Battle Of The Alma



No One Warned Us About These Terrible Soldiers In Petticoats

The Basic Cause of the War

Russia saw Constantinople as an outlet to the Mediterranean Sea for Her fleet and as a way of increasing influence in the Balkans and The Middle East. Unfortunately for them Britain, France and the Austro- Hungarian Empire would never allow this to happen, as it would have had a massive impact on their interests in the area. War would have been inevitable.

In the 1850's Czar Nicholas was putting out feelers as to how Britain and France would react to some Russian control in Turkey based on the fact that it was in terminal decline. This approach was turned down so Nicholas set off on a more indirect route.

He was head of the Greek Orthodox Church and as such supported their claims to various rights and privileges in the Holy Land. France on the other hand had long-standing recognition, from the Turkish Empire, as the protector of Christians in that region.

Louis Napoleon of France renewed these rights which included having the keys to the church of the Holy Sepulchre and therefore the Manger. The Sultan of Turkey backed them and the Greeks were ordered to hand over the keys.

Czar Nicholas in turn felt insulted and ordered troops onto the border of the two Turkish Christian provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia whilst sending Prince Menschikoff to Constantinople in March 1853. The Russian demands were to have the keys and for the Sultan to recognise the Czar as protector of the Greek Church within the Turkish Empire.

This latter was rejected and within six weeks the two provinces were occupied by Russia. Turkey ordered them to leave within fifteen days. This did not happen and so war was declared. Following Turkish reversals in the fighting Britain and France gave Russia an ultimatum to leave. As this was refused the two allies declared war on March 27th and 28th.By the end of April 1854 the first British army units had reached Scutari.

Arrival of the 42nd

The SS Hydaspes was brought into Portsmouth Harbour, early on Saturday May 20th, by Captain John Baker. The ten service companies of the 42nd began embarkation soon after 4pm.There were 32 Officers, 45 Sergeants, 20 Drummers and Pipers and 850 rank and file. Altogether the total strength of the regiment was 947.The Hydaspes left harbour at 6am the next morning on its voyage to the Dardanelles.

After stopping at Malta, which was reached on June 1st,the 42nd finally arrived in Scutari harbour on the 7th June. They were the last of the Highland Brigade to reach the potential war zone and on disembarkation, on June 9th, joined the 93rd and 79th.



The Highlanders were in the hands of Sir Colin Campbell who had just assumed the command. As an experienced soldier he knew the character of the men under his control and his men knew him as an officer who had made his way by sheer ability to his present position. They had not campaigned together as yet but were soon to forge a link of mutual trust and admiration.



The 42nd was at this time commanded by Colonel Duncan Cameron who had been described by one of his fellow officers as "the very beau ideal of a commanding officer with his white hair and stern cast of countenance." The Highland Brigade was a part of the 1st Division along with the Brigade of Guards (commanded by Major-General Bentinck). The Divisional commander was HRH the Duke of Cambridge.

From Scutari to Calamita Bay

It was a matter of four days before the 42nd were back on board ship (June 13th) heading for Varna where they disembarked and camped on June 15th.

This move to Bulgaria was to have troops ready at hand should the Russians break through. In fact at the end of June the reverse happened and the enemy raised its siege of Silistria and withdrew from the two contested provinces. The British army hadn't fired a shot in anger and yet all of the war aims had been achieved.

For the 42nd this period was marked by the antagonism which they, and the other Highland regiments, felt towards the Guards with whom they were brigaded. By right of seniority the Guards took precedence on the march. This meant that the following troops had to go through their dust, gathering up their baggage and sick, and their officers had seniority over line officers of similar rank.

Moreover the 42nd were a healthy battalion but the Guards weren't. The whole of the Guard's brigade has been described as the most diseased Corps in the British army. Twenty-five percent had venereal disease and they were losing three times as many men to that major killer of the Crimea-cholera.

Varna was not a pleasant place and on July 1st the battalion was at Aladyne (Aladeen) followed on the 28th of that month by a move to Gevrekler five miles away. Then on the 16th August the feelings of antagonism and indignation towards the Guards took another turn.

On that day the 1st division was preparing to march to Galatbourna. The Guards had arranged to have their packs carried. However the 42nd turned up on parade with their packs not wanting to be separated from them and fully believing that they could carry them. As usual the Guards precedence won the day and the AAG Colonel Gordon ordered the 42nd to discard their packs.

Although the Russians had withdrawn the British cabinet decided that the Crimea was to be invaded and Sebastopol captured. So accordingly orders were dispatched for the 42nd to go to Varna. On the 29th they marched there and boarded the SS Emeu.



The Emeu sailed on the 5th and rendezvoused with the rest of the fleet in Baljik bay. The whole fleet weighed anchor at 4.45 am on September 7th.

The Landings



At 3am on September 14th 1854 the allied fleet anchored in Calamita Bay. The exact landing place was a mile north of the Old Fort on a strip of beach between Lake Kamishlu and the sea. Disembarkation of the British Army began soon after 8.30am on a bright and calm morning.

Kinglake the Crimean War historian describes how the 42nd came ashore: "The seamen knew that it concerned the comfort and health of the soldiers to be landed dry, so they lifted or handed the men ashore with an almost tender care: yet not without mirth-nay, not without laughter far heard-when, as though they were giant maidens, the tall highlanders of the 42nd placed their hands in the hands of the sailors and sprang by his aid to the shore, their kilts floating out wide while they leapt."

All of the infantry had landed by the end of the day despite the sea having become rougher after mid-day. Each soldier carried with him everything he would need for the next three days. A Black Watch Officer drew up a list of the things that he had on his person.

"3 days rations of salt pork and biscuits (9lbs), cocoa and sugar in his haversack; shirt,hose,boots,brushes,shell jacket, and sponges in his knapsack;greatcoat,claymore,dirk and revolver on top of his knapsack and the Queen's Colour in his hand."In addition each man carried fifty rounds of ammunition.

The regiment was armed with the Minie rifle. As the name suggests it had basic rifling with spiral grooves giving a twist of one in Seventy-two inches. This gave it an advantage over the old smooth bore Brown Bess musket although it was still muzzle loading. The effective range was 800-900 yards and the conical bullet made a distinctive whistling sound as it travelled through the air. Being a long rifle it was a formidable weapon with a fixed bayonet.

Eventually the army had settled on a front that was some three miles in depth. Some soldiers remained on the beach but the rest of them had been marched up to the high grounds towards the south where they bivouacked. At night it rained heavily and there were no tents. This was how the 42nd began the campaign - soaking wet and quickly fotgetting the regenerative powers of the sea voyage.

The army was indeed ill equipped. Perhaps most tellingly of all there was no transport corps to carry the army's baggage. This meant that each soldier including officers had to carry their possessions for the next two weeks without any shelter.

By the evening of September 18th the whole of the British Land Force which had embarked at Varna was ashore. A force of 26000 infantrymen with more than 1000 mounted cavalry and 60 guns had landed in five days. The total allied force was 63000 and 128 guns.

The March Southwards



The march of the allied armies southwards to Sebastopol began on the morning of September 19th.The order of march was as in the diagram. The French moving in their lozenge shape were always about two miles ahead of the British who were in an asymmetrical formation with three divisions on the left and two on the right. This enabled rapid deployment should the column be attacked from either flank.

The sun was hot and sea breezes floated briskly along the hills. The ground was an undulating steppe stretching for miles and covered with a herb like Southernwood which released a distinctive bitter fragrance when crushed by the advancing columns. Because the topography was basically a treeless downland it allowed the arrangement of what was probably the biggest land force in history measuring as it did four miles by four miles.

When the divisions first set off the colours were flying and the bands playing. However the excitement soon wore off and weariness set in even before the first hour of the march was over. Due to the heat and lack of water, combined with heavy equipment, it wasn't long before men began falling out. Some of these were suffering from cholera.

Not surprisingly, especially to the 42nd,it was the "tall stately men of the Guards" who dropped out from their ranks in great numbers. Thirst being the main problem as soon as the Bulganak river was sighted, shortly before 3.30 p.m., some of the divisions broke and ran forward. The Highland Division maintained its discipline, awaiting Sir Colin Campbell's order, before being released in sections to the river.

Whilst halted the first shots of the war were fired when some Russian cavalry appeared. Following this skirmish Lord Raglan, the army commander, decided to bivouac for the night, with his back to the Bulganak, and the march ended with several hours of daylight left for the men to collect dried grass as fuel for cooking their evening meal.



The River Alma Position

It was known that the Russians were established on the heights above the Alma which lay seven miles beyond the Bulganak.

Along the northern, or right bank, of the Alma there was a broad belt of gardens and vineyards enclosed by low stone walls. But on the opposite bank there were few such enclosures given that the soil was thin due to the rock being so close to the surface. Again on the northern side there were smooth slopes contrasting with the hills, valleys and ravines on the other side.

This southern side contained several noteworthy features that ultimately determined how the enemy disposed their forces. The "West Cliff" was a bluff buttress of rock, next to the sea, rising to about 400 feet. On its northern side it hung over the river as a sheer precipice only losing it's severity when the village of Almatanack was reached. At that point the slope was easy to ascend.

Two miles higher up the river, but joined onto, West Cliff was Telegraph Height so called as there was an unfinished turret intended for a telegraph at its summit. At the top West Cliff and Telegraph Height formed one connected plateau or table-land. Dividing the hill from the river was a low almost flat wooded ledge with a varying breadth of 2- 600 yards. On some parts of this ledge there were orchards or vineyards.

At the base of Telegraph Hill the heights curled into an amphitheatre a mile across and half a mile in depth - the diagram gives an indication of the shape of the land at this point.



On the eastern side of the amphitheatre, still higher up the river but receding from it in a south easterly direction the ground rose gradually to a height of 450 feet. This was Kourgane Hill and was the key to the position.

The Russian Occupation of the Position

Prince Menschikoff was in charge of the whole of the Russian naval and military resources in the Crimea. He left West Cliff denuded of troops believing that it was inaccessible and too near to the allied fleet lying nearby. Consequently his army of 39000 and 106 guns took up a narrow position beginning on the eastern slopes of the Kourgane Hill and terminating on the west of Telegraph Hill at a distance of two miles from the sea.

On the jutting rib which went round the front of Kourgane, 300 yards from the Alma was a breastwork called the Great Redoubt. It was a shallow trench with earth thrown up in front of it and open at the rear. From here fourteen heavy guns commanded the ground up to and beyond the vineyards. But it was a slight work presenting no physical obstacle to advancing troops.



On the same hill but higher up and more to the right about half a mile away there was another breastwork containing nine field guns. This was the Lesser Redoubt and overlooked a valley up which any flanking attack would have to come.

Along the top of the Kourgane and at various points around the rim of the amphitheatre were field guns capable of shelling the Great Redoubt should it be captured.

15000 troops commanded by Gortschakoff were to be found between and behind the redoubts. Finally on the extreme right were 1000 cavalry.

The Plan for the Forthcoming Battle

Planning for the battle was minimal. When the French commander St.Arnaud came to see Lord Raglan the night before - September 19th - the latter hardly said anything and certainly did not commit himself. St.Arnaud intended to send his forces against the main body of the Russians leaving the British the task of dealing with the Russian right.

Moving Up To the Alma Heights

On September 20th at the Bulganak bivouac the men of the allied armies were roused silently without the aid of bugle or drum. At 10am the British troops had to move to the right so as to close a gap which had developed the previous day between the allies. It was about 11-11.30am before the adjustments were made and the advance could begin.

Two more halts were made as it was a hot day. The last of these was 1.5-2 miles from the banks of the Alma at a point were the heights were visible. The 42nd along with the rest of the army was ordered to eat their mid-day meal whilst Raglan and St.Arnaud rode ahead to reconnoitre.

The French would attack the heights in echelon. Raglan gave no indication as to when he would commit his men to the action. The two commanders then returned to their armies.

Kinglake records what happened next.

"Sir Colin Campbell - the Highland Brigade Commander - said to one of his officers "This will be a good time for the men to get loose half their cartridges". The cartridges were delivered to each man in a packet and to avoid loss of time in presence of the enemy a sufficient number should be "shaken loose" before the troops are brought into action"

"When the command travelled on along the ranks of the Highlanders it lit up the faces of the men one after the other assuring them that now after long experience they would go into action. They began obeying the order and with beaming joy for they came of a warlike race; yet not without emotion of a graver kind - they were young soldiers, new to battle."

After that the forward march was resumed and eventually the two armies deployed into line from the right before the Alma heights. In the rear the 1st and 3rd Divisions were halted and stood at ease.

The battle began about 1.30 p.m. and for the 42nd who were part of the 1st Division it meant that they were stationary and being shelled.

Opening Stages of the Battle

The 42nd went into the battle of the Alma with 27 officers, 40 sergeants, 20 pipers and drummers and 703 rank and file.

As previously mentioned the 42nd were stationary behind the Light and Second divisions and were being shelled. Captain Montgomery of the 42nd stated that he was "afraid for the first time in my life and flinched at every shot."

For about ninety minutes the ordeal continued. The men were stoical and jokingly gave the Russian guns names. Two were christened "Maggie" and "Jessie". "Look out for a shot from Jessie". "Now Maggie's coming."

Just after 3 p.m. the French sent a message to Raglan that British entry into the battle was urgently required.



The Light and 2nd divisions crossed the Alma driving the Russian skirmishers before them. As soon as they got out of the vineyards double the guns opened up with grape and canister. By the time they reached the Redoubt they were shattered but carried it capturing two guns. Being little in number they were forced back by a huge body of Russian infantry.

It was at this point that the Highland Brigade and the 42nd in particular were committed to the fray along with the Guards brigade in order to support the Light division.

Forward The 42nd

Some time after the Russian artillery had opened fire the 1st division had advanced to behind the first wall of the vineyard where it lay down.



It was at this halt before the Highland Brigade crossed the Alma that Sir Colin Campbell addressed his men. Obviously the exact words can never be accurately known due to the noise and confusion but an approximation follows.

"Now men you are going into action. Remember this: Whoever is wounded must lie where he falls till the bandsmen come to attend to him. No soldiers must go carrying off wounded men. If any soldier does such a thing his name shall be stuck up in his parish church. Don't hurry about firing. Your officers will tell you when it is time to open fire. Be steady. Keep silence. Fire low. Now men the army will watch us; make me proud of the Highland Brigade."

An officer of the 42nd described how the battalion approached the Alma.

"We now came to a long stone wall and on the side was a vineyard. The grapes were just ripe and though the fire became very heavy the soldiers kept picking the grapes as they pushed their way along. The river Alma was below the vineyard and the opposite bank ascended rather steeply towards the intrenched camp of the Russians. We now arrived at the river and began to cross - the water was about up to our knees."

The Alma was crossed at a point where the river took a turn to the North East which caused the three Scottish regiments to cross in echelon on the left of the allied line. The 42nd had found less difficulty in getting through the vineyards and river and were therefore to the right and in front of the brigade with the 93rd behind and the 79th completing the echelon on the left.

Under the partial shelter of the steep slope in front the Highland Brigade reformed on the south bank. The shelling was accurate as the Russians had fixed posts in the ground every 100 yards. During the halt Sir Colin Campbell conferred with the Duke of Cambridge the divisional commander.

Meanwhile the Guards Brigade was assaulting the Great Redoubt to the right of the Highland Brigade. The Scots Fusilier Guards did experience some difficulty as the vineyards had broken the symmetry of their line.



It was at this point that Sir Colin uttered his famous comment that: "It were better that every man of Her Majesty's Guards should lie dead upon the field of battle than they should turn their backs upon the enemy."

Sir Colin was now determined to bring one regiment after another up the eastern slopes of the Kourgane, overrun the Lesser Redoubt, and take the Russians in the flank.

The orders having been dispatched to the brigade Sir Colin turned to the Black Watch and simply said, "Forward 42nd."

Advance To Victory

Sterling, the brigade major, described the response.

"Making a deliberate parade ground movement of regiments in echelon, right in front" the highlanders started up the slope at a smart pace. The total length of the advancing line including the Guards was about 1.5 miles.

A Black Watch officer observed:

"We were ordered to advance and began to march over little heaps of men of the Light Division and an occasional dead Russian. Very soon we saw the Light Division in front of us forming into "fours" and halted. The Highland Brigade was immediately formed into " fours" and passed through them. As we passed through the 33rd I heard one of them say, "Ah, let the Scotchmen go on, they don't know what they're going to get!" Again forming a line we advanced and found ourselves the leading division of the army on the left flank."

Well in front of the main body of the 42nd were the battalion's skirmishers under Captain Montgomery. As he reached the first or outer ridge he could see the Guards breaking into the Great Redoubt and the Russians regrouping to join the right half of the Kazan regiment which was on a collision course with the 42nd.



Montgomery's skirmishers were about to open fire when a British officer making his way across the British line from fight to left was heard to say, " Don't fire they're French." But a highlander next to Montgomery called out, " Na...Na..there's na misstaken thone deevil" and sent a minie bullet into the column.

Half a minute later they were joined by the main body of the battalion moving with speed up the hill. Too winded by their fast climb to charge they marched on firing as they went.

The Black Watch officer describes the scene.

"On arriving at the crest of the undulating we found ourselves confronted by five columns of infantry. At this moment the 42nd was alone and closest to us were two columns on the further side of the hollow - the Sousdal and Kazan column; one wore helmets, the others were in forage caps. We were now advancing firing and approaching the great solid mass of Russian infantry who poured in a hot fire, their front rank kneeling."

Firing whilst advancing was a difficult manoeuvre which was only possible when the troops executing it were highly trained and of great steadiness. It had the desired effect and the Russian column began to waver.



Part of the uncommitted Sousdal regiment now appeared moving from left to right and threatened to take the 42nd in its flank. While Sir Colin assessed the danger the 42nd were halted in a hollow. But now the merit of the echelon formation came into its own and the 93rd came over the crest and poured fire into the Russians. However it was only when the 79th appeared further to the left that total victory was assured.

In the words of the Black Watch officer.

"Seeing the time had come Sir Colin lifted his hat, bayonets were fixed and the charge was made after the retreating Russians"

When the crest of the ridge was reached the brigade was halted and formed into line. Masses of Russians were retreating along the whole line and although they halted several times the 42nd, 93rd and 79th kept firing.

Thirty-five minutes after the British attack had begun total victory had been achieved at surprisingly low cost for the Highland Brigade who casualties were 15 killed and 83 wounded.

The 42nd had 41 casualties that are detailed elsewhere on the site.

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