Crimean war

Outside the gate of Ludlow Castle, which is marching in Wales, stands a huge iron cannon. The plaque on the carriage reads "1855 captured in Sevastopol": the trophy of the Crimean war. 1853, the war brought the cross Victoria, Nightingale and Mary Sike, the charge of the light brigade and the thin red line of the Sutherland Highlanders.

In addition, the Crimean war brought us dozens of Russian trophy cannons, which still decorate the towns of Britain, Ireland and the former dominion. The hostilities between Turkey, Britain, France and their allies and Russia took place in completely different war zones, but the main focus of the Crimean war became the allied siege of Sevastopol, Russia's main naval base in the Black Sea.

The siege lasted for more than a year. The besiegers didn't have everything in their own way. They don't have enough troops to isolate the city from its hinterland. Therefore, under the excellent leadership of General Edward Todd Leben, the Russians can establish reserves and reinforcements on a regular basis.

According to Captain Edmund Riley's official description of the British artillery action, it can be seen that in order to arm the enemy's battery built where he wants, he has a large arsenal, a shipyard and a fleet, which can not only provide his first weapon, but also replace his guns immediately after he is disabled.

He has almost unlimited materials and labor to repair and strengthen the project we were asked to destroy, but until the last moment of the siege, the enemy continued to expand his fortress and build a new one. They never lacked ammunition, and 3,000 pieces of unmounted fragments were brought to this place. This uninterrupted supply of artillery is one of the main reasons for long-term defense. The town was shattered by prolonged British and French artillery fire, but Russian forts and fortifications persisted, and the Allies finally decided to attack head-on.

1On September 8th, 855, the French army attacked and seized the key to the Russian defensive position at Fort Malahov, while the British army failed to attack the nearby Fort Litan. But that night, the Russian army retreated from the south side of Sevastopol and retreated to the north in an invincible position.

As far as Sevastopol is concerned, the incident was decisive: the allies took control of towns and ports, shipyards and fortifications, as well as a large number of shops and ordnance. Lieutenant Colonel richard kelly, a British witness, even "heard a report that the Committee assessed the British share of guns and shops seized by Sevastopol, which was equivalent to the salary of the whole army for one year", although he was skeptical about this rumor.

1856 The signing of the Paris Treaty ended the war on March 30th. With the approach of peace, the allies are ready to withdraw troops and materials, including trophies. Allied commanders are keen to offset Sevastopol's military capabilities, but they also want to do their best. At first, the logistical difficulties of bringing home the prize guns seemed to be more important than their value, whether it was the British Crimean Command or the London War Minister.

1856 At the beginning of February, Sir William Ke Ling, then the British commander-in-chief in Crimea, called the war ministers Fox Moeller and Lord Pamur to ask for instructions on the captured Russian ordnance. He has sent some captured bells and brass cannons home and hopes to send more, but he is skeptical about the trouble and cost involved.

I should be happy to know what I think of Russian guns. I suggest sending some injured people home from Zidan in their carriages, and there are many good people at the gun dock.

We now have about forty guns on the plateau. I hope to prepare these guns near Balaclava to achieve the ulterior purpose: if there is peace, these things can go home. I can get the whole trophy, including artillery and all kinds of things that have no artillery value; But it will be a long job, and it will tear the horse to some extent, which is more valuable than a gun. If you don't want to leave your guns on the ground, I can do this: if you prefer to destroy them and throw them into the water, I can do the same.

Pan Murray doubts whether it is wise to spend energy on prize guns. He confided to Clinton: I have no confidence in peace yet. I see many indescribable rocks ahead. No matter what our allies will do, you must continue to prepare for the attack until you receive positive orders to hold your hand.

I brought your brass trophy home. As for the others, I have sent you a telegram asking you to destroy them and throw them into the port. If you can save any of the best, you can, but it doesn't matter.

Lord palmerston agreed with the Secretary of War. Although London was lukewarm about looting, the Crimean army set out to retrieve as many Russian guns as possible. As the peace problem has not been solved, Clinton still kept some enemy ammunition for the battlefield. Lieutenant Colonel Kelly recorded these difficulties in his home letter and added:

The French have removed almost all guns from their works, but most of us are still at gunpoint; However, we began to seriously consider removing them. As the first step, our regiment was selected to drive about two miles from Jordan to Vorontsov highway for artillery vehicles.

16 On February 6th, Ke Ling reported to Pan Murray that he was taking advantage of the good weather to "put artillery troops into Russian artillery, of which 125 was far away from the town, 106 was on the plateau near the railway,1/kloc-0 was in Balaclava, and 8 was on the Edward River". He also wants to make sure that British disability-free guns become Russian prizes. Pan Murray agreed and urged again that the gun sank into deep water and could not be recovered.

At the same time, Kelly's road construction has achieved great success, which has brought him high praise. "The road has been repaired," he repeated to his wife on February 17.

In order to facilitate the transportation of Russian artillery from the Zidan River, because the artillery will start this work seriously tomorrow, because they say that there are nearly 65,438+0,000 guns to be transported to Britain, some in Balaclava and some in Kazataev. The latter place will immediately send a brigade of the 4th Division to build the pier. Yesterday in Jordan, the artillery was busy clearing Russian artillery, either introducing drugs or shooting them at the railing.

Although peace is slowly approaching, Clinton's instructions are still the basis for maintaining the war. Pan Murray also pointed out in the telegram announcing the opening of the peace conference on February 25: "The Queen has seen your trophy and found a place for the two big clocks, which makes her very interested. Guns are poor things, but they are valuable as trophies.

With the arrival of March, the message was the same, preparing for war while negotiating peace, although Pan Murray agreed to the initial actions of the allied forces to destroy Russian fortifications and collect seized guns. The allied forces are happy to use the destroyed fortifications to carry out explosive technology experiments. One structure destroyed in this way is a spectacular dry dock, which was recently completed by foreign British engineer John Upton. It was built for fifteen years, and 185 1 began to operate, and 1856 was bombed.

Then, the momentum of the peace talks became unstoppable: Pan Murray predicted "this sudden peace" and turned his attention to the British army and its spoils, and then brought them back to Britain.

On March 8th, Ke Ling reported the work needed to rescue the artillery: In order to remove Russian artillery from the artillery dock and creek battery on the horizontal plane, as well as the battery of Jordan and barracks, the Vorontsov highway was repaired by a detachment of the Army Corps of Engineers, and passed through the city wall and the ditch on the left side of Jordan.

Most cannon horses are used every day when the weather is clear: it is a heavy business, but 406 cannons or cannons have been loaded on ships bound for England: of course, they will return to woolwich. There are many Leidan guns, and their carriages all show the knocking sound of shooting. I think it might be interesting, and there are one or two big mortars.

10 days later, Pan Murray's telegram was concerned about the practicality of evacuation and still tended not to disturb any available or advanced brass guns. "All heavy and usable siege guns can be packed in Malta and Gibraltar. Once again, I take the liberty to suggest that all unusable iron ammunition should be transported to Balaclava port with lighters and then sent to the deep sea.

Other items can be shipped out. Captain Riley drafted the official "Return to Russian shops, transported to Britain by British troops", including many equipment. Despite Pan Murray's suggestion, most weapons are handled in this way. Britain and France set up a special committee to share the captured materials, while the French are keen to offset the captured Napoleon cannons, which have been displayed in the Moscow Kremlin.

Codrington pointed out that "the French are moving any number of guns in order to build a" Sevastopol Avenue ". As a pendant of French guns in Moscow, Kelly saw that the dock of Cumish, the base of Crimea, France, was "covered with Russian guns and ship anchors ready to be transported to France".

At this time, Baron houseman is reshaping the center of Paris, and his great new north-south central axis, formerly known as Central Avenue, has been renamed Sevastopol.

Sevastopol Avenue still runs through the center of Paris. Although there was no prize gun, Charles Louis Napolé on Bonaparte presented 265,438+03 French iron prize guns for casting the giant statue of Notre Dame de France in Le Puy-en-Velay, Overwien district, which was completed in 65,438+0,860.

The most valuable guns are brass or bronze, and the allies have made a precise division. According to Riley, among the 177 bronzes seized, the French got 88 pieces and the British got 89 pieces. The value of iron ammunition is lower, but the quantity is more: Riley recorded that a total of 875 pieces of iron were shipped back to Britain.

Pan Murray's telegram is generally lukewarm to the trophy: "We don't want a Sevastopol Avenue, but some memories of our long siege are acceptable.

At this time, more Sebastopol cannons arrived in London. They were sent to Woolwich Arsenal, where they joined the guns captured by the British Baltic Navy and landed not long ago.

Woolwich described in a report on February 23rd (1856) that several cannons and mortars brought from Sevastopol, as well as two big clocks, had been added to Hango's spoils.

They are stored at the entrance of Arsenal Stadium, and some of them are heavy iron cannons with large caliber, which have the most peculiar appearance. The decoration of the clock is represented by saints, which is very tasteful.

The Queen and Prince Albert inspected the guns, mortars and other items seized in Crimea and Bo Ma Song Dai, and then the Queen inspected some wounded soldiers who had just returned from the war in the Committee meeting room. The Queen also ordered the relaxation of the usual tight security in woolwich to allow the public who wanted to see the trophy to enter: The Times recorded the public's great curiosity.

In addition to hoping to get souvenirs of her meeting with veterans, Victoria also asked her family photographer J. E. Mayall to "make several sets of faces and whatever faces he thought were the most interesting". As a symbol, the value of guns is not only the dominant position of the defeated enemy, but also the value of wartime alliance, which is further proved when distributing trophies to Sardinia, the hero's primary alliance partner.

Sardinians received about 200 iron cannons, including six British cannons they fought against in the war. Clinton, "they will be happy to use them as part of their Russian guns when they hear this voice" and think that "it is best for the British government to provide them as souvenirs of the alliance".

Later, the bronze Russian trophy should be distributed from the British share to Sardinia. At the same time, Pan Murray himself hopes to own an Ottoman cannon as a monument to the friendship between Britain and Turkey in the war. In a letter to Lord clarendon, the foreign minister and plenipotentiary of the Paris peace talks, he said: "We would be grateful if you could trick Ali into giving us a large number of brass weapons from the Da Daniil Strait or Smyrna as souvenirs of our war alliance.

Clarendon was obviously successful:1In April 857, Pamur informed the Queen that "an exquisite brass gun was brought from Turkey in a suitable carriage to ride the YMS Sphinx, which was a gift from Sudan to your Majesty to commemorate the late war.