Osprey Men-at-Arms 196 : The British Army on Campaign (2) 1854-1856 : The Crimea

In 1854 the British Army was committed to its first major war against a European power since 1815. The expeditionary force, or 'Army of the East', was despatched to Turkey nominally to support the Ottoman Empire in its war with Russia; but in reality to check, in alliance with France and later Sardinia (Piedmont), Russian ambitions for an outlet to the Mediterranean which, together with eastwards expansion in Asia, posed the greatest external threat to the British Empire, whose security had been the Army's chief role since 1815. Despite many failures in the conduct of operations and administration, the war was won in two years and Russian designs on the Balkans and Levant were thwarted for two decades. The Army, though experienced in colonial fighting, had been ill-prepared for European warfare; but its short-comings in command, organisation and logistics were tempered by the performance of regimental officers and men - until these were reduced by the severity of the Russian winter, for which no provision had been made. Eventually, however, the Army emerged from the war stronger and better-found than it had been at the beginning. In this second of four books [Men-at-Arms 193, 196, 198 & 201] Michael Barthorp examines the history, tactics, equipment, weapons and especially uniforms of the British Army during the Crimean War 1854-56, accompanied by numerous illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Pierre Turner.

Contents

• Introduction
• The Crimean War
• Fighting Methods
• Uniforms, Equipment, Weapons
• The Plates