The Battle of the
Alma was a battle in
the Crimean War between
an allied expeditionary
force (made up of
French, British, and
Turkish forces) and
Russian forces defending
the Crimean Peninsula on
September 20, 1854. The
allies had made a
surprise landing in
Crimea on September 14.
The allied commanders,
Maréchal Jacques Leroy
de Saint-Arnaud and Lord
Raglan, then marched
toward the strategically
important port city of
Sevastapol, 28 miles
away. Russian commander
Prince Alexander
Sergeyevich Menshikov
rushed his available
forces to the last
natural defensive
position before the
city, the Alma Heights,
south of the Alma River.
The allies made a series
of disjointed attacks.
The French turned the
Russian left flank with
an attack up cliffs that
the Russians had
considered unscalable.
The British initially
waited to see the
outcome of the French
attack, then twice
unsuccessfully assaulted
the Russians' main
position on their right.
Eventually, superior
British rifle fire
forced the Russians to
retreat. With both
flanks turned, the
Russian position
collapsed and they fled.
The lack of cavalry
meant that little
pursuit occurred.
The battle cost the
French roughly 1,600
casualties, the British
2,000, the Egyptians
503, and the Russians
some 5,000.