plans were sound, but like many commanders plans early on(McDowell’s at Manassas), too complicated for his subordinates and their men to follow.
As you know, everything went wrong in the Seven Days. Lee would rectify things after it and his army would become his sword and shield, with Jackson and Longstreet. The rest of 1862 would be most uncomfortable for a string of successive Northern commanders.
As in most Civil War battles it only took one, or part of one, unit to stymy an advance or prevent a proper breakthrough. Wasn’t it McCall at Glendale?
The flank attacks never materialised as Holmes held one and Jackson(surprisingly for him) the other.
I have not voted as yet. Might have to come back to it.
Thank you for the question.
I hope to think more on it. -
Even if Mac’s 100000 had been forced against the James and forced to surrender to Lee’s 65000 survivors of the Seven Days, Lincoln could still count on Pope’s 40000 further North and the Washington garrison and various smaller detachments. The initiative would have been firmly in Lee’s hands, but defence was far easier than attack.
Possibly a European intervention would have occurred, but I try not to dwell on that possibility much. (I would rather stick to the battles and what happened.)
Lee’s march North would have required a few weeks to materialise and this time could have been used to transport Western troops East by rail. (They might even have ended up with Grant a little earlier!)
Lincoln would not have given up. He would have brought every man East if he could save his Capital and the Union.
I cannot, thetefore, see how a Cannae like battle, much dreamed of by Lee, would have brought about a Federal collapse.
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