Siege of Sevastopol
Part of Crimean War
Siege of Sevastopol by Franz Roubaud
Date: October 17, 1854-September 11, 1855 Location: Sebastopol, Russia (Sevastopol, Ukraine) Result: Decisive British & French victory Casus belli: {{{casus}}} Territory changes: {{{territory}}}
Combatants
Great Britain France	Russia
Commanders
General François Canrobert (later replaced by General Pélissier) Lord Raglen	Admiral Kornilov (later replaced by Admiral Pavel Nakhimov) Lt. Col. Eduard Todleben
Strength
55,000	35,000
Casualties
2,271 British, 7,567 French, Total:9,838	100,000 est.
{{{notes}}}

French zouaves and Russian soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat at the Malakoff tower

The Siege of Sebastopol (or Sevastopol, more correctly), was a major siege during the Crimean War, from 1854-1855. Combatants United Kingdom, France, Ottoman Empire, Sardinia Imperial Russia Commanders Strength 250,000 British 400,000 French 10,000 Sardinian 1,200,000 Russian Casualties 17,500 British 30,000 French 2,050 Sardinian killed and wounded 256,000 killed and wounded {{{notes}}} The Crimean War lasted from 28 March... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x632, 75 KB)Siege of Sevastopol. ... Franz Alekseevitch Roubaud was a Russian painter. ... October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Sebastopol may refer to: Sebastopol, California, USA Sebastopol, Mississippi, USA Sevastopol, Ukraine used to be known as Sebastopol This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol (from a mistransliteration of the Russian v), is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula at , . It has a population of 328,600 (2004). ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Ottoman Empire, Sardinia Imperial Russia Commanders Strength 250,000 British 400,000 French 10,000 Sardinian 1,200,000 Russian Casualties 17,500 British 30,000 French 2,050 Sardinian killed and wounded 256,000 killed and wounded {{{notes}}} The Crimean War lasted from 28 March... Template:Infobox Military Conflict General The Battle of Alma (September 20, 1854), the first battle of the Crimean War (1854–1856), took place in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea. ... Army camp at Balaklava The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854, was a key battle during the Crimean War, fought between the allied forces of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other. ... Combatants Great Britain France Russia Commanders General Pierre Bosquet Lord Raglan General Aleksandr Menshikov Strength Unknown 47,200 infantry 4,000 cavalry 110 guns est. ... The Battle of Eupatoria was an action with far reaching strategic significance. ... The Battle of Chernaya River (Battle of Tchernaïa, Сражение у Черной речки, Сражение у реки Черной) was a battle fought during the Crimean War on August 16, 1855 between Russia and a coalition of French and Piedmontese troops. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Image File history File links French zouaves and Russian soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat at the Malakoff tower. ... Image File history File links French zouaves and Russian soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat at the Malakoff tower. ... Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol (from a mistransliteration of the Russian v), is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula at , . It has a population of 328,600 (2004). ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Ottoman Empire, Sardinia Imperial Russia Commanders Strength 250,000 British 400,000 French 10,000 Sardinian 1,200,000 Russian Casualties 17,500 British 30,000 French 2,050 Sardinian killed and wounded 256,000 killed and wounded {{{notes}}} The Crimean War lasted from 28 March... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In September of 1854 allied troops landed in the Crimea and besieged the city of Sevastopol, home of the Tsar's Black Sea fleet and a threat of future Russian penetration into the Mediterranean. The Russian field army left before they could be encircled. Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol (from a mistransliteration of the Russian v), is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula at , . It has a population of 328,600 (2004). ... Look up Tsar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the US community of Czar, see Czar, West Virginia. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ...

At the start of October, the French and British (moving from their base at Balaclava) engineers began with the aid of the troops began to build their siege lines along the Chersonese Uplands to the south of Sevastopol. They dug redoubts, gun batteries, and trenches. Army camp at Balaklava during the Crimean War Balaklava is a section of the city of Sevastopol, in the Crimea region of Ukraine. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... A ditch with water can be used for drainage and irrigation. ...

With Prince Menshikov gone, the defence of Sevastopol was led by Admiral Kornilov, and Lieutenant Colonel Todleben, Menshikov’s chief engineer. The military forces available to defend the city were 4,500 militia, 2,700 gunners, 4,400 marines, 18,500 naval seamen and 5,000 workmen for a total of just over 35,000 men. Menshikov in Exile Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov (Александр Данилович Меншиков) (1673 – 1729) was a Russian statesman, whose official titles included Generalissimo, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Izhora. ...

The Russians scuttled their ships to protect the harbour and used the naval cannons as additional artillery, and the ships' crews as marines. The ships sunk, some as blockships, during 1855 included the: German battlecruiser Derfflinger scuttled at Scapa Flow. ...

• Grand Duke Constantine of 120 guns,
• City of Paris 120, plus another 120 gun ship,
• Brave 84,
• Empress Maria 84,
• Chesme 84,
• Yagondeid and 2 other 84-gun battleships,
• Kavarna 60,
• Konlephy 54,
• 2 other sail frigates, plus the steam frigate Vladimir,
• the steamers Thunderer, Bessarabia, Danube, Odessa, Elbrose, Krein, and 2 other steamers.

By mid October the Allies had some 120 guns ready to fire on Sevastopol, the Russians had about three times as many to return fire and defend against attacking infantry.

On the 17th October 1854, the artillery battle began. Russian artillery blew up a French magazine, silencing their guns. British fire set off the magazine in the Malakoff redoubt, silencing most of the guns, killing Admiral Kornilov and leaving a gap in the cities defences. However the planned British and French infantry attack was withheld and a possible early end to the siege was missed.

At the same time, the Allies ships pounded the Russian defences but took damage and inlficted little themselves before retiring. The following day, with the French guns resupplied, the Allies started again. The damage they had done the day before had been repaired overnight by the Russian workers - a pattern that would continue throughout the siege.

During October and November the battles of Balaclava and Inkerman took place beyond the siege works. After Inkerman the Russians saw the siege could not be readily lifted by a battle in the field and instead moved their troops piece by piece into the city to aid the defenders. Inkerman (Inkermann) is a small town in Crimea, an eastern suburb of Sevastopol. ...

In November the weather broke and winter brought a hurricane which ruined the Allies camps and supply lines. Men and horses sickened and starved in the poor conditions.

Todleben extended the fortifications around the Redan, the Flagstaff Bastion and the Malakoff while the the British chief engineer, Burgoyne, sought to take the Malakoff which he saw as the key to Sevastopol. Siege works were begun to bring the Allied troops near enough to assault the Malakoff. Todleben dug rifle pits from where Russians could snipe at the besiegers. These then became the target of allied assaults in a foretaste of the trench warfare of the First World War. Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

When winter turned to spring the Allies were able to resupply with a vengenace, they used a railway to bring up supplies from Balaclava to the siege lines. This delivered over 500 guns and plenty of ammunition. On Easter Sunday, 8 April 1855, the Allies began a bombardment of the Russian defences. Easter (also called Pascha) is generally accounted the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed March or April each year to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (after his death by crucifixion; see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year, almost two... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ...

On 16 May 1855, General Canrobert resigned command of the French Army and was replaced by General Pélissier. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ...

Admiral Nakhimov was mortally wounded in the head by a sniper shot, and died on 30 June 1855. The city was captured in September 1855. Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (June 23, 1802 - June 28, 1855) was one of the most famous admirals in Russian naval history, best remembered as the commander of naval and land forces during the Siege of Sevastopol (Sevastopol) in the Crimean War. ... The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

It resulted in Russian defeat in the Crimean War despite the heavy British and French casualties and heroic defense of the city in September of 1855. 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Battles of the siege

• Battle of Malakoff - the taking of one of the defensive works.
• Redan

The Battle of Malakoff was fought on September 7, 1855 and resulted in a French victory under General MacMahon against the Russians. ... Redan is a term from fortifications. ...

See also

• Siege of Sevastopol (1942)